Analysis Tech The Mena metaverse: moving beyond the hype Two years ago, the concept of metaverse lands transformed from an interesting subculture into a thriving multi-billion-dollar market, capturing the interest of major investors both regionally in the Middle East and globally. Metaverse lands, made of pixels and digital images, refer to buildings and plots within a virtual environment, offering spaces for gaming, socialising, business […] April 12, 2024
Tech Jordan’s digital game spend at $82m in 2023 The total amount spent on digital games in Jordan reached $82.5 million in 2023, official data has revealed. Nearly $17 million was allocated to paid games while $7.3 million was spent on live in-game purchases, state-run Jordan News Agency said, quoting the Information and Communications Technology Association of Jordan (Intaj). Mobile games commanded the largest […] April 10, 2024
Tech Saudi Arabia backs tech startup sector with $888m Saudi Arabia has announced investments worth $888 million to support the local tech startup and venture capital sector. The funds will support industries such as digital payments, e-gaming and artificial intelligence (AI). The announcement was made on the second day of the Leap international technology conference taking place this week in Riyadh. NewsletterGet the Best […] March 6, 2024
Opinion Business of Sport Why cricket could be next on the list for Saudi Arabia’s PIF Saudi Arabia wants sports with mass participation, rich histories and big economies February 27, 2024
Analysis Manufacturing Saudi Arabia joins the dots from minerals to manufacturing Consider for a moment how many different steps there are between digging a lump of iron ore out of the ground in Mauritania and pressing the starter button on a new electric vehicle (EV) in Riyadh. The ore must be mined, concentrated, combined with other elements, put through a furnace, a casting machine, cold- or […] February 13, 2024
EXCLUSIVE Giga-projects Saudi’s Qiddiya to open first sites next year as plans grow Saudi Arabia’s mega sports and entertainment city Qiddiya is adding more hotel space and attractions to its masterplan to accommodate Riyadh’s projected population growth, a senior official said this week. Riyadh’s population is forecast to grow to 15 million by 2030. The city was chosen last year as the location for Expo 2030. Qiddiya, southwest […] January 23, 2024
Transport SUVs drive UAE car sales but motorists gear up to go green Gas-guzzling sports utility vehicles remain a popular choice for UAE motorists and outlets across the country have reported strong sales of SUVs in 2023, despite the ongoing drive to switch to more environmentally friendly alternatives. Abhinav Gupta, CEO for the Gulf region at Cars24, a global e-commerce platform for pre-owned vehicles, said that SUVs represented […] January 22, 2024
Health Saudis advised to go back to masks in crowded spaces Saudi Arabia has advised people to return to wearing masks in crowded public places after the spread of a new Covid-19 variant, but has told the public there is no cause for concern. “Try to wear a face mask when in crowded places, for your protection and protecting others from respiratory infection,” the Public Health […] January 19, 2024
Tourism Saudi oil rig adventure park to house 800 hotel rooms Saudi Arabia has unveiled the masterplan for the world’s first adventure tourism destination on an offshore platform, 40 kilometres off the Arabian Gulf coastline. The Rig will cover a gross floor area of more than 300,000 sq m, double the size announced in October 2021, near Al Juraid Island and Berri oil field. Oil Park Development Company […] January 18, 2024
Finance Saudi Aramco doubles funds for venture capital arm The Saudi oil giant Aramco said on Wednesday that it had more than doubled the capital allotted to its venture capital arms to $7.5 billion as part of its investment in new energy and digital technologies. The additional $4 billion will be given over the next four years to Aramco Ventures, where Aramco had already […] January 17, 2024
Tourism Qatar’s visitor arrivals reach a five-year high in 2023 Qatar received more than four million visitors in 2023, surpassing the annual visitor numbers of the previous five years. The positive momentum follows the success of the Fifa World Cup Qatar 2022 and the government’s efforts to bolster tourism, state-run Qatar Tourism said in a statement. Qatar last year introduced the Hayya platform to streamline […] January 2, 2024
