Saudi health teams invited to Moscow lab to assess Russia’s new coronavirus vaccine

Direct Investment Fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev attends a panel discussion as part of the Artificial Intelligence Journey (AIJ) forum, in Moscow on November 9, 2019. (File/AFP)
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Updated 15 August 2020
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Saudi health teams invited to Moscow lab to assess Russia’s new coronavirus vaccine

  • In an exclusive interview with Arab News, CEO Kirill Dmitriev explained the reason for the rapid registration of the vaccine, and why he thinks the West has been less than welcoming to this potential breakthrough against the pandemic

DUBAI: Last week, Russia surprised the world by announcing that it had developed and authorized production of a vaccine — Sputnik V — to combat COVID-19. Many experts and media commentators criticized the Russians for being quick to claim credit for the first vaccine at the expense of sufficient testing, specifically phase 3 testing on humans.

The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) played a key role in developing Sputnik V. In an exclusive interview with Arab News, CEO Kirill Dmitriev explained the reason for the rapid registration of the vaccine, and why he thinks the West has been less than welcoming to this potential breakthrough against the pandemic.

AN: Have you been surprised by the reaction in some parts of the international media?

KD: We understood that the world would be divided. There has been a division between ordinary people who want the vaccine and who understand it’s good news in all countries. And also some politicians, some pharma companies and some media, there’s a division there.

Then there’s a division between countries. We’ve seen a very negative, I’d call it very jealous reaction in the US, the UK and some other places in Europe. But we’ve seen very positive reaction in the Middle East, in Asia, and extremely positive reaction in Latin America. I think the reaction is different in those geographies, and we were expecting this.

I think it’s very important to understand the position of Russia. We aren’t forcing our vaccine on anyone. As of now only Russians will be vaccinated, but we just want to share the fact we have this technology. There are some unique features. Maybe I can go into why we did it, how we did it so quickly and the science behind it.

We saw that some countries would want to explore it, would want to do it. But other countries, just because it’s Russian they have a mental block on anything that’s Russian. I have this analogy: If we were to offer to distribute water to the US, we’d get articles in the media that maybe it’s poisoned, or the recipe is stolen, or maybe it has some vodka in it.

AN: But some of the scientific criticism focused on the very rapid development of Sputnik V and lack of data.

KD: Some of the points are legitimate, and they’ll be answered by data we publish in August. In all the criticism, there’s a valid point about making data available, and I wish we could’ve done it earlier. But data will start to become available at the end of August, and it will be published — data about phase 1, phase 2, animal studies etc. And we’ve already started doing phase 3. So more data will be coming out, and it’s a fair criticism.

We know the technology works, and let me go into what’s unique about it. Russia has always been very strong in vaccines. Catherine the Great was vaccinated 30 years before the first American vaccine appeared — 1762 I think it was . And the Soviet Union was always strong in vaccines.

On this specific vaccine, basically our scientists had a head start. They were working on the Ebola vaccine, which got approved, then they used the same method — human adenovirus vector — on the MERS vaccine. When coronavirus appeared, they just happened to have this proven platform. MERS is very close to coronavirus, and they were able to use an already proven and researched platform. 

This adenovirus vector stuff is basically the human adenovirus vector. It has been studied in the world the last 20 years. There have been dozens of studies, tens of thousands of people, and it has been proven that human adenovirus is safe and doesn’t have long-term consequences.

It’s very different from mRNA, very different from monkey adenovirus, which haven’t been studied for 20 years and haven’t been the subject of dozens of clinical studies. Frankly they’re novel approaches, and we hope they work, but they’re much less studied approaches. So the fact we had this proven platform allowed us to move forward.

AN: Why not wait until the end of August to announce it when all the data could be made available?

KD: There’s an ethical responsibility that once you have a technology that you know works, to make it available to people in a safe manner. It’s irresponsible to delay something that you know works and then deny it to people who need protection.

We want all countries to do all the necessary checks. Our Ministry of Health has done it for Russia, and they determined that the vaccine is safe and efficient. And when they determined that, they wanted to make it available to Russian people right away. People are dying from coronavirus and we want to protect them. There was a clinical and human need.

AN: What about the lack of phase 3 tests?

KD: We have a law in Russia that at a time of epidemic you’re allowed to do phase 3 concurrently while administering the vaccine to people. Basically it’s invoked only for technologies that’ve been proven to be safe before.

So if we were to try to use mRNA or monkey adenovirus, it has never been shown to be effective before, and we’d never have done it without phase 3. But we have the vaccine already approved, based on Ebola, so we have data for the last six years and the world has data for the last 20 years of studying human adenovirus vectors.

