Saudi Arabia occupies a central position in the Middle East, shaped by its role as the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites and one of the world’s largest holders of proven oil reserves. In 2024 Saudi Arabia recorded SR119bn ($31.7bn) in foreign direct investment inflows, a 24% increase from 2023 – one of the highest levels in its recent history. This reflects growing investor confidence in the…
With initial public offerings, bond and sukuk (Islamic bond) issuances surging and further build-out by the Kingdom’s non-oil economy, Saudi Arabia’s capital markets are currently going through an expansionary period. This change is a key pillar in the Kingdom’s long-term development plan, Vision 2030, which seeks to make the country a regional and international financial centre as part of its…
The Saudi banking sector sits at the core of Vision 2030. Saudi banks are playing a growing role in supplying credit for headline-grabbing giga-projects while also rapidly expanding support for small and medium-sized enterprises, which are important vehicles for Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification and bring more women into the labour market. Thanks to well-organised roadmaps, most notably the…
Saudi Arabia is entering a new phase of its Vision 2030 agenda, with greater emphasis on consolidating and maximising the impact of economic reforms introduced over the past decade. Since the launch of Vision 2030, the Kingdom has pursued an ambitious agenda aimed at diversifying away from hydrocarbons, expanding private sector activity across the economy and positioning the Kingdom as a globally…
The ICT and artificial intelligence (AI) sectors have emerged as central pillars of the Kingdom’s economic transformation agenda, reflecting the growing strategic importance of digital infrastructure, advanced technologies and data-driven growth under Vision 2030. Public investment and regulatory reform as well as e-government initiatives over the last decade have laid the foundations for a rapidly…
The horizon for the industrial and mining sectors is defined by a transition from rapid, volume-based expansion to strategic consolidation and resilience. While the fourth Future Minerals Forum held in January 2025 demonstrated momentum – yielding SR107bn ($28.5bn) in deals, the Kingdom is actively recalibrating its approach to address emerging global trends. The trajectory faces pressure from elevated…
The Saudi energy industry is entering a period of change. Multiple gigawatts of renewable electricity are coming online each year, helping to replace oil in domestic power generation and lower the carbon intensity of the energy mix. Carbon capture, utilisation and storage supports emissions mitigation across the power and utilities sector as part of the Kingdom’s multi-pathway approach. Together,…
Saudi Arabia’s insurance sector has shown strong premium, revenue, asset and equity growth. With a new insurance law on the way as of January 2026, the sector continues to both widen and deepen. At the same time, Saudi Arabia is home to the world’s largest sharia-compliant insurance, or takaful (Islamic insurance) market. The Financial Sector Development Programme sets targets for further expansion…
The education and training sectors play a vital role in building a future workforce equipped to succeed in a knowledge-based, digital economy as the Kingdom pursues Vision 2030, the national programme for economic diversification. With the government’s strong focus on expanding access to quality education from early childhood to adult learning, Saudi Arabia is expected to build on gains made on…
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a national roadmap for economic diversification, remains the backbone of the country’s construction and real estate sectors. Under Vision 2030, ongoing giga-projects involve the building of entire new cities, large-scale residential housing developments, luxury resorts and restored heritage sites, ensuring a substantial pipeline of construction activity and real estate…
