| Saudi EXIM Bank’s credit facilities more than double to $8.93bn
The Saudi Export-Import Bank more than doubled its credit facilities in 2024, reaching SR33.53 billion ($8.93 billion), as the Kingdom ramps up efforts to boost non-oil exports to international and high-potential markets. |
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| Abu Dhabi property market sees Q1 growth as investor demand holds strong
Abu Dhabi recorded strong real estate activity in the first quarter of 2025, with continued price growth and investor demand following 28,249 transactions worth 96.2 billion dirhams ($26.2 billion) in 2024. |
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| Hotel spending in Saudi Arabia hits $76.8m in a single week as major events draw visitors
As Saudi Arabia’s event season ramps up, the hospitality sector is already showing signs of strong performance. During the week of April 13–19, hotel transactions rose notably, signaling a promising start to a period packed with cultural, sports, and entertainment events across the Kingdom. |
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| Private sector integration advancing to meet Saudi Vision 2030 goals: finance minister
Saudi Arabia is stepping up efforts to strengthen its economy by deepening private sector partnerships and improving regulatory practices, the Kingdom’s finance minister has said |
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| Saudi Arabia ranks 1st in region, 6th in G20 for geospatial infrastructure
Saudi Arabia has climbed to ninth place in the 2025 Geospatial Knowledge Infrastructure Readiness Index, up from 32nd in 2022, reflecting steady progress in its spatial sciences sector. |
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| Real estate demand in Saudi Arabia’s two holy cities hits $2bn
Saudi Arabia’s real estate sector continues to draw international attention, with high-net-worth individuals from nine Muslim-majority countries preparing to commit $2 billion toward property purchases in Makkah and Madinah, according to a new survey. |
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| Saudi Arabia tops emerging markets’ venture capital funding, overtakes Singapore
Saudi Arabia has overtaken Singapore as the premier destination for venture capital funds across emerging markets after it secured $391 million in the first quarter of 2025. |
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| Key tourism roles to be localized in Saudi Arabia as part of national employment push
Hotel managers, travel agency directors, and tour guides are among 41 tourism roles set to be reserved for Saudi nationals under plans to boost local employment and reduce reliance on foreign labor. |
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| Saudi gold investment demand up 9% in 2024 as bar purchases surge
Saudi Arabia’s demand for gold bars and coins rose 9 percent in 2024 to 15.4 tonnes, reaffirming the Kingdom’s position as the Gulf region’s largest investment market for the precious metal, a new report showed. |
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| IMF projects 3% growth for Saudi economy in 2025
Saudi Arabia’s real gross domestic product is expected to grow by 3 percent in 2025, with further acceleration to 3.7 percent in 2026, according to the latest World Economic Outlook released by the International Monetary Fund. |
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| Saudi Arabia posts 66.7% rise in industrial licenses in February
Saudi Arabia issued 105 new industrial licenses in February, marking a 66.7 percent increase compared to January, supporting the Kingdom’s drive for economic growth and diversification. |
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| Dubai inflation eases to 2.79% in March as housing, transport costs moderate
Dubai’s annual inflation rate eased in March, hitting its lowest level since October 2024, according to official data released by the Dubai Statistics Center. |
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| Saudi Arabia, Algeria deepen economic ties with new business pacts
Saudi Arabia and Algeria signed a series of agreements to boost trade and investment as officials and executives from both countries convened in Algiers for a high-level forum. |
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| NBK reports a net profit of KD 134.1 million for Q1 2025
National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has announced its financial results for the three-month period ended March 31, 2025. The Bank reported a net profit of KD 134.1 million ($434.8 million), compared to KD 146.6 million ($475.3 million) for the corresponding period in 2024. |
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| Closing Bell: Saudi indices end day in the red
Saudi Arabia’s stock market closed lower on Monday, with the Tadawul All Share Index falling 77.94 points, or 0.67 percent, to end the session at 11,548.66. |
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| Boubyan Bank records KD 26.5 million in net profit for Q1, 2025, an increase of 6%
Boubyan Bank has announced its financial results for Q1 of this year. |
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| PepsiCo opens regional headquarters in Riyadh, unveils $8m R&D center
Global beverage giant PepsiCo has opened its new Middle East regional headquarters in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District, reinforcing the company’s long-term commitment to the region. |