Let me try to explain it very simply. You can think of vaccines as just coming in two parts. You have a code for the spike of coronavirus that needs to be delivered to cells so that antibodies get produced. Pretty much all the vaccines, simplified, more or less, have the same spike.

So the only thing that matters and is different is the delivery mechanism. Our delivery mechanisms are based on human adenovirus, which has been proven before to be safe long term. There have been studies for example that show it doesn’t cause cancer, over the past 20 years.

So we used technology safe and proven before to deliver the spike of coronavirus. So once you understand the science, you basically say, ‘OK, what could go wrong?’ Most of the problems that could go wrong come from the delivery mechanism.

For example, AstraZeneca (the multinational pharmaceutical group also working on a vaccine) uses monkey adenovirus, which has never been studied long term in the human population. So that’s very different, which the West is missing. mRNA (an alternative vaccine technique under development in the West) had never been studied before.

So it shows that the stuff that was approved in Russia, safe and chosen before, just delivers a spike of coronavirus. 

AN: Can you tell me more about the agreement you have with Saudi Arabia to do tests there?

KD: We have an agreement in principle to have clinical trials in Saudi Arabia. We’ll have a visit by the Saudi Health Ministry to the Gamaleya Institute, which is part of the process. We already have a partner in the Kingdom, a very good Saudi company. I shouldn’t name them. It’s an experienced pharma company that’s working with us, and we’ve already shared phase 1 and 2 data with our Saudi partners.

We believe in a real strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia on the vaccine. We know that lots of countries look up to the Saudi position and their approach, and we’ll really engage with Saudi scientists, the Saudi Health Ministry, in the very deep understanding of our technology. We believe that Saudi will be a very strong partner for our joint work on the Sputnik V vaccine.

We’ve also shared data with the UAE. We expect to start trials there in August.

We expect to have clinical trials in Saudi, the UAE, the Philippines and Brazil, as well as Russia.

AN: So you have your vaccine. Do you care whether the rest of the world takes it up or not?

KD: Of course, our priority is the safety and security of our people, and we have a safe vaccine. Vaccinating our people will start massively in October. If it’s just Russia that gets vaccinated, it’s a great accomplishment because we gave the vaccine earlier and saved more lives. It’s very important to save our people.

Our other responsibility is to share with the world, openly, what we have and what we know works. It’s up to individual countries to explore it. If they want to take it or not take it, we won’t care so much because we aren’t going to do this for profit.

It’s on a not-for-profit basis, just to cover our expenses on the vaccine and cover our costs. This isn’t a money maker. It’s a humanitarian initiative. It’s our responsibility to tell the world we have it, this is how it works, and you have Sputnik V that has all the information, and more will be published. With that, we feel our responsibility to the world is complete.

We have requests already for 1 billion doses of vaccine. It’s huge. If other people show interest, it’s our responsibility to make it available, then we’ll work with five other countries to produce the vaccine and make sure we distribute it to countries that want it.

We aren’t trying to convince the US. We aren’t trying to convince Europe. We fulfilled our responsibility by developing it, vaccinating Russian people, letting other people know we have it, and letting countries that want it manufacture it in partnership with them.

We’re trying to do as much as we can without forcing this on anybody or trying to convince anybody.

AN: How much will it cost per dose?

KD: We’ll be able to talk about that in September or October because we’re scaling up manufacturing outside Russia and we want to get to the lowest price point, and we need to get to manufacturing in scale. We need a couple more months to do this.

All I can say now is that pricing will be very competitive. From some other estimates we saw from other people, we expect our pricing will be lower than we saw others circulate.


Saudi Arabia raises $628m in June sukuk offering

Updated 24 June 2025
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Saudi Arabia raises $628m in June sukuk offering

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s National Debt Management Center has completed its June issuance under the government’s riyal-denominated sukuk program, raising SR2.355 billion ($628 million).

The figure marks a decline of 42 percent from May’s SR4.08 billion, which was the highest monthly total recorded this year. The drop reflects typical fluctuations in the government’s monthly funding activity.

The June offering was divided into five tranches. The first amounted to SR25 million and will mature in 2027. The second, totaling SR1.175 billion, will mature in 2029. The third tranche stood at SR500 million and is set to mature in 2032. The fourth was SR5 million, maturing in 2036, while the fifth and final tranche reached SR650 million, due in 2039.

