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  • Saudi Arabia – Unlocking the future through industrial incentives?

    The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) continues to develop and promote initiatives to modernize and accelerate its economy and attract international investment. Align with this goal, on 11 January 2025, government entities in the KSA announced funding of SAR10 billion (£2.19 billion) for the Standard Incentives Programme to activate and support the industrial sector. The Standard Incentives Programme offers funding of up to 35% of the initial project investment (capped at SAR50 million for each qualifying project). The support is divided evenly across the project lifecycle, granting 50% during the construction phase and 50% during the production phase. This programme is initially offered to investments in transformative chemical industries, automotive manufacturing and parts, and machinery and equipment. Further successive phases of funding will be announced throughout 2025. The focus of this programme is to develop the manufacturing of products not currently produced in the KSA and develop national resources and talent.

  • Saudi Arabia economy minister says Riyadh ready to work with Trump amid US-China tensions

    Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim has affirmed the Kingdom’s readiness to engage constructively with the second Trump administration, emphasizing a stable long-term strategy amidst US-China tensions. Alibrahim outlined Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic efforts to maintain regional stability and accelerate economic diversification during an interview with Al Arabiya’s Hadley Gamble on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF). “We look forward to working with the second Trump administration, as we have worked with previous administrations, to address and counter some of the global challenges we’re facing, including the tepid economic growth that we’re witnessing as a global community today,” he said, reflecting on the two parties’ alliance that has spanned eight decades.

  • Saudi Arabia advances FinTech goals with Google Pay integration

    The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) has partnered with Google to introduce Google Pay in Saudi Arabia through the national payment system “mada,” with the service set to launch in 2025. This collaboration is part of SAMA’s strategic efforts to enhance the Kingdom’s digital payments ecosystem in line with Saudi Vision 2030, according to FF News. By introducing advanced digital payment solutions, SAMA aims to reduce cash dependency, foster financial innovation, and establish a world-class infrastructure that aligns with global standards.

  • Saudi Arabia Joins the Hague System

    Saudi Arabia has joined the Hague System, expanding the geographical scope of WIPO’s international design system to 99 countries. As the largest economy in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia’s membership reflects the country’s commitment to innovation and strengthens the Hague System’s status as a global solution for securing design rights, paving the way for broader adoption in the region.

  • Saudi Arabia to showcase $100bn aviation investment opportunities at WEF

    he investment showcase will highlight projects and incentives to unlock more than $100 billion of investment into the Kingdom's booming aviation sector across airports, airlines, ground services, cargo and logistics. As part of the more than $100 billion of investment opportunities, airports account for more than $50 billion, new aircraft orders around $40 billion, while the remaining $10 billion is comprised of other projects, including $5 billion in special logistics areas around the three main airports in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam.      

  • Majority of UAE and Saudi Arabia professionals plan to switch jobs this year, LinkedIn says

    Three quarters of working professionals in the UAE and Saudi Arabia plan to look for a new job this year as they seek a better work-life balance and higher salaries, a new global poll of 22,010 employees by professional network LinkedIn has found. Professionals in marketing, education, finance, sales and media are most keen to look for new opportunities, while only 50 per cent of healthcare professionals are seeking new positions. However, more than half (51 per cent) said the job search became harder last year as the UAE recorded an influx of talent leading to a competitive job market, according to the survey.

  • Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Air defers launch to 3Q25

    Aircraft delivery delays have caused Riyadh Air (RXI, Riyadh) to push back launch plans from the first quarter of 2025 to sometime in the third quarter, according to Bloomberg. The state-owned start-up had hoped to have eight B787-9 delivered throughout 2025, but Boeing has advised it to expect around four. According to the ch-aviation fleets module, Riyadh Air has thirty-nine B787-9s on order, along with sixty A321-200Ns from Airbus.

  • New Honeywell centre cements Saudi Arabia’s position in global cybersecurity market

    Honeywell recently launched a new centre in Saudi Arabia’s Jubail to provide localised cybersecurity services for critical industrial sectors in the Kingdom, according to a press release. Honeywell Himaya Center, which was announced at the In-Kingdom Total Value Add (iktva) Forum and Exhibition 2025 in Dhahran, will support Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation and strengthen its position as a key player in the global cybersecurity market.

  • Saudi Arabia boosts mining industry

    Throughout this year, Saudi Arabia intends to promote mineral exploration opportunities in an area of up to 50,000 square kilometres, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef announced at the International Mining Conference recently held in Riyadh.  The minister noted that the Kingdom's programme to enable mineral exploration has already helped exploration companies excavate more than 440,000 square metres. He also used the occasion to announce the launch of the Mining Innovation Studio initiative, a project designed to attract global talent and accelerate the use of advanced technologies, as well as to advance Riyadh's vision of becoming the ‘Silicon Valley of Metals’.

  • KAUST leads efforts to kickstart an innovative cement industry in Saudi Arabia

    As part of efforts to support the Kingdom in diversifying the Saudi economy and creating innovative new industries, KAUST has announced the Future Cement Initiative (FCI) to guide cement manufacturing. KAUST, the Ministry of Industries and Mineral Resources, and the National Committee of Cement Companies form the core group of founding partners of the FCI. Saudi Arabia’s industrial sectors have surged by 60% over recent years, reflecting the country’s efforts to diversify its economy and position itself as a global manufacturing power. Many of these projects are cement intensive, and a primary goal of the FCI aims to improve the economic and environmental competitiveness of cement manufacturing in Saudi Arabia through the development of cost-effective approaches and innovative technologies. In turn, this will position Saudi Arabia as a leader in the Middle East region’s cement industry.