Logistics Saudi Arabia welcomes private funds for $64bn logistics projects Saudi Arabia has more than SAR240 billion ($64 billion) of logistics projects underway and planned, most of which are open to private sector investment, a government minister has said. This includes airport management, highway construction and seaport projects, transport minister Saleh Al-Jasser told a government-backed investment conference in Riyadh this week. Private sector investment and […] February 13, 2025
Real Estate Saudi real estate licences increased by half in 2024 The number of licensed real estate developers in Saudi Arabia increased by 50 percent in 2024 alone. Assistant deputy minister of investment, Fahad Al-Hashem, who was speaking at the panel discussion at the PIF Private Sector Forum in Riyadh on Thursday, said licensees jumped from 446 to 690. Similarly, the number of construction licences increased […] February 13, 2025
Mining Ma’aden aims to be world’s most valuable mining company Saudi Arabia’s majority state-owned Ma’aden aims to grow ten-fold by 2040 to become the world’s most valuable mining company by market capitalisation, its CEO said. The country is accelerating development of its copper and other mineral resources, estimated to be worth as much as $2.5 trillion. “I can tell you, the minerals are here,” Ma’aden […] February 12, 2025
Tech $5bn Neom data centre latest deal announced at Leap Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion futuristic giga-project Neom has signed a $5 billion deal to develop what it claims will be the world’s first fully sustainable data centre. The agreement was signed with the Saudi IT and technology company DataVolt. The data centre will be located at Oxagon, with the first phase having a capacity of […] February 11, 2025
Tech Deals worth $15bn on day one of Saudi Leap tech event Investment deals worth almost $15 billion have been announced on the first day of the Leap 25 tech event in Riyadh. The Saudi communications ministry said that deals signed on day one of the four-day event, which ends on Wednesday, totalled $14.9 billion. The deals included plans for a manufacturing plant in the Saudi capital […] February 10, 2025
Banking & Finance Ma’aden’s $1bn sukuk nine times over-subscribed Saudi state-owned mining company Ma’aden has sold $1.25 billion of dollar-denominated sukuk to help finance a $12 billion expansion plan. The sale was more than nine times oversubscribed, the company said. The sale, which closed on Sunday, “marks a key milestone in Ma’aden’s ambitious 2040 strategy to secure essential minerals and transform mining into the […] February 10, 2025
Markets IPO for Saudi poultry producer Entaj off to a flying start The initial public offering (IPO) of Saudi Arabian poultry producer Entaj is already oversubscribed, barely 24 hours after the book-building exercise began. Starting the exercise on Sunday and pricing the shares at between SAR46 and SAR50 each, the books were covered “within hours”, CEO Raja Alharbi told AGBI. The IPO could raise more than SAR450 […] February 10, 2025
Agriculture Poultry firm Balady to boost Saudi output by 200m chicks a year Saudi Arabia’s Balady Poultry Company is to invest SAR1.14 billion ($303 million) over five years to expand its business. The plans involve establishing two hatcheries with a combined capacity of 200 million chicks a year. In a statement to the Saudi stock exchange, Balady said it aims to establish a facility with the capacity to […] February 7, 2025
Analysis Mining Canada’s Barrick seeks to tap $2trn of Saudi minerals A year ago Saudi Arabia almost doubled the estimated value of its mineral resources, from $1.3 trillion to $2.5 trillion, primarily on higher prices for strategic minerals. Now the country has the fastest-growing mining sector in the world, mining minister Bandar Alkhorayef said, speaking at an investment conference in Riyadh last month. Production rates are […] February 6, 2025
Tourism Marriott to convert Cairo’s Mogamma building into hotel Marriott International has agreed with the Sovereign Fund of Egypt to convert Al Mogamma Al Tahrir – a Cairo landmark and former government office – into a hotel as Egypt sells off state assets to raise funds. The 500-room hotel development is led by a group that includes Chicago-based property manager Oxford Capital Group, US […] February 5, 2025
Leisure & Hospitality Abu Dhabi’s Modon plans to buy UK events company Modon Holding has announced plans to acquire a global events company. Modon, an investment company that is backed by state-owned Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company (ADQ), announced on Monday that it plans to complete the acquisition of Theta Bidco, a limited company registered in London that owns 100 percent of Arena Events Group (AEG). The […] February 4, 2025
