Markets Saudi stock trading slumps as interest jumps in US stocks Saudi trading in US stocks trebled in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared with the previous year to SAR58.7 billion ($15.6 billion), as the kingdom’s interest in US equities revived following the Covid pandemic. Total trading in foreign and domestic markets remains historically low. The transactions in the US market accounted for more than 97 […] May 5, 2024
Mining Saudi industry minister tempts investors with funding incentives Saudi Arabia’s ministry of investments and mineral resources is prepared to finance up to 75 percent of industrial projects in the country, as the kingdom tries to boost its low foreign direct investment (FDI) numbers. Bandar Al-Khorayef, the minister of industry and mineral resourcespointed to well-developed infrastructure across 36 industrial cities, prefabricated factories ready to […] May 3, 2024
Renewable Energy Acwa Power secures $3bn for Saudi renewable projects Saudi renewables major Acwa Power has secured funding of SAR11.4 billion ($3 billion) for two projects in the kingdom. The company signed a debt financing agreement worth SAR5.7 billion for the development and construction of a 1,800 megawatt (MW) combined cycle power plant in Madinah. It also signed a deal to obtain SAR5.7 billion in funding […] May 3, 2024
Markets Institutions snap up share of Fakeeh Care Group IPO in minutes Institutional investors snapped up their slice of shares in the Saudi healthcare conglomerate Fakeeh Care Group within minutes of the start of the book-building process for the company’s IPO. Fakeeh Care Group, which was founded in Jeddah in 1978, has set the price range for its initial public offering (IPO) at between SAR53 ($14.13) and […] May 2, 2024
Transport Passenger numbers on Saudi trains leap 23% in a year Passenger traffic on Saudi railways rose 23 percent year on year to 2.7 million people in the first quarter of 2024, the state operator said this week, as the kingdom pushes to improve infrastructure before a 2030 deadline. The railway system also saw a 9 percent rise in the volume of minerals and goods transported, […] May 2, 2024
Analysis Manufacturing Gulf petrochems sidestep curbs from global plastics treaty Major petrochemical exporters such as Saudi Arabia are unlikely to face mandatory production curbs despite latest efforts to craft a global plastics treaty and clamp down on single usage. At a UN Environment Assembly in early 2022, member countries approved a resolution to end plastic pollution and forge an “international legally binding agreement” by the […] May 2, 2024
Economy Saudi economy contracts for third quarter in a row Saudi Arabia’s economy contracted by 1.8 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2024, while growth in non-oil activities slowed to its lowest rate in a year, statistics released this week show. The country’s GDP fell for the third quarter in a row, although the drop eased from the 4.3 percent contraction in […] May 1, 2024
Mining Manara takes a $2.5bn stake in Brazilian mining giant Manara Minerals, a joint venture between Saudi Arabian Mining Co (Maaden) and the sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF), has completed a $2.5 billion deal to acquire a stake in a subsidiary of Brazilian giant Vale. Maaden said in a filing to the Saudi Exchange that it has acquired 10 percent of Vale Base Metals Limited […] May 1, 2024
Finance PIF and BlackRock launch $5bn Saudi capital markets platform Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign fund, and BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, are to launch a new investment platform to accelerate growth of the kingdom’s capital markets. The investment management platform, which will be set up in Riyadh, will be anchored by up to $5 billion from PIF. The investment is subject […] May 1, 2024
Logistics Major logistics centre planned for Saudi’s third city A major logistics centre is planned for Dammam in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province that will be connected to an expanded Dammam port and a new city metro system. The regional logistics centre in Dammam, Saudi Arabia’s third largest city, will cover eight square kilometres and account for 55 percent of the Eastern Province’s targeted logistics […] May 1, 2024
Infrastructure Drake & Scull unit to oversee $210m Saudi water project A subsidiary of Dubai’s Drake & Scull International is to design and build an expanded wastewater treatment plant in Saudi Arabia’s eastern province. Passavant Energy and Environment Limited, which specialises in wastewater and water treatment technologies, was awarded the project in collaboration with a major contracting company in the kingdom. The name of the partner […] May 1, 2024
Finance $290m fund set up to develop Riyadh business park A $290 million fund has been set up in Saudi Arabia to develop a new business park in Riyadh as the city struggles to meet growing demand. Ezdihar Real Estate Development Company and Al-Istithmar Securities and Brokerage Company, the investment arm of the Saudi Investment Bank, said the fund will focus on a 103,000 sq […] April 30, 2024
Video length: 02:46 Opinion Economy Davos really comes to the desert as the WEF arrives in Riyadh There were elephants – and camels – in the room at the World Economic Forum event April 29, 2024
Video length: 07:03 VIDEO Giga-projects Neom secures $2.7bn as minister admits ‘adjustments’ Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion giga-project Neom has secured new funding as the kingdom’s officials admit some of its Vision 2030 projects may have to be scaled back. The SAR10 billion ($2.7 billion) revolving credit facility, obtained from nine Saudi-listed banks, will support short-term financing requirements for projects such as Trojena, The Line, and Oxagon, Neom said […] April 29, 2024
Banking and Finance Al Rajhi Bank Q1 profit up 6% as operating income rises The net profit of Al Rajhi Bank, the second-largest lender by assets in Saudi Arabia, rose 6 percent year on year to SAR4.4 billion ($1.2 billion) in the first quarter of 2024, driven by higher operating income. Total operating income increased 6.6 percent annually due to a rise in net financing and investment income. Total operating expenses, […] April 29, 2024
Video length: 07:03 VIDEO Giga-projects Third of Vision 2030 projects ‘completed’ government says One third of 1,064 planned projects have been completed so far under the Vision 2030 economic transformation plan, the Saudi government said in its annual progress report on the reform programme. The report also said 561 initiatives were on track, according to the state-owned Saudi Press Agency, publishing its major findings. It was not […] April 26, 2024
People & Lifestyle Saudi director’s labour of love takes the kingdom to Cannes For the first time a Saudi film has been selected to compete in the Cannes film festival, catapulting its little-known self-taught director into the limelight. Tawfik Alzaidi was so surprised that he’d managed to break through to the big time that he kept the news that his film Norah had been accepted for the ‘Un […] April 26, 2024
Business of Sport Saudi Aramco signs up with Fifa as World Cup sponsor Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer, has signed a four-year global partnership with international football association Fifa. The energy giant will become Fifa’s major worldwide partner with sponsorship rights for multiple events, including the Fifa World Cup 26, co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and the Fifa Women’s World Cup 2027. The value […] April 26, 2024
Infrastructure STC and PIF to bid for Austrian telco tower operator Saudi Arabia’s STC Group and the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the kingdom’s sovereign fund, are likely to jointly bid for the Austrian unit of Cellnex, Spain’s mobile phone tower operator, El Economista newspaper reported. The Austrian unit, owning 4,500 towers, is estimated to be valued at €800 million ($857 million), the newspaper said, quoting unnamed sources. Cellnex’s […] April 26, 2024
Trade Florida port service could increase Saudi non-oil exports Saudi Arabia’s exports are set to improve following the introduction of a new container service that will link Jeddah with Florida. Non-oil exports rose 4.4 percent year on year in February while production cuts led oil exports to slip to 77 percent of the total, the government said. Jacksonville Port Authority (Jaxport) in Florida said […] April 25, 2024