Sukuk, which are structured to comply with Islamic finance principles, offer investors returns generated from tangible assets or projects, rather than traditional interest payments. These instruments continue to attract strong demand from investors seeking stable, Shariah-compliant returns.

Despite the month-on-month decline, the latest issuance underscores Saudi Arabia’s efforts to diversify its funding base and develop the domestic debt market.

The NDMC has maintained a steady pace of monthly issuances this year, including SR3.72 billion in January, SR3.07 billion in February, SR2.64 billion in March, and SR4.08 billion in May.

Saudi Arabia continues to lead the Gulf Cooperation Council in sukuk and bond activity. In the first quarter of 2025, the Kingdom accounted for more than 60 percent of all primary debt issuances in the region, raising $31.01 billion from 41 offerings, according to the Kuwait Financial Center, known as Markaz.

In a broader outlook, S&P Global has highlighted Saudi Arabia’s expanding non-oil economy and strong sukuk activity as key drivers for growth in global Islamic finance.

The agency forecasts total sukuk issuance could reach between $190 billion and $200 billion in 2025, with up to $80 billion in foreign-currency issuances, assuming stable market conditions.

Looking ahead, Kamco Invest projects that Saudi Arabia will lead the GCC in bond maturities over the next five years. Between 2025 and 2029, about $168 billion in Saudi bonds are expected to mature, underscoring the Kingdom’s prominent role in the region’s debt landscape.


Closing Bell: TASI rises 2.37% to close at 10,964 

Updated 24 June 2025
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Closing Bell: TASI rises 2.37% to close at 10,964 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index rose 254.04 points, or 2.37 percent, to close at 10,964.28 on Tuesday. 

Total trading turnover reached SR8.48 billion ($2.26 billion), with 248 stocks posting gains and five declining. 

The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu also recorded an increase, gaining 492.72 points, or 1.87 percent, to settle at 26,850.79, as 73 stocks advanced and 22 retreated.

The MSCI Tadawul 30 Index, meanwhile, gained 29.06 points, or 2.11 percent, to finish at 1,406.69. 

Red Sea International Co. was the best-performing stock of the session, with its share price rising 9.97 percent to SR42.45. Salama Cooperative Insurance Co. followed with a 9.92 percent increase to SR13.52. 

Other gainers included Saudi Cable Co., which rose to a fresh year high on Tuesday, closing at SR147.20 with a 6.05 percent increase. 

On the losing side, SABIC Agri-Nutrients Co. saw the steepest decline, falling 4.58 percent to SR104.2. Saudi Arabian Oil Co. dropped 1.62 percent to SR24.34, and Taleem REIT Fund declined 0.85 percent to SR9.30. 

Dar Al Arkan Real Estate Development Co. announced its intention to issue a dollar-denominated, fixed-rate, Shariah-compliant sukuk under Regulation S, as it seeks to broaden its funding base and support general corporate purposes. 

The Riyadh-based property developer has appointed a consortium of regional and international banks to act as joint lead managers and bookrunners for the issuance. 

These include Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, and Alkhair Capital, as well as Al Rayan Investment and Arqaam Capital. Other participants are Bank ABC, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD Capital, and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

The list also features J.P. Morgan, Mashreq, and Sharjah Islamic Bank, as well as Standard Chartered Bank, and Warba Bank. 

The appointed banks will arrange a series of fixed income investor calls starting June 24, ahead of the planned sukuk offering in global capital markets. 

The transaction remains subject to market conditions and regulatory approvals, including compliance with Financial Conduct Authority and International Capital Market Association stabilization rules. 

The offering is classified as a benchmark senior unsecured sukuk under Regulation S, which allows for international placement with institutional investors. The value of the sukuk will be determined based on market conditions at the time of issuance. 

According to the company’s statement on Tadawul, the proceeds from the issuance will be used for general corporate purposes. The board of directors approved the sukuk issuance on May 29. 

Dar Al Arkan’s share price closed the session 2.70 percent higher to reach SR19. 


Oman’s sovereign fund nets $4.1bn profit with disciplined, future-focused strategy: Report

Updated 24 June 2025
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Oman’s sovereign fund nets $4.1bn profit with disciplined, future-focused strategy: Report

  • OIA ranked 35th globally by assets under management among sovereign wealth funds
  • Around 61.3% of its portfolio is invested locally

RIYADH: Oman’s sovereign wealth fund posted a record profit of 1.59 billion Omani rials ($4.1 billion) in 2024 and grew its assets above 20 billion rials, Global SWF reported.

