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Saudi Arabia, South Korea sign deals worth $30bn during crown prince’s visit

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Updated 18 November 2022
Keith Park
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Saudi Arabia, South Korea sign deals worth $30bn during crown prince’s visit

  • Some 26 agreements signed, including on energy, NEOM
  • Korean president seeks to take bilateral relations to new level through Saudi Vision 2030
Updated 18 November 2022
Keith Park

SEOUL: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman held talks with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol in Seoul on Thursday, paving the way for multibillion-dollar bilateral cooperation in space technology, energy, infrastructure, and NEOM, the Kingdom’s giga-project.

The Saudi crown prince was on a two-day official visit to South Korea, arriving straight from the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia. He was accompanied by a high-profile delegation, including the ministers and heads of top government institutions related to investment and commerce.

The South Korean president said there were plans for more cooperation as it was time to “take the relationship to a new level through Saudi Vision 2030.”  

A strategic framework, Vision 2030 is an effort to pivot Saudi Arabia away from oil dependency and establish it as a global investment powerhouse with a sophisticated digital infrastructure. The Kingdom is estimated to have mobilized around $500 billion to achieve its goals, including the development of new cities.  

“In the future, Korea hopes to expand and develop cooperation in investment in new growth areas, and participation in megaprojects such as NEOM,” Yoon said in a press release after the meeting.

 

The presidential office said that in the field of energy the two leaders discussed projects related to hydrogen fuel, carbon capture technology, and small reactor development.

In the field of infrastructure, the talks covered the involvement of Korean companies in Vision 2030 projects, while in the field of defense they focused on cooperation in the development of hardware and software to strengthen Saudi security capabilities.

The two sides also agreed to develop the bilateral relationship into a “future-oriented strategic partnership,” and the Saudi crown prince said the Kingdom would seek to intensify coordination to boost its ambitions toward it.

“We look forward to raising the pace of investment coordination and strengthening the partnership between the public and private sectors,” the crown prince said, as quoted by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“We stress the importance of benefiting from the promising commercial and investment opportunities available for cooperation between our two countries.”

The visit coincided with the Korea-Saudi Investment Forum, in which 26 agreements were signed by Saudi companies and their Korean counterparts to cooperate on clean energy projects, transportation, housing, and construction in NEOM — the Saudi smart city project overseen by the crown prince.

The memoranda of understanding included a $7 billion plan by Saudi Aramco, the Kingdom’s state oil and energy company, to expand a petrochemicals refinery of its South Korean affiliate S-Oil Corp.

The project, Shaheen, is the biggest foreign investment into South Korea, said Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Lee Chang-yang during the forum.

He said: “It is a representative success story leading the low carbon and high value-added oil industry by utilizing the complementary energy and industrial structure of Korea and Saudi Arabia.”

The South Korean minister told the forum’s participants that the partnership between the two countries has opened a new horizon for expanding and developing into “global economic cooperation.”

Just weeks ahead of the investment forum, South Korea launched a council involving both government and private sectors to promote corporate advancement into the Middle East, especially Saudi Arabia.

The Kingdom and South Korea took a historic step in their relationship when the crown prince made his first official trip to Seoul in 2019.

Steady growth

According to an economic report issued by the Federation of Saudi Chambers, the Saudi-Korean Joint Committee and the Saudi-Korean Vision 2030 includes as many as 40 projects and initiatives across the targeted sectors.

The report also indicated steady growth in the volume of trade exchange between both countries which amounted to SR470 billion ($12.5 billion) over the past five years.

In 2021 alone, the volume of trade exchange hit SR100 billion, SR87 billion of which were exports to Korea and SR13 billion were Korean imports to the Kingdom.

Earlier, South Korea’s industry ministry said companies including Samsung C&T Corp. and POSCO Holdings Inc. had signed over 20 agreements with Saudi counterparts in fields such as energy cooperation, railways, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and gaming.

Saudi-based Asharq TV quoted the Kingdom’s investment minister as saying deals signed on Thursday were worth $30 billion. It also quoted the Saudi Venture Capital Company as saying it had agreed to establish seven specialized funds.

Among the agreements, Korea Electric Power Corp. and four other Korean firms signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to build and operate a hydrogen and ammonia production plant in the Kingdom, the company said.

The project will be worth about $6.5 billion, said a source with knowledge of the deal, who was not authorized to speak with media on the matter and declined to be named.

The plant is expected to produce 1.2 million tons of green hydrogen and ammonia annually, KEPCO said. It is to be built over 2025-2029 and operate for 20 years, the Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday, citing industry sources.