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| Saudi Arabia to drive Islamic finance growth in 2025, S&P says
Saudi Arabia is poised to play a key role in propelling the growth of the global Islamic finance industry in 2025, underpinned by non-oil economic expansion and robust sukuk issuance, according to a new analysis. |
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| Saudi Arabia advances in 2025 Global Intellectual Property Index
Saudi Arabia has made notable progress in the 2025 Global Intellectual Property Index, with its score rising by 17.5 percent, placing it among the fastest-improving economies out of the 55 countries evaluated. |
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| Oman property market cools in February as deals drop 8.3%
Oman’s property market saw a dip in activity in February, with total real estate transactions falling 8.3 percent year on year to 362.3 million Omani rials ($940.7 million), official data showed. |
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| Saudi finance firms lending surges to $26bn in 2024
Credit provided by finance companies in Saudi Arabia rose to SR96.26 billion ($25.67 billion) in 2024, marking a 13.6 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to the latest figures from the Saudi Central Bank. |
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| Saudi Arabia leads GCC fixed income issuances in Q1: Markaz report
Saudi Arabia dominated the Gulf’s primary debt market in the first quarter of 2025, raising $31.01 billion through 41 bond and sukuk issuances, a new analysis showed. |
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| Closing Bell: Saudi benchmark index edges up to close at 11,626
Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index rose on Sunday, gaining 73.62 points, or 0.64 percent, to close at 11,626.60. |
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| US tariff escalation puts $22bn of Arab exports at risk, says ESCWA report
Arab countries could see up to $22 billion in non-oil exports affected by sweeping new US tariffs, with six economies facing the most direct disruption, according to a new analysis. |
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| Saudi finance firms lending surges to $26bn in 2024
Credit provided by finance companies in Saudi Arabia rose to SR96.26 billion ($25.67 billion) in 2024, marking a 13.6 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to the latest figures from the Saudi Central Bank. |
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| MENA startup funding drops 76% in March
Startup investment in the Middle East and North Africa region fell sharply in March, with total funding declining 76 percent month on month to $127.5 million across 28 deals, down from $530 million in February. |
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| Saudi Arabia’s date exports rise 15.9% in 2024, reaching $451m
Saudi Arabia’s date exports saw a 15.9 percent year-on-year increase in 2024, reaching SR1.695 billion ($451.7 million), according to newly released data from the National Center for Palms and Dates. |
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| UK-Saudi trade ties deepen as 50 British firms set up regional HQs in Kingdom
The strong investment growth in Saudi Arabia’s economy has led 50 British companies to set up regional headquarters, joining over 1,300 UK firms already operating in the Kingdom, said a senior UK trade official. |
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| Saudi Arabia signs collaboration deal with UK oceanography center
Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Wildlife (NCW) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the UK’s National Oceanography Center (NOC) to establish a collaborative framework for cooperation on marine biodiversity projects, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday. |
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| Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 11,502
Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index dipped on Thursday, losing 81.44 points, or 0.7 percent, to close at 11,552.98. |
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| How Saudi entrepreneurs are navigating the shift to public markets
As startups approach the critical stage of an initial public offering, one of their biggest challenges is the transition from a fast-paced, founder-driven company to one that must meet the rigorous demands of public markets. |
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| Saudi Arabia poised to become Mideast’s Silicon Valley, say experts
Saudi Arabia is rapidly transforming into a regional technology hub, drawing comparisons to Silicon Valley, thanks to a wave of strategic investments and high-profile initiatives, experts have told Arab News. |
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| Saudi Arabia and France strengthen strategic health care partnership during minister’s visit
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Health Fahd bin Abdulrahman Al-Jalajel met French health officials in Paris on Friday to reaffirm and deepen healthcare cooperation between the two countries, the Saudi Press Agency reported. |
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| Mortgage securitization can offer Saudi banks funding boost: Fitch
Saudi banks could unlock additional funding and expand the Kingdom’s debt market by converting home loans into investment products, according to a recent report by Fitch Ratings. |
