MUST-READS

• 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.      

• Saudi’s thriving esports scene set for SAR 50 billion contribution to GDP

  The esports industry has seen rapid growth over the past decade, both in terms of viewership and revenue. The pandemic, and the lockdown that put global physical sports on hold at various junctures for two years, served as a further catalyst for the sector. The global eSports market is projected to grow from $2.06 billion in 2024 to $9.29 billion by 2032, according to PwC’s report. “Esports now not just a source of entertainment; it has evolved into a cultural and economic force that has led to the emergence of professional players, teams, leagues, and substantial cash prizes. Given Saudi Arabia’s strategic focus on youth engagement and talent development, the country is well positioned to take advantage of this growing momentum in the esports industry.”

• 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.

• Rewriting the economic playbook to fire-up new engines of growth
  Global growth is forecast to reach modest levels of between 2.7%-3.2% in 2025. At the same time, macroeconomic risks such as inflation, debt and uneven recoveries persist. On top of this, splintering trade ties, technological disruptions to business and labour markets and the complexities of the energy transition are reshaping the foundations on which growth has traditionally been built. As high-growth ambitions collide with the hard realities of the geoeconomic landscape, we need a clear and irreversible pathway towards inclusive, sustainable and resilient growth. Opportunities to rebuild and reimagine economic development models in the wake of both the global financial crisis of 2008 and the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic were not fully grasped. Now, we are compelled to course correct. We will only draft a new economic playbook that succeeds if we double down on global collaboration, not if we turn away from it.

• Saudi Crown Prince MBS Moves to Exploit Vacuum Left By Iran

  The oil-rich kingdom and its 39-year-old leader — who backed Aoun to get the presidency — are emerging as one of the biggest winners in the fallout of the 15-month conflict in Gaza, which has tilted the balance of power in the Middle East against its longtime rival Iran. As a fragile ceasefire deal came into effect on Sunday, Tehran’s influence has been crippled, for now: its proxies in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories decimated, its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad deposed and its enemy Israel emboldened. Saudi Arabia is wasting no time filling the void. "This is a clash between an ambitious young man who realizes the world is changing and an elderly cleric clinging to an outdated ideology that brought him to power," says Mustafa Fahs, a Beirut-based commentator who hails from a clerical family critical of the Islamic Republic, referring to the Saudi crown prince and Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, respectively.

• KKR and Gulf Data Hub Form Strategic Partnership to Scale One of the Middle East’s Largest Independent Data Center Platforms

  Gulf Data Hub (“GDH” or the “Company”), one of the largest independent data center platforms in the Middle East focused on serving hyperscale demand across the Gulf countries, and KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced that funds affiliated with KKR will acquire a stake in GDH. The investment, which is subject to customary regulatory approvals, is being made through KKR’s Global Infrastructure strategy. Established in 2012 and headquartered in Dubai, GDH, is one of the largest independent carrier and vendor neutral data center platforms in the Middle East with significant operating capacity and pipeline of projects. With an owned portfolio of seven purpose-built and state-of-the art data centers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and additional facilities planned in Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman, GDH is focused on delivering the infrastructure required to meet hyperscale demand across the region to support increasing data consumption driven by the growing trends in digital connectivity, cloud and artificial intelligence.

• Saudi ambassador to US represents Kingdom at Trump inauguration ceremony

  The princess passed on the congratulations of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Trump on the day of his second inauguration as US president. She also conveyed the hopes of the Saudi leadership that he will enjoy success in his duties, the Saudi Press Agency reported

• Saudi: New executive regulations for law practice come into force

  The Saudi Bar Association (SBA) has announced the enforcement of the new executive regulations for law practice, effective from Jan. 15. These regulations replace the previous ones issued in 1423 AH. The updated regulations aimed to enhance the organizational framework of the legal profession, aligning it with modern international best practices. They also seek to strengthen the Kingdom’s competitiveness and improve its business environment by ensuring the availability of essential legal services for investors and business owners across various sectors. The new regulations include significant updates and reforms, such as the repeal of the rules on disciplinary action and the filing and adjudication of related complaints issued in 1443 AH. Additionally, the executive regulations for licensing foreign law firms, issued in 1444 AH, and the rules for mitigating conflicts of interest for former judiciary employees and their equivalents practicing law, issued in 1444 AH, will be annulled.

• Hamas frees hostages, Israel releases Palestinian prisoners on day one of ceasefire
  Hamas released three Israeli hostages and Israel released 90 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, the first day of a ceasefire suspending a 15-month-old war that has devastated the Gaza Strip and inflamed the Middle East. The truce allowed Palestinians to return to bombed-out neighborhoods to begin rebuilding their lives, while relief trucks delivered much-needed aid. Elsewhere in Gaza, crowds cheered Hamas fighters who emerged from hiding. Fireworks were launched in celebration as buses carrying the Palestinian prisoners arrived in Ramallah on the West Bank, where thousands of people waited to welcome them. Those freed from Israeli prisons included 69 women and 21 teenage boys from the West Bank and Jerusalem, according to Hamas.

• 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.

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