Trade & Investment
From The Report: Saudi Arabia 2020
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The revenue raised from outgoing shipments of oil fund the government’s social and infrastructural programmes, and are therefore central to the Kingdom’s economy. The onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in the first quarter of 2020 has slowed economic activity and reduced investor sentiment around the world, thus its effect on the Kingdom’s trading activity and inward investment is yet to be seen. However, the process of legislative and regulatory reform that has altered the nation’s trading and investment landscape in recent years is expected to continue to long-term benefit. The government’s goal, according to Vision 2030, is to rank within the top-20 countries on the World Bank’s ease of doing business index – a feat that will require additional revision and innovation in the decade to come.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Global partnerships: Government support for economic diversification is set to substantially increase opportunities for investment
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As one of the world’s biggest oil exporters, Saudi Arabia’s trade links are well established and have a global reach. The revenue raised from outgoing shipments of this resource fund the government’s social and infrastructural programmes, and are therefore central to the Kingdom’s economy. Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports, however, are considerably smaller than its non-oil imports, and reducing the non-oil trade deficit is a central pillar of Saudi Vision 2030, the strategic blueprint…

Analysis

Improved inflows: New initiatives are enhancing the appeal of the Kingdom to international investors
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The effort to enhance the Kingdom’s competitiveness as a destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) is taking place across a wide front. However, three initiatives in particular have caught the attention of the global investment community during 2019. Increased Visibility In October 2019 Saudi Arabia staged its third large-scale global investment conference. Established in 2017, the Future Investment Initiative is an annual gathering of global leaders, investors and innovators. The…

Analysis

Worldwide ambitions: The Kingdom has been rapidly increasing its business footprint overseas through a variety of investments
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Saudi Arabia has been dramatically increasing the volume of investment outside of its borders in line with economic development goals. The Kingdom’s investments abroad have increased almost threefold in recent years, rising from $7.3bn in 2017 to $21.2bn in 2018, according to the “World Investment Report 2019”, published by the UN Conference on Trade and Development. These funds have been concentrated in technology, finance and infrastructure-related activities, and included a $1bn…