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  • $600bn Saudi-US trade pledge ‘unlikely to be achieved’

    It would require an average of $150 billion in annual trade and investment. That would be equivalent to 14 percent of Saudi GDP, 40 percent of its export revenue, and more than half of its total imports, according to Tim Callen, a visiting fellow at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington and a former IMF official. “Both Trump and the crown prince like big numbers,” Callen tells AGBI. “They grab attention and define a narrative.”   That number, however, is roughly what the US has exported in goods and services to Saudi Arabia over the past 25 years combined, according to Callen, citing data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. During Trump’s first term, in the four years to 2020, the US exported less to Saudi Arabia than during the preceding term under Democrat President Barack Obama, at $92 billion, down from $110 billion.

  • Saudi Arabia spearheads Arab scramble for alternative to Trump’s Gaza plan

    Draft ideas will be discussed at a meeting in Riyadh this month of countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. Proposals may involve a Gulf-led reconstruction fund and a deal to sideline Hamas, five of the people said. Reuters spoke to 15 sources in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and elsewhere to build a picture of the hurried efforts by Arab states to pull together existing proposals into a new plan they can sell to the U.S. president - even potentially calling it a "Trump plan" to win his approval. One Arab government source said at least four proposals had already been drafted for Gaza's future, but an Egyptian proposal was now emerging as central to the Arab push for an alternative to Trump's idea. The latest Egyptian proposal involves forming a national Palestinian committee to govern Gaza without Hamas involvement, international participation in reconstruction without displacing Palestinians abroad, and movement towards a two-state solution, three Egyptian security sources said.

  • Spending pushes Saudi fiscal deficit to $31bn in 2024

    Saudi Arabia’s fiscal deficit reached SAR116 billion ($31 billion) in 2024, driven by a 6 percent rise in expenditure, according to the ministry of finance. The deficit was in line with revised predictions made in September but roughly 50 percent higher than the SAR79 billion ($21 billion) projected at the start of the fiscal year. Increased expenditure comes at a time of high spending across the kingdom on infrastructure giga-projects in support of Saudi Vision 2030 diversification targets. The economy minister, Faisal Alibrahim, speaking at an event in Riyadh on Thursday, said that infrastructure investments are expected to reach $1 trillion by 2030. Oil revenues rose marginally to SAR757 billion last year, while non-oil revenues rose 10 percent year on year to SAR502 billion, the ministry said.

  • Saudi private school in Herndon to shut down, surprising families

    The current school year will be the last official one for King Abdullah Academy. After close to a decade in the Herndon area, the Islamic private school announced in late January that it will close for good after the 2024-2025 academic year, citing challenges with identifying a “viable financial path to self-sustainability.” Funded by Saudi Arabia’s government, King Abdullah Academy launched in August 2016 after relocating to its current 40-acre campus at 2949 Education Drive east of Dulles International Airport. The school was previously known as the Islamic Saudi Academy and operated out of the original Mount Vernon High School from 1985 until its Herndon move. The academy’s departure opened the door for Fairfax County to redevelop the Mount Vernon site (8333 Richmond Highway), a project that began construction last fall.

  • EDF and TAQA Geothermal Sign Landmark MoU to Advance Geothermal Energy in Saudi Arabia

    EDF Saudi Arabia and TAQA Geothermal Energy Company have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on geothermal energy technologies including power generation and HVAC applications as well as Compressed Air Energy Storage in Saudi Arabia. The agreement was formalized during the third edition of the PIF Private Sector Forum, held at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

  • Ceer supercharges Saudi EV industry with $1.4bn in deals, gearing up for 2026 launch

    Saudi Arabia’s first homegrown electric vehicle brand, Ceer, signed 11 deals worth SR5.5 billion ($1.4 billion) at a Public Investment Fund event ahead of its model launch in 2026. More than 80 percent of these agreements involve Saudi companies, reinforcing Ceer’s commitment to its 45 percent localization target and advancing the Kingdom’s Vision 2030’s economic diversification goals. Among the key memorandums of understanding signed at the PIF Private Sector Forum are agreements related to heating and air conditioning, portable EV chargers and various manufacturing aspects, such as plastic injection parts. DeLuca highlighted that Ceer is the only company in Saudi Arabia managing the entire process — from designing and engineering to manufacturing, selling, and servicing a portfolio of battery electric vehicles.

  • Saudi ambassador tells World Cup fans: ‘You can have fun without alcohol’

    The Saudi Arabian ambassador to the UK has told football fans “plenty of fun can be had without alcohol” as he warned them not to expect to drink if they attend the 2034 World Cup. Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud also said “we will welcome everyone” when asked to address the safety of LGBTQ+ people at the controversial tournament. In an interview with LBC, Prince Khalid said: “At the moment, we don’t allow alcohol, but you know, plenty of fun can be had without alcohol. It’s not 100% necessary. And you know if, if you want to drink when you leave, after you leave, you’re welcome to. But at the moment, we don’t have alcohol.”

  • Saudi Arabia welcomes ‘riviera’ in Gaza but not by removing Palestinians: Ambassador

    Saudi Arabia would welcome a riviera in Gaza, but not by removing the Palestinian people, a senior Saudi diplomat said on Wednesday. The diplomat was responding to US President Donald Trump’s recent proposal for the United States to take over Gaza and develop it into the “Riviera of the Middle East.”  “My government’s position is that we would welcome a riviera in Gaza. I think that would be wonderful,” Saudi Ambassador to the United Kingdom Prince Khalid bin Bandar said. “But we’re not going to do it by removing the Palestinian people, certainly not moving them to Saudi; they don’t want to move. You know, it’s their land, it’s their territory. They deserve all the best that we can provide for them there, and we’d welcome America’s efforts to improve their situation on the ground,” Prince Khalid said in an interview with the London Broadcasting Company (LBC).

  • Saudi economy surpasses key milestone in diversification: Investment Minister

    Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih said the kingdom's economy has passed a major milestone in its diversification process, with non-oil activities now accounting for 52% of total economic activity. Speaking at the PIF Private Sector Forum 2025, Al-Falih noted that Saudi Arabia’s economy stood at SAR 4 trillion ($1.1 trillion) by the end of 2024. He revealed that private sector investments are expected to reach SAR 1.2 trillion in 2024, based on preliminary fourth-quarter estimates. This marks a sharp increase from SAR 600 billion before Vision 2030, bringing the country closer to its goal of raising fixed capital formation to 30% of GDP.

  • Saudi Arabia firmly rejects extremist Israeli statements on displacing Palestinians

    The Saudi Council of Ministers reiterated its firm rejection of extremist Israeli statements regarding the displacement of the Palestinian people. Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman chaired the Cabinet session in Riyadh on Tuesday. In a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the session, Minister of Media Salman Al-Dossary said that the Cabinet, while discussing the latest regional and international developments, reaffirmed the centrality of the Palestinian cause to Saudi Arabia and stressed that lasting peace can only be achieved through the acceptance of peaceful coexistence based on a two-state solution.