Another pact is Hyundai Rotem Co’s memorandum of understanding with Saudi Arabia to cooperate on a railway project for the Middle Eastern country’s $500 billion NEOM economic zone and smart city, the ministry said. It did not disclose the potential dollar amount of this agreement.

“The (South Korean) government will actively support the successful implementation of cooperative projects which apply Korea’s state-of-the-art architecture ... in NEOM,” said South Korea’s trade minister, Lee Chang-yang.

Hyundai Rotem shares rose 8.5 percent, versus a 1.1 percent drop in the wider market. Shares in Lotte Fine Chemical , which signed an agreement for chemical industry cooperation with the Saudi Ministry of Investment, rose 2.1 percent.

(With Reuters)

Topics: CP in South Korea Saudi Arabia South Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol

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Pakistan regulator unveils new measures to strengthen Shariah-compliant market intermediaries

Updated 20 May 2025
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Pakistan regulator unveils new measures to strengthen Shariah-compliant market intermediaries

  • SECP has outlined phased approach encouraging institutional investors to engage with Shariah-compliant brokers
  • Islamic financial institutions being urged to channel takaful, investment activities through specialized intermediaries
Updated 20 May 2025
Ismail Dilawar

KARACHI: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) is proposing new measures aimed at strengthening the presence and operations of Shariah-compliant intermediaries within the capital market, the regulator said in a statement this week.

Pakistan’s Federal Shariat Court (FSC) directed the government in April 2022 to eliminate interest and align the country’s entire banking system with Islamic principles by 2027. Following the order, the government and the State Bank have taken several measures ranging from changing laws to issuing sukuk bonds to replace interest-based treasury bills and investment bonds.

However, documents seen by Arab News earlier this year showed Pakistan’s government had failed to achieve a target set by the central bank to increase the share of Islamic banking deposits in the country by 50 percent by January this year.

“The paper proposes a phase-wise approach for Shariah-compliant institutional investors to route their business through Shariah-compliant brokers based on a plan to be prepared by their respective boards of directors,” the SECP said about the latest proposal. 

“The paper encourages Islamic financial institutions, including providers of Islamic window services, to utilize Shariah-compliant intermediaries for takaful and investment purposes in situations where they are not obligated to do so.”
 
Other proposed measures include creating a specific category for Shariah-compliant intermediaries for greater visibility on the Centralized Gateway Portal and a dedicated list of Shariah-compliant asset management companies on EMLAAK Financials, Pakistan’s first digital mutual fund aggregator. The platform brings together multiple Asset Management Companies (AMCs) and their mutual funds under one roof. It is a venture of ITMinds Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Central Depository Company of Pakistan (CDC).

In order to facilitate Roshan Digital Account (RDA) clients, creating a separate category of Shariah-compliant intermediaries on the websites and mobile apps of Islamic banks would also be explored in coordination with relevant stakeholders, the SECP said.

Topics: #pakistan Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan Federal Shariat Court

Saudi Arabia opens three sports facilities to private investment

Updated 19 May 2025
Nour El-Shaeri
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Saudi Arabia opens three sports facilities to private investment

Updated 19 May 2025
Nour El-Shaeri

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has unveiled a major initiative to open up key sports venues to private sector investment, signaling a significant step forward in the Kingdom’s efforts to transform the industry.

Announced by the Ministry of Sport, the Sports Facilities Investment Project offers private investors access to three of the nation’s premier sports complexes: King Abdullah Sports City and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City in Jeddah, and King Abdulaziz Sports City in Makkah.

Under the initiative, a range of five-year renewable contracts will be made available, the Saudi Press Agency reported. These include naming rights, leasing arrangements for non-match day use, and contracts to manage, operate, and maintain the venues.

The move supports Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s national strategy to diversify its economy and position the country as a global destination for sports, tourism, and entertainment.

With the 2034 FIFA World Cup on the horizon, the government is stepping up efforts to attract private capital into its burgeoning sports sector.

According to SPA, the initiative is part of “modern operational models that aim to raise facility efficiency, improve service quality, broaden commercial opportunities, and enhance the fan experience.”

Saudi Arabia’s sports industry is currently valued at $8 billion and is projected to grow to $22.4 billion by 2030, fueled by investments in sports clubs, academies, facilities, and equipment.

The government has already identified 20 high-priority investment opportunities within the sector, with a combined potential value of up to $20 billion.

Hosting the 2034 World Cup is expected to further accelerate this growth, with forecasts indicating over 10 million international visitors, 1.5 million new jobs, and an economic boost of $9 billion to $14 billion to the national GDP. The tournament will be staged across 15 stadiums in cities including Riyadh, Jeddah, Alkhobar, Abha, and the futuristic city of NEOM.

Interested investors are encouraged to submit proposals via the government’s “Furas” investment portal during the designated application period.