ANALYSIS Economy From sports to oil cuts: Saudi Arabia’s year in review As the curtain comes down on 2023 and Saudi Arabia moves closer to its Vision 2030 deadline, AGBI looks back at the highlights and notable events of the past twelve months in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia wins hosting rights for major events Saudi Arabia’s drive to draw global attention to its development efforts scored important […] January 1, 2024
Tourism Saudi Arabia tourist numbers more than double Saudi Arabia had 14.6 million tourists during the first six months of 2023, more than twice the amount in the previous year, and their spending more than doubled to SAR87 billion ($23.2 billion), the ministry of tourism said this week. Tourism has become an important part of Saudi Arabia’s economic reform plans to diversify away […] December 21, 2023
Tech Saudi Arabia ‘leads in luring venture capital to tech’ Saudi Arabia has become a regional centre for venture capital in the tech sector, a government minister told a technology conference in Riyadh this week. “The kingdom has become part of the fabric of the global digital economy,” Mohammed Alrobayan, deputy minister of communications and IT, told the techXpand forum. “Testament to this is the […] December 18, 2023
Giga-projects Qiddiya to host first gaming district in Saudi Arabia The Qiddiya giga-project, near Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, will host the first multi-use gaming and esports district in Saudi Arabia. The kingdom is striving to become a global gaming and sports centre by 2030. The upcoming gaming and esports district, which is claimed to be the first in the world, is part of the launch […] December 15, 2023
Analysis Construction Locals bemused by Jeddah’s planned transformation Amid a vast area of empty land in north Jeddah’s Obhur district, a lone unfinished tower stands out on the horizon with motionless yellow cranes around its edges – a stalled sign of the transformation of Saudi Arabia’s second city. Now work on the tower – possibly the tallest in the world upon completion – […] December 11, 2023
Tech Dubai to create 30,000 jobs in gaming Dubai has launched a plan to create 30,000 jobs in the gaming industry by 2033. Its Program for Gaming 2033 aims to increase gaming’s contribution to the digital economy to $1 billion within a decade. The emirate’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said the strategy also aims to position it […] November 3, 2023
EXCLUSIVE Economy RAK free zone chief predicts influx of tech and hotel suppliers Technology and hospitality companies are set to flock to Ras Al Khaimah to work on Wynn Al Marjan Island, a $3.9 billion resort now under construction, the chief executive of RAK’s largest business free zone has told AGBI. Ramy Jallad, chief executive of Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone (Rakez), said the Wynn development had “a […] November 1, 2023
Analysis Leisure & Hospitality UAE’s indoor entertainment smashes it out of the park Have you ever looked at your smartphone, laptop, or even that dreaded printer, with utter rage and felt the urge to crush it into tiny little pieces? You’re not alone – and the UAE’s The Smash Room offers just that service. It is now planning to break into the Indian and Saudi Arabian markets, as […] October 27, 2023
Business of Sport Saudi Arabia launches esports world cup Saudi Arabia has announced the launch of the Esports World Cup, to be held annually in Riyadh from 2024. The world cup is part of the kingdom’s National Gaming and Esports Strategy, designed to increase the sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP by more than SAR50 billion ($13.3 billion) by 2030, establish 250 game developers […] October 24, 2023
Development Saudi Arabia to begin preparing Vision 2040 Saudi Arabia is to begin working on the next phase of its economic diversification plan known as Vision 2030 and hopes to unveil its Vision 2040 as early as 2027, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in an interview this week. “Today we’re trying to close a few things, we’re aiming to close in the […] September 22, 2023
Analysis Tech Dubai embraces AI to disrupt the film sector Are robot writers and CGI actors about to steal our jobs? That’s one of the core fears at the centre of Hollywood’s largest strike by actors and writers in over 60 years. From ChatGPT generating scripts and AI-generated actors replacing extras in crowd scenes, to computers automatically editing scenes and creating stunning visual effects (VFX) […] September 11, 2023
