Analysis Mining Ma’aden-Alba merger ‘a potential game changer’ The proposed merger between the Saudi Arabian mining company Ma’aden and Bahrain’s aluminium smelter Alba looks likely to shake up the global aluminium industry, with the new company challenging for sixth place in the world rankings. “It’s almost a game-changing event, particularly in the GCC region,” says Andy Farida, a senior analyst at Fastmarkets, a […] September 27, 2024
Real Estate Dar Global reports H1 2024 loss as revenue drops 60% Developer Dar Global, a Saudi-listed Dar Al Arkan subsidiary, recorded a loss in the first half of 2024 after revenues fell nearly 60 percent year on year. The company, also listed on the London Stock Exchange, reported losses of nearly $13 million between January and June, compared to a profit of $21 million a year […] September 27, 2024
Oil & Gas Oil price fall pushes Saudi Arabia to look at raising output Saudi Arabia is preparing to raise its oil output from December, in an attempt to reclaim its shrinking global market share. The world’s biggest crude exporter will have to accept lower crude prices for longer but is resigned to giving up its $100 a barrel target price, according to reports. Oil prices dropped sharply on […] September 26, 2024
Markets Investors scent riches in Middle East perfume The retail offering of Al Majed for Oud Company was more than nine times oversubscribed this week, as investors rushed to buy up the first tranche of 1.5 million shares in the Riyadh-based perfume and oud products manufacturer. The full listing of 7.5 million shares, or a 30 percent stake in the company, will raise […] September 25, 2024
Infrastructure Riyadh signs off billions to improve road safety Riyadh municipality has signed five contracts worth SAR6 billion ($1.6 billion) to improve roads in the Saudi capital, where traffic accidents are above the global average. The contracts entail rehabilitating and asphalting 83 million square metres of road network over five years, in time for Riyadh’s hosting of the 2030 World Expo, which will bring […] September 25, 2024
Trade Oman-Saudi trade tops $2.6bn in first half of 2024 Trade between Oman and Saudi Arabia exceeded OMR1 billion ($2.6 billion) in the first six months of 2024, official data shows. Metal products accounted for the largest proportion of Omani exports to the kingdom by value, totalling OMR161 million, the state-run Oman News Agency reported, quoting data from the National Centre for Statistics and Information. […] September 25, 2024
Manufacturing Aramco ties with China for industrial manufacturing Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer, is exploring opening manufacturing facilities for industrial components and advanced materials in collaboration with a state-run Chinese company. The Saudi-listed company and China National Building Material Group have signed a five-year agreement for potential collaboration, including establishing manufacturing facilities in the kingdom to produce wind turbine blades, hydrogen storage […] September 25, 2024
Analysis Markets Saudi Arabia leads in stock lending as short selling grows Saudi Arabia is the Middle East’s most active market for stock lending – an important part of the process of short selling – and demand from borrowers is likely to increase as more sophisticated investors start trading, new research suggests. In stock lending, an entity – usually a broker or financial institution – pays a […] September 25, 2024
Business of Sport Egyptian developer invests $1bn in Saudi sports clubs Egyptian real estate developer Melee will spend SAR4.5 billion ($1.2 billion) to establish three new sports clubs in the Saudi cities of Riyadh, Jeddah and Al Khobar, according to a company executive. The club in Al Khobar is slated to be first in line for completion before the end of the year, Gasser Bahgat, Melee […] September 24, 2024
Renewable Energy Progress made on Gulf renewables but ‘more to do’ Executives from global companies used a United Nations climate change event on Monday to urge world leaders – including those in the Gulf – to stick to commitments agreed at the Cop28 summit in Dubai to treble renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade. The International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday that […] September 24, 2024
Finance Saudi Aramco to raise funds via Islamic bonds Saudi Aramco has launched US dollar-denominated sukuk (Islamic bonds) as part of its fund-raising strategy. The net proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes, the company said in a statement to the Saudi stock exchange on Tuesday. The offering will be open to institutional investors, with a minimum subscription of $200,000. The total proceeds […] September 24, 2024
Opinion Business of Sport Qatar scores Champions League deal in battle for Gulf skies Qatar Airways has added a new trophy to its prestigious sponsorship collection September 23, 2024
Analysis Tourism Arab Disneyland and Da Vinci: Saudi Arabia’s two great hopes Saudi Arabia is spending billions on tourism projects at the heart of its grand plan to transform a once isolated kingdom into a global tourist destination. But a nagging question is haunting policymakers: will the world pay attention? Tourism numbers are rising, hitting 27.4 million in 2023, but half of those were religious visitors. The […] September 23, 2024
Mining Mineral wealth leads global lab to open in Saudi Arabia The drive to exploit Saudi Arabia’s estimated $2.5 trillion of untapped mineral wealth has moved another step forward with the opening by the global laboratory testing company Bureau Veritas of a new metal and minerals facility in Jeddah. “Saudi Arabia is one of our key markets. It’s fast growing and that’s what makes it quite […] September 23, 2024
Analysis Giga-projects The huge ambitions of PIF come at vast expense The scale of the holdings is vast and the ambition is huge. Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund was the world’s highest-spending state-owned investor in the first half of 2024, according to Global SWF, a consultancy. It is due to raise its annual spending to $70 billion in 2025, a year earlier than previously announced, according […] September 20, 2024
Oil & Gas Second-half slide expected for Saudi petrochemical industry With higher shipping and logistic rates and stable prices of raw materials, Saudi petrochemical producers are likely to report lower earnings in the second half of the year, an expert has said. The companies reported margin peaks in the second quarter of the year, but they are likely to face pressures on profit margins in […] September 20, 2024
Agriculture PIF subsidiary takes stake in Ukraine poultry producer A subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has taken a stake in the Ukraine-based poultry producer MHP in a deal worth more than $13.5 million. MHP, more fully Myronivsky Hliboproduct, which trades on the London Stock Exchange, is an international food and agrotech company, founded in Kyiv in 1998. It has a strong presence […] September 19, 2024
Leisure & Hospitality Arabian nights: what goes on when the sun goes down A jazz festival, desert raves and sports bar are part of the Saudi plan to build a night economy September 19, 2024
Tourism Halo Space to manufacture capsules in Saudi Arabia Spanish company Halo Space plans to localise most manufacturing of its high-altitude balloon capsule to Saudi Arabia, it said this week before its first test launch in the kingdom. The Madrid-based startup is due to stage an unmanned test flight from the Al-Aflaj oasis 330km south of Riyadh within the next two weeks, depending on […] September 18, 2024
Industry Maaden to acquire Sabic’s stake in Bahrain’s Alba Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) will acquire Saudi Basic Industries Corporation’s (Sabic) 20.62 percent share in Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) as part of its global growth strategy. The Saudi-listed mining major aims to grow ten times by 2040, with its aluminium business being the core contributor. Maaden will become the second-largest shareholder in Alba, holding a 20.62 […] September 18, 2024