Officials described the project as a strategic gateway into one of the Kingdom’s most dynamic and fast-growing industries.

Topics: Investment private sector

PIF convenes 1,000 global executives in Riyadh to shape next phase of governance

Updated 19 May 2025
MOHAMMED AL-KINANI
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PIF convenes 1,000 global executives in Riyadh to shape next phase of governance

  • Discussions centered around redefining board impact in the national transformation
  • The Directors’ Gathering, launched in 2023, is a key pillar of PIF’s corporate excellence agenda
Updated 19 May 2025
MOHAMMED AL-KINANI

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund gathered over 1,000 top executives in Riyadh for its second Directors’ Gathering, unveiling new governance priorities amid rapid portfolio expansion. 

The event, which brought together representatives from approximately 220 portfolio firms — including over 100 established by PIF itself — focused on enhancing board performance, aligning strategic priorities, and promoting cross-sector synergies to deepen collaboration across the fund’s growing portfolio. 

Discussions were centered around redefining board impact in the context of national transformation, strengthening oversight in a changing risk landscape, and navigating new governance challenges posed by artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, according to a press release. 

The event comes as PIF accelerates its dual mandate of advancing Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification and generating long-term global returns. Since its 2015 transformation, the fund has grown into a globally influential investor, managing $941.3 billion in assets in 2024 and playing a key role in Vision 2030. 

Speaking to the delegates, PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, highlighted PIF’s vision and that the roles of boards include three main priorities: brainstorming and setting strategy, ensuring the right governance frameworks are in place for management, and monitoring performance, with a view to the ever-changing macro-economic context and evolving innovations. 

“He stressed that this could transform challenges into opportunities to lead, grow and innovate,” the release added. 

Al-Rumayyan also urged directors to view PIF and its 220 companies as a unified ecosystem, emphasizing the importance of leveraging the group’s collective capabilities. He added that collaboration should be considered the primary measure of success. 

The Directors’ Gathering, launched in 2023, is a key pillar of PIF’s corporate excellence agenda and serves as a platform for knowledge exchange and governance development not only within its portfolio but across Saudi Arabia’s business ecosystem. 

PIF was ranked as the world’s second most active sovereign investor by deal value in February, committing $3 billion in global transactions, according to Global SWF, a data platform tracking sovereign wealth fund activity. 

In a fireside chat titled “Aligning the Economic Vision,” Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Al-Ibrahim, who also sits on the the sovereign wealth fund’s board, said the existence of PIF portfolio companies and the related ecosystem is in itself a form of resilience, according to a post on the fund’s official X account. 

Al-Ibrahim added: “We are transforming our economy and restructuring the Saudi economy to create more engines of growth, more drivers of progress, and a diversified set of growth sources.”   

In another fireside chat titled “Evolving Investment Strategy,” Head of the Global Capital Finance Division and Head of the Investment Strategy and Economic Insights Division at PIF, Fahad Al-Saif, said the fund is responsible for investing in assets that generate maximum economic impact for Saudi Arabia while also maximizing financial returns for the fund. 

“This is done within a robust framework, across duration for us to become a generational fund in the future,” he said in another X post by PIF. 

Topics: Saudi PIF Public Investment Fund (PIF)

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Closing Bell: Saudi indices close in red at 11,405 

Updated 19 May 2025
Nour El-Shaeri
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Closing Bell: Saudi indices close in red at 11,405 

  • Parallel market Nomu dropped 155.91 points to close at 27,499.65
  • MSCI Tadawul Index decreased by 1.62 points to end at 1,454.93
Updated 19 May 2025
Nour El-Shaeri

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index decreased on Monday, losing 33.66 points, or 0.29 percent, to close at 11,405.28.     

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR4.8 billion ($1.2 billion), as 50 stocks advanced and 191 retreated.     

The Kingdom’s parallel market, Nomu, dropped 155.91 points, or 0.56 percent, to close at 27,499.65. This comes as 27 of the listed stocks advanced while 47 retreated.     

The MSCI Tadawul Index also decreased by 1.62 points, or 0.11 percent, to close at 1,454.93.      

TASI’s top performer was Al-Baha Investment and Development Co., which surged by 6.74 percent to reach SR3.96.    

Other top performers included Saudi Printing and Packaging Co., which gained 5.14 percent to close at SR11.86, and the National Co. for Learning and Education, which rose 4.82 percent to SR156.60.  

Fawaz Abdulaziz Alhokair Co. was also among the top performers, increasing 4.40 percent to SR17.54.     

Middle East Specialized Cables Co. saw the steepest decline, with its share price easing 5.83 percent to SR31.50. 

