Saudi-Turkish Trade Summit Set for Istanbul in October

A ferry crosses the Bosphorus on a cloudy morning a day after heavy rains in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (AP)
A ferry crosses the Bosphorus on a cloudy morning a day after heavy rains in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (AP)
TT

Saudi-Turkish Trade Summit Set for Istanbul in October

A ferry crosses the Bosphorus on a cloudy morning a day after heavy rains in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (AP)
A ferry crosses the Bosphorus on a cloudy morning a day after heavy rains in Istanbul, Türkiye, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. (AP)

The Türkiye Exporters Assembly, in coordination with the Turkish Ministry of Commerce, is organizing a Saudi-Turkish trade summit scheduled to take place on October 8-12.

The summit will feature the participation of 70 members from Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Chamber of Commerce.

Deputy Chairman of the Assembly Ahmet Gulec has invited Turkish exporters to actively engage in this trade summit.

He highlighted that a delegation from the Assembly, representing 43 companies operating in various sectors such as food, non-ferrous metals, textiles, ready-made garments, chemicals, and furniture, had accompanied Turkish Minister of Commerce, Omer Bolat, during his visit to Riyadh in July 2022.

Bolat held meetings with 150 Saudi businessmen during his visit.

He also met with the Kingdom’s Commerce Minister Majid Al-Qasabi, Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih, Municipal and Rural Affairs and Housing Minister Majid Al-Hogail, and Industry and Mineral Wealth Minister Bandar AlKhorayef.

During a visit to Türkiye last month, Al-Hogail met with Bolat and held several other meetings with Turkish ministers and officials.

The Assembly, in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce, arranged visits to four different trade bodies in Riyadh, Al-Hogail said.

A delegation of Turkish businessmen had visited Riyadh on September 11-14, holding meetings with Saudi officials with the aim of enhancing bilateral trade. Multiple cooperation agreements were signed between the two parties.

In a statement on Saturday, the Assembly disclosed a fourfold increase in Turkish exports to Saudi Arabia in the past eight months compared to the same period last year, reaching a total of $1.6 billion.



Saudi Digital Payments Market Attracts Global Investments

Visitors to the Fintech 24 Conference in Riyadh (Photo: Turki Al-Aqili)
Visitors to the Fintech 24 Conference in Riyadh (Photo: Turki Al-Aqili)
TT

Saudi Digital Payments Market Attracts Global Investments

Visitors to the Fintech 24 Conference in Riyadh (Photo: Turki Al-Aqili)
Visitors to the Fintech 24 Conference in Riyadh (Photo: Turki Al-Aqili)

Saudi Arabia is pushing to increase digital payments to 70% by 2030, creating significant opportunities for global companies to expand in the region.
According to the Saudi Central Bank, electronic payments in the retail sector grew by 12% in 2023, reaching 70% of total transactions. Cashless transactions hit 10.8 billion, up from 8.7 billion in 2022, driving international companies to establish regional headquarters and capitalize on this growing market.
Nouf Al-Salama, Business Development Manager at PayerMax, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the company has opened a regional office in Saudi Arabia to strengthen its presence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
She noted that the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries are expected to experience rapid growth in e-commerce, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE leading the change. According to CNNB Solutions, both countries are seeing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 39% and 38%, respectively.
Federico Pienovi, Head of Commercial Operations for Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania at Argentine company Globant, revealed the company’s ambitions to generate $1 billion in revenue in the Saudi market over the next five years.
He said that Saudi Arabia has been selected as Globant’s regional headquarters, although the company is expanding across the region. With these ambitions, Globant plans to create over 500 local jobs in the coming years, continue its expansion, support national talents, and work on major projects that bring cutting-edge technology innovations to the Kingdom, he underlined.
Mordor Intelligence projects a 15.4% CAGR for Saudi Arabia's payment market between 2022 and 2027, making it one of the most advanced markets transitioning towards a cashless society.
PayerMax estimates the global digital payments market, valued at $7.79 trillion in 2022, will reach $14.77 trillion within five years, driven by the growth of digital wallets, smartphones, and payment technologies. Emerging economies’ rapid smartphone adoption is expected to further fuel this growth.