The additional revenue enabled the Oman Investment Authority to transfer 800 million rials into the national budget, according to the report, providing a vital fiscal cushion and underscoring the fund’s expanding dual role as both an economic engine and a diplomatic asset.

Beyond headline profits, OIA is executing a strategic shift, prioritizing domestic investments to generate local value while forming global partnerships to secure future-ready capabilities in areas such as artificial intelligence, clean energy, logistics, and manufacturing.

Ranked 35th globally by assets under management among sovereign wealth funds, the OIA is increasingly being viewed as a nimble but ambitious player.

According to Global SWF, its disciplined portfolio strategy, increased transparency, and joint fund architecture are transforming the fund into a networked sovereign investor with a growing international footprint.

At home, OIA’s economic impact is significant. Around 61.3 percent of its portfolio is invested locally, mainly through its National Development Fund, which exceeded its 2024 target by deploying 2.1 billion riyals in strategic projects, according to Global SWF.

These include infrastructure ventures such as the Duqm Refinery, new mining operations in Lasil and Al Baydha, and solar energy plants in Manah.

Over the past year, the fund has inked a $300 million joint investment platform with Algeria and expanded its Vietnam-Oman Investment Fund. 

These investments signal a shift in Gulf sovereign wealth funds— from passive holdings to active, technology-driven deal-making aligned with national objectives.

In parallel, OIA has launched the Future Fund Oman with an allocation of $5.2 billion, targeting large-scale domestic projects, small and medium-sized enterprises, and startups, according to a separate May report by Global SWF.

In its first year, the fund approved over $2 billion in deals, with 75 percent of capital coming from foreign investors, underlining investor confidence in Oman’s diversification agenda.

Investing for Vision 2040

OIA’s 2024 performance also reflected its focus on human capital and job creation, with nearly 1,400 new roles generated and the Omanization rate across OIA-linked entities reaching 77.7 percent.

Through programs like Jadarah, Nomou, and Eidaad, the fund is aligning education, training, and employment with Vision 2040’s long-term growth objectives.

Meanwhile, the fund is moving from asset accumulation toward strategic exits. Since 2022, it has divested 19 assets, including three major IPOs: Abraj Energy Services, OQ Gas Networks, and Pearl REIF— raising over $2.5 billion, according to the release.

The October listing of 25 percent of OQ Exploration & Production marked Oman’s largest-ever IPO, signaling deepening liquidity in Muscat’s capital markets, according to the Global SWF May report.

OIA’s roadmap includes 30 more divestments through 2029 across sectors, including logistics, utilities, and aquaculture, aiming to crowd in private capital and raise governance standards. These IPOs are structural tools to deepen Oman’s market while supporting the transition to a knowledge-based economy.

Global investment, local value

Even as it expands abroad, OIA insists every foreign investment must deliver back home— whether in skills, supply chain resilience, or technology transfer. Recent deals illustrate this ethos.

In the US, OIA invested in Tidal Vision, a company developing climate-smart biopolymers. In Singapore, it joined a $100 million venture capital fund with Golden Gate Ventures and helped establish a Muscat-based venture office to incubate deep-tech startups.

In one of its most high-profile moves, OIA took a stake in Elon Musk’s xAI, joining fellow Gulf players like Saudi’s Kingdom Holding and Qatar Investment Authority.

The move links Omani capital to frontier technology while reinforcing the fund’s mandate to back high-potential sectors shaping the global economy.

The OIA’s operational discipline has not gone unnoticed. Since 2021, it has reduced its subsidiary debt by nearly $5.6 billion, standing at $23.92 billion as of the end of the third quarter of 2024. It also refused to issue any new government guarantees last year, according to Global SWF, boosting investor confidence. Ratings agency S&P cited OIA’s reforms and transparency in reaffirming Oman’s BBB- rating with a positive outlook.


Mawani names Al-Mazroua as new president

Updated 24 June 2025
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Mawani names Al-Mazroua as new president

JEDDAH: Saudi Ports Authority has appointed Suliman bin Khalid Al-Mazroua as its new president, effective June 29, as part of its push to strengthen leadership and advance key strategic goals.

Al-Mazroua succeeds Mazen bin Ahmed Al-Turki, who had been serving as acting president and played a key role in several initiatives aimed at developing logistics zones and parks across the Kingdom.

Al-Turki’s most recent contribution included overseeing the signing of a series of new build-operate-transfer contracts valued at more than SR2.2 billion ($586.6 million) to develop multi-purpose cargo terminals at eight Saudi ports.