National Gas and Industrialization Co. also saw its stock prices decline 4.71 percent to SR76.80. United Electronics Co. also dropped to SR85.90, a 4.66 percent decrease.    

Alinma Bank announced plans to issue US dollar-denominated sustainable additional Tier 1 capital certificates, following a board resolution passed on May 5, 2025, authorizing the CEO to execute the process. 

The issuance, conducted through a special purpose vehicle, will target eligible investors in Saudi Arabia and abroad. It aims to bolster the bank’s Tier 1 capital and support general banking activities.  

The final size and terms will depend on market conditions, with the transaction subject to regulatory approvals and applicable legal requirements. 

Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank PJSC, Alinma Capital, and Emirates NBD Bank PJSC have been appointed as joint lead managers for the offer. Goldman Sachs International, J.P. Morgan Securities plc, and Standard Chartered Bank will also serve in the same capacity. 

Alinma’s share price dropped 1.97 percent to settle at SR27.40.  

Separately, Saudi Ground Services Co. signed a Shariah-compliant banking facility agreement with Banque Saudi Fransi for up to SR300 million. 

Dated May 15, the flexible credit line allows the company to draw funds as needed to meet working capital requirements. 

The facility is valid through April 30, 2026, with an option to renew for one year, and is secured by a promissory note. 

Saudi Ground Services said the facility aims to boost liquidity, support working capital needs, and back its strategic growth plans. 

SGS saw a 1.03 percent drop in its share price to settle at SR48.20.  

Topics: TASI NOMU MSCI

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Saudi Arabia’s PIF expands global footprint with new Paris office 

Updated 19 May 2025
Miguel Hadchity
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Saudi Arabia’s PIF expands global footprint with new Paris office 

  • PIF invested $84.7 billion across Europe between 2017 and 2024
  • French President Emmanuel Macron and PIF Gov. Yasir Al-Rumayyan will headline the opening ceremony
Updated 19 May 2025
Miguel Hadchity

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is expanding its global presence with a new subsidiary company office in Paris.  

The Paris office marks the Public Investment Fund’s latest effort to deepen ties in Europe, following previous openings in New York, London, Hong Kong, and Beijing, underscoring the fund’s commitment to strengthening its presence in key international markets. 

This comes as PIF invested $84.7 billion across Europe between 2017 and 2024, contributing $52 billion to the continent’s gross domestic product and generating over 254,000 direct and indirect jobs. In France alone, its investments totaled $8.6 billion, adding $4.8 billion to GDP and creating 29,000 jobs. 

“PIF is an active, long-term investor in the world’s most innovative and transformational industries, businesses, and markets. This new office will enable PIF to further strengthen its partnerships in the region,” the fund said in a release. 

French President Emmanuel Macron and PIF Gov. Yasir Al-Rumayyan will headline the opening ceremony of the fund’s Paris office, coinciding with the “Choose France” summit that began on May 19 in the capital. 

The event will also draw senior officials and leading business figures, underscoring the strategic significance of PIF’s investment in France.

The 8th edition of the “Choose France” summit, held at the Palace of Versailles, is expected to secure €20 billion ($22.47 billion) in commitments across key sectors such as defense, energy, and industry, surpassing last year’s €15 billion, according to Reuters.

Ahead of the 2025 summit, €17 billion in projects were already pledged, including a €6.4 billion data center investment by US logistics firm Prologis and €1 billion from fintech Revolut for expansion.  

Other major announcements are expected from Amazon, UAE’s MGX, and rare earth firm Less Common Metals, alongside a €100 million drone factory by Portugal’s Tekever, Reuters reported. 

The PIF Tower in the King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh stands as the tallest building. International High-Rise Award 2022/23

According to UN Trade and Development, France retained its top spot in 2024 for the sixth consecutive year, attracting 1,025 projects despite a 14 percent decline. It remained ahead of the UK with 853 projects and Germany with 608. France captured 19 percent of all foreign investment into Europe, slightly above its 18.7 percent share in 2019 — highlighting its continued appeal to investors despite global economic uncertainty.

“The addition of Paris also aligns with PIF’s strategy to drive global economies and lead the economic transformation of Saudi Arabia,” the fund added in the release. 

Since 2017, PIF has backed around 220 portfolio companies and supported the creation of 103 new firms, contributing to global economic activity and employment. The fund has generated over 1.1 million jobs worldwide and maintains a focus on forming strategic partnerships with innovative players across sectors.  

In February, the PIF ranked as the world’s second most active sovereign investor by deal value, committing $3 billion in global transactions.  

Global SWF, a data platform tracking activity in the sector, reported that the Kingdom’s PIF emerged as the most active sovereign wealth fund, completing three overseas deals through its portfolio companies. 

Topics: PIF France Public Investment Fund (PIF)

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