Markets Derayah raises $400m ‘in minutes’ on day 1 of IPO book-building The book-building phase of Derayah Financial’s initial public offering attracted massive demand on its first day, with institutional investors quickly covering subscriptions. The Saudi online brokerage offered 49.9 million shares on Sunday to investment funds, qualified foreign companies and institutions, as well as Gulf and foreign investors, as part of an IPO book-building that is […] February 3, 2025
Banking & Finance Saudi commercial banks hit record profits in 2024 Profits at Saudi Arabia’s commercial banks rose to a record SAR89.97 billion ($24 billion) in 2024, an increase of 15 percent year on year. Aggregate profits in December also hit an all-time monthly high of SAR8.82 billion, according to data released by the Saudi Central Bank (Sama) on Thursday. The increase in profits comes at […] January 31, 2025
Construction Contracts in Saudi Arabia rise 25% in value in 2024 The value of contracts issued by Saudi Arabia rose by almost a quarter year on year in 2024 to reach a record high of $146.8 billion. The kingdom accounted for more than half of all contracts issued across the GCC, which reached a new high of $273.2 billion, according to a report by the Kuwait-based […] January 30, 2025
Economy Saudi economy grows 1.3% in 2024 after Q4 surge Saudi Arabia’s economy grew by 1.3 percent in 2024 driven by a surge in the fourth quarter and growth in non-oil activities. Real GDP growth increased to 4.4 percent year on year in the last three months of 2024, having remained around 1.6 percent in the first half of the year. Growth in the non-oil […] January 30, 2025
Banking & Finance STC digital banking given go-ahead to open in Saudi Arabia STC Bank, a digital lender launched by Saudi Arabia’s biggest telecoms company, will commence operations in Saudi Arabia after receiving authorisation from the Saudi Central Bank (Sama). In an announcement published on the Saudi Exchange on Wednesday morning, STC Group (Saudi Telecoms Company) said that STC Bank’s launch “represents a significant milestone in the kingdom’s […] January 29, 2025
Real Estate Saudi Arabia’s NHC explores floating subsidiaries Saudi Arabia’s National Housing Company (NHC) is exploring the possibility of launching initial public offerings (IPOs) for many of its subsidiaries. They include NHC Innovation, the company’s digital arm that was launched this week. NHC said it was meant to improve services for a customer base that has grown to 20 million across 10 different […] January 28, 2025
Health Twaereat Medical to trade on Saudi Arabia’s Nomu Twaereat Medical Care Company will begin trading on the Nomu-Parallel Market from Wednesday, the Saudi Exchange has announced. Twaeraat, which operates more than 100 clinics around Saudi Arabia, will seek an external liquidity provider following its direct listing on the bourse. The indicative price per share is SAR12 ($3.20), according to the registration document. Twaeraat […] January 28, 2025
Real Estate Saudi Arabia opens up holy cities to foreign property investors Saudi Arabia’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA) has announced that foreigners will be allowed to invest in companies that own real estate in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. The CMA said the decision would “stimulate investment” and “enhance the attractiveness and efficiency of the capital market”. It added that the reform would help the […] January 28, 2025
Employment Saudi fund helps 17% more citizens join private sector The Human Resources Development Fund (Hadaf) contributed to the employment of 437,000 Saudi citizens in the private sector in 2024, 17 percent more than the year before, the fund has announced. The fund said it also provided training and guidance services to 2 million people last year in support of the kingdom’s “Saudisation” efforts to […] January 27, 2025
Giga-projects Italian insurer guarantees $3bn Saudi giga-project loan Sace, an Italian state-owned insurance company, has guaranteed a multi-currency loan of $3 billion provided by nine international banks to support projects in Neom, Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion giga-project. The announcement coincided with an official visit by Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni to Saudi Arabia, where she and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed an […] January 27, 2025
Economy Saudi Arabia has ‘great confidence’ in Lebanon’s reforms Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud visited Beirut on Thursday, the first trip to Lebanon by a Saudi foreign minister in 15 years. The visit coincided with early signs of recovery in Lebanon’s economy as it improves relations with Gulf states and others following the election of President Joseph Aoun. After his meeting with Aoun, Bin […] January 24, 2025
