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  • A Blueprint For The Future: Global Lessons In Sustainability From Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030

    My team and I had our eyes on Saudi Arabia with a clear purpose: to meet the people and organizations leading the charge in conservation and sustainability. Our goal was to experience the Kingdom’s top-down approach, where leadership drives businesses and communities alike toward ambitious environmental objectives. From urban planning to marine conservation initiatives, we sought to explore how the country is positioning itself as a global model for integrating advanced science and sustainability into every layer of its rapid development.

  • Records set for Arab artists at Sotheby’s debut Saudi Arabia auction

    Sotheby’s reported a full house for the “Origins” sale, which was held in a 250-seat outdoor amphitheater and featured participants from 45 countries. The sale totaled $17.28m with a sell-through rate of 67% by lot and 74% by value. Almost a third of the buyers were from Saudi Arabia. The auction offered an eclectic mix of around 120 objects. Approximately half were works of art and a quarter watches and jewelry, while there were also 17 designer handbags and several items of sports memorabilia.

  • Opinion: Saudi Arabia should consider regional leadership as an alternative to normalisation with Israel

    Looking at the issue objectively, Saudi Arabia does not need to normalise relations with the occupation state of Israel after the collapse of the Iranian axis in the region, the end of Tehran’s influence in Syria in particular and its significant decline in Lebanon. The US and other right-wing Zionist lobbies that were pushing Saudi Arabia to normalisation no longer have an argument to continue to do so. These lobbies, successive US administrations, Netanyahu and Israeli governments are the ones begging for normalisation with Saudi Arabia, because all would benefit from it, but the biggest loser would be Saudi Arabia itself. However, policy and statements issued by Riyadh, especially in the wake of the crazy statements by the man in the White House, all indicate a firmness in the Saudi position that has strengthened the Arab position as a whole, whether about calling for the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, or on the issue of the Palestinian state.

  • AI chip startup Groq secures $1.5 billion commitment from Saudi Arabia

    The startup has an existing agreement with Aramco Digital, the technology subsidiary of oil major Aramco, through which the companies built a critical AI hub in the region in December. Groq told Reuters it will receive funds over the course of this year to expand its existing data center in Dammam. The company's chips, which specialize in fast responses from chatbots and other large language models, are subject to U.S. export controls, but Groq said it has obtained the licenses it needs to ship them to Dammam.

  • UAE and Saudi Arabia Lead Middle East Energy Transition

    The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region has long been at the center of the global energy universe, with national oil companies (NOCs) and their predecessors charged with developing vast oil and gas resources for nearly a century. While the region will undoubtedly remain a dominant player in traditional oil and gas spheres for the foreseeable future, several key countries and NOCs are strategically positioning themselves to become key hubs and global leaders in new emerging energy markets. The result is an increasing divergence between the strategies of NOCs in the more forward-leaning countries, led by the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and, on a more regional level, Oman, and the more traditional petrostates, such as Kuwait and Qatar, where NOCs are primary focused on delivering operational results and revenues to the state.

  • Sotheby’s Establishes a Foothold in Saudi Arabia After Hosting the Kingdom’s First Major Auction

    The results were like the two-part evening sale’s lineup: a mixed bag. The house took in $17.3 million (estimate: $14 million–$20 million) across 117 lots, with works of fine art, luxury objects, and sports memorabilia among them. However, the value of the house’s foray into the desert kingdom was never going to be confined to the depth of bidding alone. The historic outdoor auction served as a portal into the Saudi art and luxury markets (terra incognita for international auction houses), and it will be appraised against the long-term success of Sotheby’s in the country.

  • Saudi Arabian Unicorn Tabby Taps HSBC, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley for IPO

    Saudi Arabia-based Tabby, one of the Middle East’s first fintech unicorns, has hired banks to help prepare for an eventual initial public offering, according to people familiar with the matter. The buy-now, pay-later firm is working with HSBC Holdings Plc, JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Morgan Stanley on the deal, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information isn’t public. The plans at an early stage, and no final decisions have been made on the timing or the size of the offer, they said. The firm could potentially look to raise additional cash ahead of the listing, according to one of the people. It was valued at $1.5 billion in its most recent funding round, in November 2023.

  • China Harbour’s moduling building factory begins operations in Saudi Arabia

    Spanning approximately 200,000 square meters, the factory will supply prefabricated components for the Sedra project's fully modular villas, while laying the industrial foundation for future prefabricated construction initiatives in Saudi Arabia, the CHEC announced in a statement on Sunday. At the inauguration ceremony on Sunday, Iain McBride, head of commercial at Saudi ROSHN Real Estate Company, praised the factory's remarkable speed of completion, commending its design, construction quality, and safety standards.

  • Saudi Arabia declares February 22 as official holiday for private and non-profit sectors to mark Founding Day

    The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has announced that Saturday, February 22, will be an official holiday for both the private and non-profit sectors in observance of Saudi Founding Day. Founding Day marks the anniversary of the establishment of the First Saudi State by Imam Mohammed bin Saud in 1727, celebrating the Kingdom’s deep historical roots, national unity, and strong leadership bond that has connected Saudi citizens to their rulers since the founding of Diriyah as the state’s first capital. The occasion highlights the early Saudi efforts in establishing security and stability, which profoundly shaped Saudi society after centuries of division and instability.

  • Saudi Arabia emerges as the epicentre of Media & Entertainment in 2025

    According to a January 2025 Statista report, Saudi Arabia leads the MENA media industry, holding a dominant 30% market share. This month Saudi Arabia appears to be the hub for everyone in Media & Entertainment, with Leap, followed by the Future of Media Exhibition (FOMEX) from February 19-21, and the BroadcastPro Summit KSA on February 25. We will have a stand at FOMEX too and look forward to meeting many of you there. It’s that final burst of activity before everything calms down for Ramadan – or will it?