Recent stories from sustg

  • Saudi Aramco Denies Financial Times Report on Shelving Long-Awaited IPO
     

    Saudi Aramco has denied a report in the London-based Financial Times that the state-controlled company will shelve its plans to list part of the company on international indices in favor of private placements. The Financial Times reports that talks about “a private sale to foreign governments including China and other investors have gathered pace in recent […]

     
  • King Salman Consolidates Development Funds and Promotes New Transportation Minister
     

    Saudi Arabia’s King Salman has created a new organizational body to centralize and consolidate control and management of its economic development funds, called the National Development Fund (NDF), under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The NDF will “link the Saudi Fund for Development, the Saudi Industrial Development Fund, the Agricultural Development Fund, the Social Development Bank, the Human […]

     
  • Saudi Arabia’s PIF Takes Charge of $5b Jeddah Corniche Redevelopment to create “New Downtown”
     

    Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has announced it will lead the redevelopment of Jeddah’s waterfront corniche, creating a “unique tourist, residential and commercial destination” that aims to become the “New Jeddah Downtown.” The PIF will look to add 12,000 housing units as well as shops and other attractions like museums, a cultural and social area, an activities center, […]

     
  • Saudi Arabia Will Remove its Ban on Internet Phone Calls on Thursday
     

    Saudi Arabia will remove its ban on internet phone calls on Thursday, a government spokesman said, in a bid “aimed at stimulating online business as the kingdom looks to boost non-oil revenue,” Reuters reports. The news is sure to be welcomed by the many foreign men and women who travel to Saudi Arabia for business, […]

     
  • New York Times Profiles New Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Prince Khaled bin Salman
     

    The New York Times published a profile and interview with Saudi Arabia’s new Ambassador to the United States Prince Khaled bin Salman and the significant role the young prince will play in the U.S.-Saudi diplomatic and economic relationship. Prince Khaled, who is brother of the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and son of King Salman, […]

     
  • Al-Falih: Steps Taken by OPEC Have Brought Greater Stability, Further Cuts Eyed
     

    Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy, Industry, and Mineral Resources Khalid Al-Falih said he agreed with other OPEC nations to keep all options open in the organization’s push to re-balance world oil markets, “including the possible extension of output cuts beyond next March,” according to reports. According to three emailed statements from his ministry obtained by Bloomberg, steps taken by […]

     
  • Trump, King Salman Discuss Qatar Crisis in Phone Call
     

    U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Saudi King Salman on Wednesday and urged “all the parties in the Qatar dispute” to find a diplomatic resolution to end the crisis, according to a White House statement. According to a White House readout of the call, President Trump and King Salman “discussed the need to defeat terrorism, cut off […]

     
  • Ambassador Prince Khaled bin Salman Meets with Young Saudis in Tech in California
     

    Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States HRH Prince Khaled bin Salman met with young Saudi men and women working in Silicon Valley this week, telling the young employees of major U.S. tech firms “I see our future in you. Our leadership is betting on your success,” according to accounts of the meeting. The meeting with […]

     
  • Qatar Welcomes Saudi Decision to Open Border for Hajj Pilgrims
     

    Qatar has responded positively to Saudi Arabia’s decision to open its border with with the Gulf Arab nation for Hajj pilgrims, but also criticized a “politicization” of the key pilgrimage, according to reports. Qatar’s Foreign Minister, Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, said in a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden that “regardless of the fact that the pilgrimage was prohibited […]

     
  • Rumors Abound Regarding Location(s) of Saudi Aramco IPO Listing
     

    Saudi Aramco’s advisers have recommended London for the historic listing of the oil company, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters in an exclusive report. The report said U.S. disclosure rules were a concern for Saudi authorities. London’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has proposed a rule change that would allow state-owned companies, such as Saudi Aramco, to […]

     

MUST-READS

  • The UAE’s Path to Food Self-Sufficiency

    The UAE has achieved high rankings in food security indices. However, these rankings do not fully capture all aspects of the UAE’s food supply challenges, which primarily stem from its lack of food self-sufficiency. Food self-sufficiency – having greater control over food supply and reducing vulnerability to external threats – is crucial, as it allows a country to directly manage and influence its food production and availability. Despite the presence of over 38,000 farms in the UAE, their contribution to its food supply is minimal compared to food imports, which constitute up to 85% of consumption and cost about $13.2 billion in 2022. While this amount is manageable for a country as wealthy as the UAE, this reliance on food imports makes the UAE vulnerable to global food supply shocks caused by climate change, geopolitical tensions, pandemics, and other disruptions. 

