SUSTG.com / Research

Discover stories, topics, and more about Saudi Arebia faster.

Recent stories from sustg

MUST-READS

  • Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirms US$ 500 million commitment to global polio eradication effort

    The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today reaffirmed its US$ 500 million pledge to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in a signing event during the fourth Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum. H.E. Dr. Abdullah al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of King Salman Relief and Humanitarian Centre, was joined by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization; Catherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF; Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Dr. Chris Elias, President of Global Development at the Gates Foundation and Chair of the Polio Oversight Board; and Aziz Memon, Pakistan Polio Plus Chair, Rotary International, to sign an agreement that will help the GPEI and its partners to reach 370 million children with polio vaccines each year and stop transmission of the virus for good. The funds were initially pledged in April 2024 at the first-ever World Economic Forum Special Meeting hosted in Riyadh.

  • Olam to sell 44.6% stake in agribusiness to Saudi Arabia for $1.8bln, shares jump

    Singapore-based Olam Group on Monday said it will sell a 44.58% stake in its agricultural products business Olam Agri for $1.78 billion to state-owned Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC). Shares of the company jumped as much as 8.9% in early trading to S$1.230, their highest level since January 6. The transaction values Olam Agri at $4 billion, higher than the $3.5 billion valued at the transaction in December 2022 when it sold a 35% stake, and will give SALIC an 80% controlling stake in the business. It will result in a gain of $1.84 billion for Olam Group, the firm said in an exchange filing. Olam Group will divest its remaining 19.99% stake in the unit three years after the completion of the first phase, giving SALIC full control of Olam Agri, it said.

  • Analysis: What’s Behind the Arab Alternative to Trump’s Gaza Proposal

    This would appear to be Israel’s strategic choice, and shifting that will take an enormous amount of pressure from Washington. By coming up with a more detailed postconflict stabilization and reconstruction agenda in response to Trump’s impracticable ethnic cleansing proposal, the Arab states may make it easier for the U.S. president to force the Israeli prime minister to back down and accept an alternative Palestinian civic administration. But that’s going to be a very heavy lift, even for the White House. The deep logic of Israel’s divide and rule strategy and the preeminence of preventing Palestinian independence in its strategic thinking and annexation intention make strengthening the hands of the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization anathema to the Israeli right, which has dominated governance in Israel for the past two decades. Even given what Hamas perpetrated October 7, the Israeli right appears more troubled by the possibility of strengthening the secular nationalists of Fatah than by dealing with, and reempowering, Hamas’ Gaza cadres.

  • Saudi FM meets with counterparts on sidelines of G20 meeting in Johannesburg

    Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with his counterparts from the UK, China, Australia, and France separately in Johannesburg on Thursday. On the sidelines of a meeting of G20 foreign ministers held for the first time in Africa, Prince Faisal discussed regional and international developments with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy. With Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Prince Faisal discussed intensifying coordination on issues of common interest.

  • Saudi Billionaire Olayan Bets on Female Founders in Deal Spree

    Dara Holdings, billionaire Lubna Olayan’s family office, has made a series of investments since mid-2024 in United Arab Emirates-based startups founded by women. Her firm participated in a $10 million seed funding round disclosed this month for qeen.ai, a Dubai-based artificial intelligence startup co-founded by former Google executive Dina Alsamhan. The family office plans to continue making investments that empower women in the Middle East and is supporting the establishment of a social-impact fund at Alfanar, a UK-registered charity Olayan, 69, helps to lead, according to Dara Chief Investment Officer Walid Haram. “If an investment ticks the boxes, and it supports women in the region, that for us is a big additional plus,” Haram, 44, said in a statement. “It’s a big focus.”  The former JPMorgan Chase & Co. analyst is a principal of Olayan Group, a multibillion-dollar international conglomerate founded by her father in 1947 that she owns alongside members of her family. She served for decades as chief executive officer of its Middle East holding company, Olayan Financing Co., until stepping down in 2019. She now serves as chair of its executive committee and also leads the board of directors for Riyadh-based lender Saudi Awwal Bank.

