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  • Saudi AI startup Intelmatix closes $20m funding round
     

    Founded in 2021 by a group of MIT graduates led by Anas Alfaris, Almaha Almalki and Ahmad Alabdulkareem, Intelmatix provides both public and private sectors with accessible AI and advanced analytics that delivers technologies to improve operations, productivity, growth, and sustainability.

     
  • Saudi Arabia Officially Submits Bid to Host the FIFA World Cup 2034
     

    The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has submitted its official bid to FIFA to host the FIFA World Cup 2034 at a ceremony hosted by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in Paris, France. The bid book was submitted by an official delegation led by His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal Minister […]

     
  • Saudi’s Health Sector Transformation Program
     

    In 2023, the Saudi government spent $50.4 billion on healthcare and social development, accounting for 16.96% of the annual government budget. This expenditure was second only to the education sector.

     
  • IMG expands partnership with Saudi Pro League and Saudi Arabian Football Federation
     

    The Saudi Pro League (SPL) and Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) have announced a new five-year production partnership with IMG, a global sports, events, and representation company, for the Roshn Saudi League (RSL), King’s Cup, and Saudi Super Cup, starting from the 2024-25 season.

     
  • GCC Population grows 7.3% to 57.6 million
     

    According to recent statistics released by the GCC Statistical Centre, the total population of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries witnessed a significant increase of 7.3% in 2023 compared to 2021, reaching 57.6 million.

     
  • World Bank Lauds KSA for Breakthrough Pension Reforms
     

    Saudi Arabia took a big leap forward in transforming its pension system with the recent announcement of comprehensive reforms, designed with support from the World Bank, aimed at enhancing income protection during old-age, but also promoting gender equality. 

     
  • Dollar-priced oil ending? What’s the story?
     

    A claim emerged in Chinese-language social media posts in June that Saudi Arabia terminated a 50-year formal agreement with the United States to conduct oil transactions in U.S. dollars, under a deal called the “petrodollar agreement.”

     
  • Saudi Arabia grants citizenship to 2nd group of distinguished global talents
     

    A Royal decree has been issued to grant Saudi citizenship to a number of scientists, medical doctors, researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs, and distinguished talents with unique expertise and specializations including Dr. Mehmood Khan, an American and the CEO of the Hevolution Foundation, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

     
  • Aramco’s strategic gas expansion progresses with $25bn contract awards
     

    Aramco has awarded contracts worth more than $25 billion to progress its strategic gas expansion, which targets sales gas production growth of more than 60% by 2030, compared to 2021 levels.  The contracts relate to phase two development of the vast Jafurah unconventional gas field, phase three expansion of Aramco’s Master Gas System, new gas rigs […]

     
  • Aramco Makes Two Major U.S. Gas Plays
     

    As part of its efforts to expand its presence in international energy markets, Aramco has signed agreements with U.S. energy companies Sempra and NextDecade to tap into the growing U.S. LNG sector. 

     

MUST-READS

  • IRGC warns Saudi Arabia it must ‘control’ media ‘provoking our youth’

    The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned the Saudi royal family that it will “pay the price” unless it reins in the media outlets it allegedly funds. The warning comes as Tehran accuses foreign-based Persian-language networks—and especially the TV channel Iran International—of spreading fake news and inciting unrest.

  • Putin thanks Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince for Kingdom’s mediation in prisoner release

    The prisoners of war, who are citizens of Morocco, the US, the UK, Sweden and Croatia, were released as part of an exchange between Russia and Ukraine, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. “The relevant Saudi authorities received and transferred them from Russia to the Kingdom and are facilitating procedures for their safe return to their respective countries,” the ministry said at the time.

  • Saudi Arabia’s social media licensing may be a win-win for all, experts say

    Saudi Arabia is the latest to join the likes of the United States, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Singapore and Japan to take measures to regulate the industry in light of an ever increasing number of individuals and businesses transacting and sharing data online. Starting in October, Saudi and non-Saudi content creators earning revenue through advertising on social media platforms are required to first apply for a permit through Saudi Arabia's General Commission for Audiovisual Media.

  • Eros Media World Enters Saudi Via Partnership With Arabia Pictures Group

    Indian media and entertainment giant Eros Media World is moving into the rapidly growing Saudi Arabia market, entering a strategic partnership with Riyadh-based content production company Arabia Pictures Group. The pair will explore opportunities in the film, technology and Web3 spaces and eye investments in content production, including end-to-end production, line production, distribution and more. They will also seek to introduce new technologies that can further the growth of the media and entertainment sector in Saudi. Eros and APG are already in the advanced stages of testing movie archive digitization and virtual location scouting technologies.

  • All you need to know about Saudi Arabia’s new social media influencer permit

    In 2018, the UAE’s National Media Council launched a new electronic media regulation system, which required social media influencers to obtain a license to operate in the country. The cost of the annual license is 15,000 AED (roughly $4,000). Those who fail to obtain or renew the license can face penalties including a fine of up to 5,000 AED, a verbal or official warning, and even closure of their social media accounts. The rules apply to influencers visiting the UAE as well. They must either have a license or be signed up with an NMC-registered influencer agency to operate in the country.

  • Saudi Arabia mandates social media ad licenses for influencers and celebrities

    This license will cost approximately $4000, will be valid for three years, and can be applied through the I’lam platform. According to the General Commission for Audio Visual Media in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, this step has been taken to “regulate the advertising sector and digital content in the Kingdom.”

  • Saudi Arabia Offers To Mediate Russian-Ukrainian Crisis

    Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will participate in the regular meeting of the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries on Wednesday at the headquarters of the GCC Secretariat in Riyadh, where he will hold strategic dialogues with countries and global blocs, and discuss the latest regional and international developments.

  • Saudi Arabia Offers To Mediate Russian-Ukrainian Crisis

    Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will participate in the regular meeting of the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries on Wednesday at the headquarters of the GCC Secretariat in Riyadh, where he will hold strategic dialogues with countries and global blocs, and discuss the latest regional and international developments.

  • Houthi official says Saudi Arabia cannot be a mediator in the Yemen war

    A Houthi official said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia cannot be a mediator in the Yemen war, remarking on a Reuters report of a Gulf Arab initiative to hold consultations among Yemeni parties in the Saudi capital Riyadh. Mohamed Ali al-Houthi, head of the Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, said "Riyadh is a party in the war not a mediator."

  • Arab women break the gender bias in the Middle East media industry

    According to a Reuters Institute fact sheet published in 2020, which analyzed the gender breakdown of top editors in a strategic sample of 200 major online and offline news outlets in 10 different markets across four continents, just 23 percent of top editors were women, despite the fact that, on average, 40 percent of journalists in the 10 markets were women.