  • When the Taliban Took Kabul, She Fled, and Made a New Life in New York

    Now, almost three years later, she has been able to build a new life in New York City because of an audacious escape plan hatched by law professors thousands of miles from Afghanistan. Her story is one of liberation — from the Taliban, who were notorious for oppressing women — but also of loss for what she and other promising young people could have done for their home country had they not felt their lives were in danger.

  • Diriyah: The Historic Heart of Saudi Arabia will Transform Urban Living

    This is without a doubt the biggest project I have ever worked on. I have worked with some of the biggest developers in the region in the past – but nothing of the size, scale and ambition of Diriyah. When you consider our starting point is as the custodian of the birthplace of the modern Saudi state and its 300-year-old heritage – we have an enormous responsibility to ensure that we preserve the past, embrace the present and create a dynamic new future.

  • Saudi Arabia’s PIF makes bid to increase stake in Selfridges

    PIF already owns a 10 per cent share in the Selfridges properties, while 40 per cent is owned by the troubled real estate and retail empire, Signa and the remaining 50 per cent is owned by the Thai retail conglomerate Central Group.

  • Saudi Arabia launches bidding for new mineral exploration licenses

    The Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, Saudi Arabia has announced in a press release the launch of its most extensive mineralized belts to date, covering an expansive 4,788 km² that includes five exploration licenses. The ministry is inviting major mining and exploration companies to participate in the ongoing Exploration Licensing Rounds aimed at unlocking the belts’ vast mineral wealth.

  • Saudi Arabia calls for restraint following Israeli airstrikes in Yemen

    Saudi Arabia called on all parties to exercise maximum restraint and to distance the region and its people from the dangers of war after the Israeli attacks in Al Hudaydah governorate on Saturday, which aggravate the current tension in the region and halt the ongoing efforts to end the war on Gaza.

  • Saudi capital market’s momentum likely ongoing in H2 2024: HSBC Saudi Arabia

    The Saudi capital market is expected to see continued momentum in H2 2024, backed by a strong pipeline of initial public offerings (IPOs), announced projects, and investment opportunities, which is seeing higher investor engagement by local and foreign players at record highs compared to previous years, Faris AlGhannam, CEO and Board Member of HSBC Saudi Arabia, said.

  • Saudi Arabia Shifts from Participation to Hosting: Sustained Global Scientific Engagement Since 2011

    This year, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia transitions from the ranks of participants to hosts and organizers of international scientific competitions. Riyadh, the capital city, is set to host the 2024 International Chemistry Olympiad from July 21st for ten days. The Olympiad will involve more than 340 students, 200 volunteers, and 400 university professors and chemistry teachers from 90 countries. This makes it an opportunity for scientific exchange, partnerships, and a chance to discover Saudi Arabia through its capital, Riyadh, and witness its scientific, economic, and cultural renaissance, which has qualified it to become a leading destination in various fields.

  • Saudi Arabia to visit Brazil and lithium power Chile as seeks to diversify

    Saudi Arabia's mining minister will visit Brazil and Chile over the coming two weeks, the ministry said on Sunday, as the world's leading oil exporter seeks to expand its international presence in mining. In Brazil, talks will cover mining, food processing, and aviation, while in Chile the focus is on lithium, needed for electric vehicle batteries. "This aligns with the Kingdom's direction towards expanding the production of EVs," a Saudi government statement said.

  • Saudi Arabia’s move to nationalise engineering jobs ‘required’ to tackle unemployment

    Saudi Arabia's requirement that companies allocate 25 per cent of engineering jobs in the private sector to citizens looks set to help the kingdom tackle unemployment, as the Arab world’s largest economy moves ahead with its economic diversification strategy. The rule, which takes effect on Sunday, is applicable to private sector companies that employ five or more people in engineering professions, the Saudi Press Agency reported. It will provide more “productive job opportunities for male and female citizens in various regions of the kingdom”, SPA said.