MUST-READS

• OPEC and Saudi spare oil production capacity
  The International Energy Agency estimates that OPEC's total spare capacity is 5.3 million bpd, of which 3.1 million bpd is held by Saudi Arabia, 1.1 million bpd by the UAE, 600,000 bpd by Iraq and 400,000 bpd by Kuwait. The total is equal to about 5.1% of world oil demand, expected by the IEA to average almost 104 million bpd in 2025. Spare capacity is held by the largest producers in OPEC as well as some of their allies as a consequence of their decisions to cut supply to the world market due to rising output from non-allied producers such as the U.S., Brazil and Guyana. OPEC+, which includes OPEC, Russia and their allies, has deepened cuts, reducing production by almost 6 million bpd in a series of steps since 2022 to support the market. The latest OPEC+ cut of 2.2 million bpd, of which Saudi Arabia is contributing 1 million bpd, remains in place for the first quarter of 2025.

• Saudi Arabia Wants To Supply Europe With Green Hydrogen

  With global interest in hydrogen accelerating, he sees the project as especially well placed to capitalize on Saudi Arabia’s natural advantages. “We have the scale, location, and the partnerships in place that give us a significant lead,” he said, describing NGHC as a potential model for Saudi Arabia’s broader push into renewable energy and a significant part of Vision 2030’s economic transformation goals, NGHC has signed a 30-year distribution contract with Air Products to bring its green hydrogen to international markets in the form of ammonia, which makes it easier to transport and distribute. NGHC is not the only company in Saudi Arabia that is making green hydrogen a central part of its future. Securing Energy for Europe (SEFE) in Berlin, an instrumentality of the German government, has signed a letter of intent with Saudi-based ACWA Power to supply it with 200,000 tons of green hydrogen beginning in 2030. Is there a need for so much green hydrogen? One steel plant in Duisburg is expected to require 143,000 tons of it per year.

• Economic diversification, mega events and culture position Saudi Arabia for tourism boom

  Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector has seen immense growth over the past decade, with substantial efforts to reshape perceptions and open the doors to international visitors. Initiatives such as the introduction of tourist visas in 2019 and the development of large-scale projects like NEOM, the Red Sea Project, and Qiddiya have been central to this strategy. Saudi Arabia has committed over $800 billion to infrastructure development, including world-class airports, the expansion of the Riyadh Metro system, and the creation of luxury and mid-tier hotels. These investments are set to accommodate the influx of visitors, not just during these events but as part of the long-term tourism strategy. Tourism’s contribution to Saudi Arabia’s GDP is projected to rise from 3% in 2019 to 10% by 2030. The long-term economic impact from events like Expo 2030 and the World Cup will generate billions in revenue, particularly for sectors such as hospitality, retail, and transportation. However, the economic benefits will not be limited to these events but will be a sustained growth trend due to ongoing diversification efforts under Vision 2030.

• Industry Minister: Saudi Arabia Seeks to Enhance Partnership with India in Strategic Industries

  Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef stressed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to enhancing its strategic partnership with India across key economic sectors, particularly industry and mining. The minister made his remarks while chairing a roundtable meeting with leaders from India's private sector in New Delhi. Alkhorayef highlighted that the Kingdom is taking serious steps to boost collaboration in vital industries, including automotive, medical industries, biotechnology, chemicals, petrochemicals, machinery, and renewable energy.

• Saudi Arabia’s Stock Market Expects an 8% Growth, Driven by Key Sectors

  Healthcare is one of the main sectors that contribute to the market profits. SNB Capital suggests that healthcare profits will rise by 23% in 2025, compared to an 11% increase in 2024. This development is linked to a 20% revenue increase due to new expansions easing pressure on profit margins. Currently, some government initiatives aim to privatize parts of the healthcare system, and they play a significant role. The Saudi government hopes that the private sector will represent 45% of healthcare spending by 2030. The tourism and construction sectors are increasingly influential in reshaping Saudi Arabia’s economy. In 2023, the tourism sector contributed $118.4 billion to the country’s GDP, accounting for 11.5% of the total economy.

• ‘Nobody Can Hide’ – LIV Golf Announces Significant Format Tweak Ahead Of 2025 Season

  LIV Golf has made a number of notable changes since the curtain came down on the 2024 season, with a handful of new players, a host of fresh sponsorship deals, a key TV agreement and - in one team's case - a logo re-design. Now, it has been revealed that - from LIV Golf Riyadh 2025 - all four scores will count in every round for each of the 13 teams now, so any bad performances will be potentially devastating to a side's chances of success. Per the LIV Golf website, there were 31 non-counting scores of 77 or worse last year and Crushers GC were the best-scoring team throughout every round and all four players in 2024.

• Trump gives Saudi Arabia cause to pause joining BRICS

  It was posited here in January 2024 when the country first revealed that it hadn’t yet accepted the group’s official membership invitation, saying this “is due to Western perceptions about this association, Iran’s involvement in the Red Sea Crisis, and Israeli-US pressure,” which still holds true. Regarding the first, Saudi Arabia would arguably feel uncomfortable with its name and national brand being included in the plethora of agenda-driven promotional materials misportraying BRICS as an anti-Western alliance. The Kingdom used to be solidly in the Western camp but has taken a page from India’s book in recent years by multi-aligning between them and what Russia now calls the “World Majority.”

• Opinion: Trump’s Gaza proposal was gibberish. The assault on Palestinian dreams was real

  Trump presented his territorial expansion and ethnic cleansing proposal as a humanitarian gesture of kindness toward the Palestinians, noting that they live in intolerable conditions. But the president did not acknowledge that this virtual hellscape is primarily an Israeli creation in two phases. First, the overwhelming majority, certainly well over 80%, of the Palestinians in Gaza are refugees from what became southern Israel in the 1947-1948 war. Second, Israel’s repeated wars in Gaza — especially the current conflict since the heinous Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023 — have left the area in ruins.

• How Dubai is addressing the AI talent shortage

  As of November 2024, GlobalData’s jobs analytics database found that there were more than 55,000 active AI-related job listings worldwide. While the market has stablised since 2021 and 2022, when GlobalData found that the number of active AI job listings was doubling each year, the need for AI talent remains a serious challenge. To combat the skills shortage, universities are expanding recruitment of AI-focused researchers, and global multinationals such as Meta and Microsoft are offering free AI training platforms for employees and the public.

• Oil firms slightly as Trump policies continue to drag on prices

  Oil prices edged up on Thursday after Saudi Arabia's state oil company raised its March crude prices sharply, but the gains barely dented the previous day's slide in benchmark Brent crude.

  Brent crude futures rose 28 cents, or 0.4%, to $74.89 a barrel by 0952 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was up 35 cents, or 0.5%, at $71.38.

  Oil prices had plunged by more than 2% on Wednesday as a large build in U.S. crude and gasoline stockpiles signalled weaker demand while investors also weighed up the implications of a new round of U.S.-China trade tariffs, including duties on energy products.

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