Banking & Finance Prince Alwaleed sells $1.5bn stake in Kingdom Holding to PIF Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund to sell 16.87 percent of his investment firm Kingdom Holding Co to the fund. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) will buy 625 million shares at 9.09 riyals ($2.42) a share, Kingdom Holding said in a stock exchange filing, for […] May 23, 2022
Energy ‘We’re serious about net zero’ says Saudi’s PIF chief PIF establishing new hydrogen company Fund plans to develop 70 percent of renewable energy targets Kingdom to phase out almost all liquids Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is committed to achieving its goal of developing 70 percent of the kingdom’s renewable energy by the end of the decade, PIF’s governor confirmed today. Despite it […] May 20, 2022
Tourism Saudi teams with Indian travel portal to boost tourism The Saudi Tourism Authority has signed an agreement with EaseMyTrip, India’s second-largest online travel platform for air ticket bookings, as part of its goal to exceed 70 million visitors to the kingdom by the end of 2022. As part of the deal, EaseMyTrip will raise awareness about Saudi Arabia as a tourist destination in India […] May 20, 2022
Energy Biden in talks to meet Saudi Crown Prince for first time US President Joe Biden and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman could meet for the first time as soon as next month, CNN reported on Thursday, citing multiple sources. Biden administration officials are in talks with the Saudis about arranging a potential in-person meeting while Biden is overseas next month, the report added. The […] May 20, 2022
Markets Price corrections in Gulf markets, with Saudi Tadawul down 2.3% Most stock markets in the Gulf ended lower on Thursday, tracking global shares as investors shunned riskier assets on worries about global inflation, China’s zero-Covid policy and the Ukraine war. The S&P 500 had lost 4 percent on Wednesday while the Nasdaq had fallen almost 5 percent as stark warnings from some of the world’s […] May 20, 2022
Manufacturing Lucid’s electric vehicle hub to create 4,500 jobs in Saudi US-based Lucid Group on Wednesday revealed more details about its plans to build an electric vehicle (EV) production hub in Saudi Arabia, with 4,500 jobs to be created. With an annual capacity to build 155,000 EVs, agreements in place are estimated to provide financing and incentives to Lucid of up to $3.4 billion over the […] May 19, 2022
Tech Facebook’s Meta signs partnership to support Saudi tech startups Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, has announced a new partnership with Riyadh-based STV (Saudi Technology Ventures), the Middle East’s largest venture capital fund, to support the growth of technology startups in the kingdom. Founded in 2018 by Abdulrahman Tarabzouni, STV has capital of over $500 million and it’s portfolio of investments includes regional […] May 19, 2022
Business of Sport Golfer Dustin Johnson ‘excited to see’ Saudi-backed rival tour next month Dustin Johnson’s loyalty is currently with the PGA Tour but the twice major winner said on Wednesday that he is excited to see what the upstart LIV World Golf Invitational Series could do for the sport. For the moment the Saudi-backed venture has proven only disruptive as it attempts to poach players from the established […] May 19, 2022
Saudi credit to SMEs up 11.5%, startup funding up 145% Credit provided by Saudi financial institutions to small businesses rose by 11.5 percent last year, while funding raised by startups in the kingdom is up 145 percent this year, as the Riyadh government continues to encourage the development of the country’s local business community. Credit awarded to Saudi micro, small and medium-sized enterprises reached 203.25 […] May 18, 2022
Business of Sport Jack Nicklaus rejects $100m to be face of Saudi-backed golf tour American golf legend Jack Nicklaus turned down $100 million to become the face of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series, which debuts in London next month and is tipped as a controversial new rival to the PGA Tour, it was reported this week. “I was offered something in excess of $100 million by the Saudis,” […] May 18, 2022
Media & Advertising Saudi Arabia’s PIF takes stake in video game giant Nintendo Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has taken a 5.01 percent stake in Nintendo Co Ltd as the sovereign wealth fund increases its exposure to the Japanese video gaming industry. The investment in the Kyoto-based group company was made for investment purposes, a filing said, and comes as PIF has also taken stakes in video […] May 18, 2022
‘No development’ in Tehran-Riyadh talks, says minister Iran’s foreign ministry said yesterday there has been “no new development” since April in talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia, shortly after a lawmaker said top diplomats of the rival countries will meet soon. Earlier, an Iranian lawmaker told the semi-official Fars news agency that Iran’s Hossein Amirabdollahian will soon meet his Saudi counterpart Faisal […] May 18, 2022
Business of Sport Japan edges ahead of Saudi and Qatar to host Asian Cup The Japan Football Association (JFA) has been informally approached about the possibility of replacing China as hosts of next year’s Asian Cup, Chairman Kozo Tashima told Nikkan Sports. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced last Saturday that China had pulled out of hosting the 24-team continental championship, citing the COVID-19 situation in the country. “We […] May 18, 2022
Banking & Finance Open all hours: inside the Gulf’s banking revolution The UAE’s first open banking platform is helping fintech and banks bring personalised services to customers, and is accelerating the regional growth of this progressive sector The Gulf has the potential to leapfrog other regions of the world, including Europe, with its adoption of open banking as bricks and mortar branches “slowly disappear”, according to […] May 17, 2022
Energy Saudi puts its energy into increasing oil output Saudi Arabia is on track to lift oil production capacity by more than 1 million barrels per day to over 13 million by the end of 2026 or start of 2027, the energy minister said on Monday. Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told an energy conference in Bahrain that production could be maintained at that level should market […] May 17, 2022
Banking & Finance Saudi extends deposit for Yemen and pays $2bn instalment Saudi Arabia has extended a deposit it gave the central bank of Yemen’s internationally recognised government in 2018, and agreed to pay the final instalment of the $2 billion support package it promised. The Saudi finance ministry said the 2018 deposit would be extended to support Yemen’s currency and economic situation. The Yemeni central bank […] May 17, 2022
Energy Strong oil prices lift Saudi Aramco profits by 82% State-owned oil producer Saudi Aramco yesterday reported an almost 82 percent rise in first-quarter net profit, broadly in line with analyst forecasts, helped by strong oil prices. Aramco, which is at par with Apple Inc as the world’s most valuable company, reported a net income of $39.5 billion for the quarter to March 31 from […] May 16, 2022
Business of Sport Newcastle United strip to be Saudi Arabia green Newcastle United’s away kit for next season will be green and white, to reflect the club’s new owners from Saudi Arabia. Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund, bought an 80 percent stake in the football club for £305 million last October. And to attract more supporters from the region the players will wear […] May 13, 2022
Energy Aramco takes bite out of Apple as world’s most valuable company Saudi Aramco overtook US tech giant Apple as the world’s most valuable company yesterday, fuelled by a rise in oil prices The same global economic drivers that are buoying the energy company’s profits are adding to an inflation surge, dampening demand for technology stocks. Aramco traded near its highest level on record, with a market capitalisation […] May 12, 2022
Business of Sport PGA Tour bans golfers from taking part in Saudi-backed event The PGA Tour on Tuesday rejected requests from players for authorisation to play the first Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London next month. The new series, which offers the promise of super-sized prize money, is set to begin June 9 and would conflict with the RBC Canadian Open, a PGA Tour official told […] May 11, 2022