  • Arab leaders huddle in Saudi Arabia in pushback to Trump’s Gaza plans

    There was no final communique, press conference or details of when the meeting started or ended, in contrast to standard protocol when Arab leaders meet. Instead, a single photo was released on Friday, showing Arab leaders standing shoulder-to-shoulder in Saudi Arabia for what the kingdom called an "informal brotherly gathering", though with lofty discussion on Gaza's future. Arab countries, keen to maintain warm ties with Trump as president, have rejected the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza while not directly condemning Trump's idea. Egypt and Jordan view the plan as destabilizing to their security and the region. The UAE, which has close ties with Israel and opposes Hamas in Gaza, has emphasized that reconstruction of Gaza must be linked to the establishment of a Palestinian state. An assessment this week by the U.N., World Bank and European Union says Gaza and the occupied-West Bank need at least $53 billion for reconstruction and recovery over the next decade. The U.N. says 95% of Gaza's schools have been damaged or destroyed, as have more than 90% of homes and most hospitals, roads, water systems and agricultural land. Another U.N. estimate says more specifically that nearly 300,000 homes have been completely destroyed in Israeli airstrikes.  

  • Duel In the Desert: Forever Young Pips Romantic Warrior In An Epic Saudi Cup

    The Arabic announcer at King Abdulzaziz Racetrack whipped the crowd into a literal frenzy as the Saudi Cup field circled the starting stalls midway up the chute. The 109 seconds that followed the springing of the stalls nearly defies description. Romantic Warrior opened up on his rivals and they were partying in Wan Chai, but as he displayed when blousing out Book'em Danno (Bucchero) at the finish of last year's Saudi Derby, Forever Young loves a fight, and he began pegging back the margin with time ticking away. James McDonald was hard at work on Romantic Warrior and said post-race that his mount 'was not stopping', but Forever Young was kept after and proved narrowly better on the day in a race that won't soon be forgotten. “He jumped very well from the wide gate in 14 and got into a nice position without a problem. It was my tactics to be in that situation. I believe in Forever Young, I never thought I'd lose the race. This is the best moment in my life.” The Saudi Cup is a newly announced 'Win and You're In' qualifier for this year's Breeders' Cup Classic.

  • Miami Chosen by Saudi Arabia for Second USA Investment Office

    Saudi Arabia will open an investment office in Miami, after the kingdom’s de-facto ruler pledged to boost US investment. In addition to US investments, Saudi Arabia will use Miami as a “gateway” to South America, Minister of Investment Khalid Bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih said Thursday at the Future Investment Initiative Institute’s summit in Miami Beach. The Invest Saudi outpost in the Florida city will be the second in the US after Washington. Miami has been raising its economic and political profile in recent years, as a string of investment and banking firms have boosted their presence there. Financial conglomerate Citadel is relocating to Miami while Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Dan Sundheim’s D1 Capital Partners are among those that have expanded there.

  • Saudi PIF Eyes More US Investment in Second Trump Term, Governor Says

    40% of the fund’s international investments go to the US, Yasir Al-Rumayyan said on Friday at the Saudi-sponsored Future Investment Initiative Priority summit in Miami. “And it could be much more,” he added, but “unfortunately sometimes when you want to procure more from the US or invest more there are certain restrictions. I hope with the current administration these restrictions will be out and it will attract more investment.” Al-Rumayyan said PIF, which counts Newcastle United and LIV Golf among its holdings, remains focused on sports and e-sports investments. He said that its portfolio company Savvy’s mandate is to “not only to invest in other companies in e- or video games, but to create esports activities.” Savvy-owned Scopely is in talks to acquire Niantic’s video-game business, Bloomberg News reported earlier this week.

  • King Salman orders naming of 15 Riyadh squares after Saudi rulers to commemorate Founding Day

    The directive reflects the leadership’s commitment to honoring the legacy of Saudi rulers who played a pivotal role in the foundation, unification, and development of the nation over the past three centuries. The designated squares are located along major roads in the Saudi capital and will bear the names of key figures in the country's history. Among them are Imam Mohammed bin Saud, Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed, Imam Saud bin Abdulaziz, Imam Abdullah bin Saud, Imam Turki bin Abdullah, Imam Faisal bin Turki, Imam Abdullah bin Faisal, and Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal. Additionally, the names of Saudi kings who shaped the modern state will be commemorated, including King Abdulaziz, King Saud, King Faisal, King Khalid, King Fahd, King Abdullah, and King Salman.