The appointment of Al-Mazroua, announced by Mawani’s board of directors, underscores the authority’s commitment to supporting the National Transport and Logistics Strategy and Saudi Vision 2030. Both initiatives aim to position the Kingdom as a global logistics hub and a leading industrial power.

In a post on his X account, Al-Mazroua expressed his appreciation for the board’s trust and pledged to further the authority’s strategic goals.

“I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to His Excellency the Minister of Transport and Logistics Services and Chairman of the Board of the Saudi Ports Authority, Eng. Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, as well as to their Excellencies and distinguished members of the board for this generous trust,” he said.

Al-Mazroua  added: “I pray to God for success in serving our blessed country and fulfilling the aspirations of our visionary leadership. I am also very pleased to work alongside my colleagues at the Saudi Ports Authority.”

In a statement, the authority said that Al-Mazroua “affirmed his commitment to advancing Mawani’s strategic objectives and enhancing its performance in line with its development plans and transformation programs.”

Before assuming his new role, Al-Mazroua served as CEO of the National Industrial Development and Logistics Program, where he played a key role in driving economic diversification and enhancing infrastructure in key sectors, including industry, mining, energy, and logistics.

“He also played a key role in stimulating investment in these sectors with the aim of increasing their contribution to the Kingdom’s gross domestic product, promoting innovation, enhancing local content, and advancing the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” the statement added.

With more than two decades of professional experience, Al-Mazroua has held several senior leadership positions, including at Saudi Aramco from 2001 to 2017.

Over the years, he progressed from technical roles to executive leadership, contributing to the establishment of research and development centers, strengthening cybersecurity frameworks, and advancing health care sector initiatives.

He also worked at US-based Aruba Networks from November 2006 to July 2007 and previously served as a quality assurance engineer at California-based Caspian Networks.

In addition, Al-Mazroua led the National Transformation Program and the Delivery and Rapid Intervention Center, where he contributed to planning, monitoring, and accelerating the implementation of development initiatives in support of Vision 2030.

He is also a member of several boards, including the Center for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Saudi Arabia and Marafiq Co.


Saudi Arabia, Bahrain launch 2nd phase of industrial integration 

Updated 24 June 2025
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Saudi Arabia, Bahrain launch 2nd phase of industrial integration 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have launched the second phase of their industrial integration initiative, aiming to boost bilateral trade, investment, and cross-border supply chain cooperation. 

Announced on the sidelines of the Saudi Industry Forum 2025 in Dhahran, Khalil Ibn Salamah, the Kingdom’s deputy minister for industrial affairs, emphasized that the new phase would build on prior successes between the two countries. 

This comes amid strengthening economic ties between the countries, with the Saudi Arabia’s direct investments in Bahrain reaching SR35 billion ($9.33 billion) in 2023 — representing approximately 20 percent of total foreign investments — and 1,550 Saudi-registered companies operating in the country, as revealed by the Kingdom’s Minister of Investment, Khalid Al-Falih, during a business forum earlier this year. 

In an official statement marking the latest announcement, the Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources stated: “The second phase of industrial integration between the two countries focused on setting specific targets, including enhancing intra-trade in industrial goods, attracting industrial investments.” 

It added that this will help “integration in the field of industrial infrastructure and supply chain integration,” as well as identifying a list of export opportunities for non-oil goods and facilitating procedures for exporters and investors. 

The initiative is part of broader efforts under the Gulf Cooperation Council Economic Agreement, which aims to increase the industrial sector’s contribution to regional GDP and foster industrial coordination among member states “on an integrated basis,” according to the ministry. 

The second phase builds on earlier efforts, including the Future Factories Program, which helped shift production in both countries from labor-intensive to advanced manufacturing, along with aligning policies to treat local products as national goods and streamline customs processes. 

As part of the second-phase launch, Ibn Salamah inaugurated the Bahraini Investors Services Office in Dammam’s Third Industrial City. The event was attended by Bahrain’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Abdullah bin Adel Fakhro. 

“The office aims to attract quality industrial investments and provide all industrial investment services to investors,” the ministry noted. 

Positioned strategically near Bahrain, approximately 130 km away, Dammam’s Third Industrial City offers a robust industrial ecosystem. 

Spanning 48 million sq. meters, the site features extensive infrastructure including a modern road network, energy and water supply systems, and logistical connectivity through its proximity to King Fahd Port, King Fahd International Airport, and the dry port in the city of SPARK. 

The Saudi Industry Forum also highlighted how the new office will offer a “package of services and enablers from the industrial and mining system to facilitate the journey of Bahraini investors,” further underscoring both countries’ commitment to deepening industrial and economic ties.