VISION 2030

Major Leap for Saudi Economy as Kingdom Set to Introduce Bankruptcy Laws

Saudi Arabia may spend SAR 100 billion ($26.6 billion) more than originally planned in 2019.
Saudi Arabia’s cabinet has approved a bankruptcy law that is likely to be a boost to the Kingdom's efforts to attract investment and provide protection for entrepreneurs, according to reports. King Salman has reportedly endorsed the new law.

Saudi Arabia

News, analysis, and more

Saudi Nuclear Energy

Why Trump might bend nuclear security rules to help Saudi Arabia build reactors in the desert

Saudi electricity consumption doubled between 2005 and 2015. During the peak summer months, when temperatures soar past 120 degrees Fahrenheit, the kingdom burns about 700,000...

 

Corruption Crackdown

Relax and invest, Saudi prince tells investors after corruption crackdown

But top officials, including Prince Mohammed, met senior local businessmen last month to reassure them that the crackdown was mostly over and that it was...

 

Oil Exports

Saudi Arabia Quietly Decreasing Dependence on Crude Exports

While an Aramco IPO continues to grab the headlines, Saudi Arabia is quietly getting on with the business of weaning itself off a dependence on...

 

VAT

Saudi Arabia’s economy is already feeling the effects of VAT

Companies had boosted output and purchasing at the end of last year, ahead of the new tax, meaning the slowdown “is likely to be transitory,”...

 

Saudi Oil Exports

Saudi oil exports rose slightly in December: JODI

Saudi Arabia increased its crude oil exports slightly in December to 7.045 million barrels per day (bpd), official data showed on Monday....

 

Cryptocurrencies

Saudi blockchain pilot could save banks up to $400m per year, Moody’s says

Saudi Arabian banks could save up to $400m per year using blockchain software to facilitate cross-border payments, which is a credit positive move for the...

 

Sukuk

Saudi finance ministry sells $1.93bln of domestic sukuk

Saudi Arabia's finance ministry sold 7.22 billion riyals ($1.93 billion) of domestic sukuk in its monthly sale by re-opening an issue originally made last month,...

 

Driver Training

Ford ‘Driving Skills for Life For Her’ debuts

Based on its award-winning global safe driving initiatives, DSFL has customized an introductory Program which focuses on building women’s confidence behind the wheel, expanding their...

 

Healthcare

Saudi to privatize 17 university hospitals

The Health Ministry in Saudi Arabia is continuing its programme of hospital privatisation as 17 university hospitals are set to welcome private sector management in...

 

Saudi-Pakistan

10,000 Saudi soldiers being trained in Pakistan

Defense Minister Khurram Dastagir, who was giving a policy statement in the senate on a recent government’s decision to send 1000 additional troops to the...

 

Franchising

Saudi youth urged to consider franchising as serious option

oung entrepreneurs intending to set up small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should go into franchising, the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) advised recently....

 

Call to Prayer Debate

Uproar after pro-government Saudi journalist urges silencing mosque

He also criticised religious authorities for failing to apply a previous ban on mosques using loudspeakers for broadcasting sermons and recitations, accusing them of caving...

 

Qatar

Saudi foreign minister rejects Qatari proposal of EU-style security pact

“We already have a structure in place,” said al-Jubeir in Vienna on the sidelines of a meeting with his Austrian counterpart, referring to the Gulf...

 

Saudi +

Regional and related topics

Syria

After ISIS, the US Faces Its Next Battle: Syria’s Erupting Fault Lines

The winding down of the U.S.-led campaign against ISIS has re-exposed all of the latent fault lines in Syria, provoking new conflicts....

 

Iran

Angry Iranians Are Forcing Their Leaders to Reboot Their Economic Plans

More than two-thirds of the public see economic conditions as somewhat or very bad, according to a survey last month by Toronto-based IranPoll for the...

 

U.S. Leadership

U.S. Leadership Image Suffers Most Among Friendly Nations

Residents of allied nations (those that have formal alliances with the U.S.) are less likely to approve of U.S. leadership under Trump than are those...

 

Trade War

Perspective: If US-China trade war goes global, it has big implications for Mideast

If the Chinese and other Asian economies slow down as a result of a trade war, it is bad news for the region’s biggest export...