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| Education drives weekly POS spending in Saudi Arabia to over $3bn
Saudi Arabia’s point-of-sale transactions rose to SR12.3 billion ($3.2 billion) in the week ending April 12, driven by a sharp 2412.9 percent surge in spending on education. |
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| Saudi retail real estate outlook strong on tourism and Vision 2030, S&P says
Saudi Arabia’s retail real estate market is poised for growth in the near term, driven by population growth, expanding tourism, and economic diversification efforts under the Vision 2030 initiative, according to S&P Global. |
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| Saudi Arabia set to dominate $8bn feeder shipping market by 2030
Saudi Arabia is on track to become a dominant force in the $8 billion feeder shipping market across the Middle East, Eastern Africa, Turkiye, and South Asia by 2030, according to new research. |
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| Saudi Arabia sees 333% surge in private hospitality licenses amid tourism boom
Saudi Arabia issued 8,357 licenses for private hospitality facilities in 2024, marking a 333 percent year-on-year surge as the Kingdom ramps up efforts to build a globally competitive tourism sector. |
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| Saudi Arabia signs aviation deals at ICAO Conference in Doha
Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation has signed multiple air transport agreements at the International Civil Aviation Organization Facilitation Conference in Doha, as part of its strategy to bolster international cooperation and expand the Kingdom’s global aviation footprint. |
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| Closing Bell: Saudi main index edges up 0.15% to close at 11,634
Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index closed Wednesday’s trading session in positive territory, rising 17.61 points to reach 11,634.42, an increase of 0.15 percent. |
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| Saudi asset management industry hits $266bn, poised for further growth: Fitch Ratings
Saudi Arabia’s asset management industry grew by 20 percent year on year in 2024, pushing the sector’s total assets to SR1 trillion ($266 billion) for the first time, according to a new analysis by Fitch Ratings. |
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| GCC banks poised to weather global trade turbulence: S&P report
Despite rising global trade tensions and heightened market volatility, banks across the Gulf Cooperation Council are expected to remain resilient, according to a recent report by S&P Global Ratings. |
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| Saudi Arabia, Pakistan rank as top solar markets in 2024: report
Pakistan has joined the ranks of the world’s leading solar markets, importing 17 gigawatts (GW) of solar panels last year alone, according to the Global Electricity Review 2025 by Ember, an energy think tank in the UK. |
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| Saudi Arabia drives record $4.1bn in March remittances to Pakistan
Pakistan’s central bank governor on Monday said the current account would show a “substantial” surplus this year through June mainly on the back of a record inflow of remittances which crossed the $4 billion mark in March, with Saudi Arabia once again topping the list of biggest contributors. |
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| Expat remittances from Saudi Arabia hit $3.4bn in February, a 37% annual growth
Expatriate remittances from Saudi Arabia surged to SR12.78 billion ($3.41 billion) in February, marking a 37.04 percent increase compared to the same month last year, according to recent data. |
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| Saudi inflation holds at 2.3% in March amid rising housing and food prices
Saudi Arabia’s inflation rate accelerated to 2.3 percent in March, driven by higher costs for housing rents, food, and personal goods, official data showed. |
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| Closing Bell: Saudi markets edge higher as TASI closes at 11,617
Saudi Arabia’s stock market ended Tuesday’s session on a positive note, with the Tadawul All Share Index posting modest gains amid mixed performance across sectors. |
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| Saudi real estate prices rise 4.3% in Q1 on residential sector gains: GASTAT
Saudi Arabia’s real estate market maintained its growth trajectory in the first quarter of 2025, with overall property prices climbing 4.3 percent year on year, official data showed. |
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| E-payments account for 79% of Saudi retail transactions in 2024: SAMA
Electronic payments made up 79 percent of all retail transactions in Saudi Arabia in 2024, up from 70 percent the previous year, according to the Saudi Central Bank, known as SAMA. |
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| Boursa Kuwait publishes its 4th Corporate Sustainability Report
Boursa Kuwait published its fourth Corporate Sustainability Report, which shed light on the company’s initiatives from January 1 to December 31, 2024. The report outlined the company’s sustainability strategy and assessed its governance, social responsibility and environmental stewardship performance. |