Manufacturing PIF-backed EV maker Lucid beats 2024 delivery estimates Electric vehicle maker Lucid beat expectations for deliveries in the fourth quarter of 2024. The company delivered 3,099 EVs in the fourth quarter of 2024, above the estimated 2,637, according to analysts at Visible Alpha. Production rose to 3,386 vehicles in the reported quarter, surpassing estimates of 2,904 units. In total, the company delivered 10,241 […] January 7, 2025
Real Estate Saudis sold on online home sales, says developer Roshn Saudi developer Roshn, a unit of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), said half of its home sales are now made online, marking a significant shift in the kingdom’s property market. Buyers on Roshn’s platform can verify their identity using national digital IDs, sign contracts electronically and make payments online, streamlining a process that traditionally required […] January 7, 2025
Banking and Finance Order book for $12bn Saudi bond 3 times oversubscribed Saudi Arabia has raised $12 billion from a three-tranche bond to meet its funding needs. The tranches of $5 billion, $3 billion and $4 billion have a duration of three, six and 10 years, respectively, the National Debt Management Center (NDMC) said in a post on social messaging platform X. The total order book reached […] January 7, 2025
Finance Saudi Arabia’s PIF secures $7bn investment financing Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has raised $7 billion to finance future investments. The fund’s murabaha credit facility – a common Islamic financing tool in which buyer and seller agree to cost and markup of an asset – was supported by a syndicate of 20 international and regional financial institutions, PIF said in a statement. […] January 6, 2025
Analysis Markets Investor demand lowers yield on China’s dollar bonds Strong investor demand has lowered the yield on Chinese dollar bonds originally sold in Riyadh last November to below those of United States’ 10-year treasuries. This negative spread indicates pent-up demand for similar Chinese paper and could lead Beijing to sell more debt in Saudi Arabia, which is China’s second-largest oil supplier. In mid-November, China […] January 6, 2025
Economy Saudi Arabia estimates 2025 budget funding at $37bn Saudi Arabia will need estimated funding of SAR139 billion ($37.02 billion) in 2025 to cover the potential budget deficit. Finance minister Mohammed Al Jadaan has approved the borrowing plan, the National Debt Management Cente said in a statement. The ministry anticipates a budget deficit of SAR101 billion for the year, with nearly SAR38 billion of […] January 6, 2025
Oil & Gas Aramco explores building oil refinery in Bangladesh Saudi Aramco is willing to build an oil refinery in Bangladesh to address local and regional demand, according to an official news report. The proposed refinery is expected to meet Dhaka’s growing demand for petroleum products while serving regional markets such as China and India, state-run BSS news agency reported citing Saudi envoy Essa Al […] January 6, 2025
Finance Anti-corruption squad arrests Saudi government employees Government employees were among 145 people arrested in Saudi Arabia over corruption charges last month. The country’s Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha) conducted 1,462 “oversight visits” in December, during which 390 accused individuals were investigated and the arrests made. Those involved worked for a range of government agencies including the ministries of the interior, defence, […] January 3, 2025
Mining Saudi Arabia chases 15% stake in Pakistan’s Reko Diq mine Saudi Arabia is in talks with Pakistan to acquire a 15 percent stake in one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper and gold resources, a Pakistani government minister has said. Negotiations between the two countries started last year over a minority stake in the Reko Diq copper and gold mine project in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan […] January 3, 2025
Industry As prices rise, Saudi cement companies may seek alternatives Cement companies in Saudi Arabia may be forced to turn to more sustainable alternatives after the prices of fuel products used in production rose for the second successive year. Saudi businesses have been given notice of the price increases, which came into effect from the start of this month. The price of methane, the main […] January 3, 2025
Real Estate Saudi Arabia embraces mortgage-backed securities Saudi officials have signed a preliminary deal this week to issue residential mortgage-backed securities, a first for the Gulf. The Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company (SRC), which is owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), and the Hassana Investment Company, which manages the assets of the national social security and pension fund, signed the memorandum […] January 3, 2025
Finance Saudi Arabia funds budget gap with $2.5bn loan Saudi Arabia has secured a sharia-compliant revolving credit facility of $2.5 billion to fund its budget gap in 2025. The credit facility for three years was secured from three regional and international financial institutions, according to the National Debt Management Center (NDMC). It falls within the kingdom’s medium-term public debt strategy by diversifying funding sources […] January 3, 2025
Food & Drink Foodtech startup Calo plans IPO after $25m funding round Saudi food technology startup Calo is planning to list on the country’s stock exchange following a raise of SAR94 million ($25 million) in its Series B funding round. Based in Riyadh, Calo specialises in personalised meal subscriptions and also has a bricks-and-mortar offering. It is embarking on an accelerated expansion phase, increasing its physical locations […] January 2, 2025
Tourism Clampdown begins on Saudi’s unlicensed hospitality Travel and tourism service providers and booking platforms have been ordered by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Tourism to remove unlicensed hospitality facilities from their listings or “face penalties”. The ruling, which came into effect from January 1, is to ensure outlets offering hospitality meet a certain standard, the ministry said in a statement. It urged […] January 2, 2025
Analysis Economy Saudi 2025 fiscal gap forecast could widen further Saudi Arabia has assumed a deficit of nearly $27 billion in its 2025 budget but the actual gap is likely to widen by the end of the year, experts predict. When the world’s largest oil exporter announced the draft budget in September and then endorsed it in late November, it was expecting more oil earnings […] January 2, 2025
Construction Emaar EC cuts accumulated losses by nearly 54% Emaar the Economic City (Emaar EC) has cut accumulated losses without disrupting business operations after shareholders approved a capital decrease. Abdulaziz Ibrahim Alnowaiser, CEO of the master developer of King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC) in Saudi Arabia, said: “The capital decrease is a critical enabler of our capital optimisation plan.” The approved capital cuts will reduce the company’s […] January 2, 2025
Employment Number of unemployed Saudis down in Q3 2024 Unemployment among Saudi nationals fell to 7.8 percent in the third quarter of 2024 from 8.8 percent in the same period a year ago, according to state-run General Authority for Statistics data. But unemployment increased quarter on quarter from 7.1 percent. The overall unemployment rate, including expatriate workers, climbed to 3.7 percent from 3.3 percent […] January 2, 2025
Economy Saudi Arabia’s FDI inflows fall 21%, putting 2024 target in doubt Foreign direct investment into Saudi Arabia has fallen 21 percent year on year, according to the country’s statistics agency. In the third quarter of 2024, Saudi Arabia recorded SAR18 billion ($4.8 billion) of FDI inflows, compared to SAR22.6 billion in the third quarter of 2023, the General Authority for Statistics said. FDI inflows were also […] December 31, 2024
Renewable Energy Acwa Power signs up for 1GW Egyptian wind farm The Saudi energy company Acwa Power has signed agreements worth more than $700 million to fund the development, construction, operation and maintenance of a wind power plant in Egypt. Acwa Power said it signed the 20-year senior debt agreement, worth SAR2.63 billion ($703 million), with a syndicate of development financial institutions. The 1.1GW wind power […] December 31, 2024
Giga-projects Neom’s air taxi partner Volocopter files for insolvency Volocopter, the German air taxi developer backed by Saudi Arabia’s Neom giga-project, has filed for insolvency, blaming difficulties in securing fresh funding. The company, whose high-profile backers include Mercedes-Benz, Honeywell, Daimler, Intel and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group, said its operations would continue during the insolvency proceedings as it seeks new investors. The insolvency raises concerns […] December 31, 2024