 

Iran Nuclear Agreement

For now, U.S. wants Europeans just to commit to improve Iran deal

The United States has sketched out a path under which three key European allies would simply commit to try to improve the Iran nuclear deal...

 

China in the Region

Commentary: China’s step into the maelstrom of the Middle East

The Middle East has a knack for sucking external powers into its conflicts. China’s ventures into the region have shown how difficult it is to maintain...

 

War in Yemen

Clashes leave 27 dead as Yemen troops target Al-Qaeda

Special forces trained by the United Arab Emirates - a key member of a Saudi-led alliance fighting alongside Yemen's government forces - over the weekend...

 

Extremism in Europe

Their Parents Fought With ISIS. Now France Is Trying To Figure Out What To Do With Them.

Forty-four are in a government program that houses and educates them and is evaluating them for extremist beliefs or trauma. But government officials say the...

 

Islamic State

Islamic State kills 27 Iraqi security personnel in Kirkuk

Islamic State militants ambushed a convoy and killed at least 27 Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces fighters in Iraq, the militia said....

 

Deira Mall

Dubai’s Nakheel awards $1.14bn contract for ‘Middle East’s largest mall’

Dubai developer Nakheel has awarded a Dhs4.2bn ($1.14bn) construction contract for its upcoming Deira Mall to United Engineering Construction (UNEC). The company said the new shopping...

 

Concessions

The Middle East: opportunities for investment in 2018

GlobalData expects the major oil and gas producing countries in the Middle East will offer opportunities for investment in 2018. A key event will be...

 

Syria

Afrin: Syria ‘sending fighters to help Kurds against Turkey’

Syrian pro-government forces will help Syrian Kurds fighting against a Turkish offensive in north-west Syria, Syria's state news agency reports....

 

China's Military

The People’s Liberation Army’s ever-evolving technology

Many PLA projects, including the AG600, are designed to help China assert itself as an emerging maritime power....

 

Aid Programs

To win ‘hearts and minds’ in Afghanistan, some aid programs worked better than others

Working with Kosuke Imai and Yang-Yang Zhou of Princeton University, we took up the challenge of experimentally evaluating the effectiveness of livelihood training and cash...

 

Careem

Careem acquires online restaurant listing platform RoundMenu, to trial food delivery

Dubai-based ride-sharing company Careem which competes with Uber, acquired RoundMenu, a restaurant listing and food ordering platform that operates across the Arab world, its chief...

 

Syria Attack

400 dead Russians and Syrians, yet no one knows who ordered them to attack US forces in Syria

The United States is still unsure who directed a February 7 attack on US and US-backed forces in Syria, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on...

 

Netflix

Netflix deal provides a much-needed boost in the Middle East

Despite what it seems, Netflix isn't a dominant force everywhere on the planet. In fact, it's struggling in the Middle East and northern Africa --...

 

Automation

Nearly 20 Million Jobs In The Middle East Could Be Automated

The survey of six Middle Eastern countries showed that $366.6 billion in wage income and 20.8 million full-time equivalent employees are associated with activities that...

 

Natural Gas

Israel to Export Natural Gas to Egypt in $15 Billion Deal

The lead partners in Israel’s largest gas fields said they signed a $15 billion export deal with Egypt, adding an economic dimension to what until...

 

Egypt

3 troops killed in anti-militant operation in Sinai

Egypt's military says three troops, including an officer, were killed in restive Sinai in fighting with militants....

 

Kuwait

2 Kuwait royals sentenced for insulting parliament speaker

A lawyer says two Kuwaiti ruling family members have been found guilty of insulting the country’s National Assembly speaker....

 

Iran Plane Crash

Iran plane crash: Agonising wait continues for relatives

Relatives of 66 people who were on board a plane that crashed in Iran are desperately waiting for any news....

 

Iran in the Region

Israel’s Netanyahu attacks ‘dangerous Iranian tiger’

In his speech, Mr Netanyahu drew a parallel between the 1938 Munich Agreement, seen as a failed attempt to appease Nazi Germany, and the 2015...

 

Recent Editions

Left Menu Icon
Logo Header Menu