ROSHN and EVIQ Accelerate EV Adoption in Saudi Arabia

ROSHN Group, Saudi Arabia's leading real estate developer and PIF-owned giga-project
ROSHN Group, Saudi Arabia's leading real estate developer and PIF-owned giga-project
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ROSHN and EVIQ Accelerate EV Adoption in Saudi Arabia

ROSHN Group, Saudi Arabia's leading real estate developer and PIF-owned giga-project
ROSHN Group, Saudi Arabia's leading real estate developer and PIF-owned giga-project

ROSHN Group, Saudi Arabia's leading real estate developer and PIF-owned giga-project, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Company (EVIQ), a leading provider of EV charging solutions to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) across Saudi Arabia.
Under the terms of the MoU, ROSHN and EVIQ will cooperate in evaluating, assessing and developing direct-current infrastructure solutions for EVs within residential communities and commercial properties developed by ROSHN spanning the Kingdom.

The MoU is a significant milestone in ROSHN's and EVIQ's efforts to promote the adoption of EVs to create a more sustainable future for the Kingdom. This agreement represents a new era of accessibility and convenience for the public, aligning with the Kingdom's Vision 2030 objective of increasing the number of electric vehicles on the roads of Riyadh to 30%.

"We are delighted to be working with EVIQ as part of our strategy to implement cutting-edge technologies and partner with best-in-class collaborators,” said CEO of ROSHN Group David Grover.

“This agreement underscores our dedication to creating a robust EV ecosystem, which began with ROSHN Front, the iconic Riyadh destination with over 800,000 visitors each month, proudly hosting EVIQ's inaugural public EV charging facility,” he said.

“We are thrilled to be expanding our collaboration to provide EV charging infrastructure throughout ROSHN's humanized, integrated communities across the Kingdom,” he added.

The CEO of EVIQ, Mohammad Baker Gazzaz, said the agreement signals the commitment of both companies to a mutual objective of improving quality of life.

“EVIQ's advanced EV charging technology combined with the coverage of ROSHN's integrated communities and properties will result in a widespread network of high-speed chargers in strategic locations around the kingdom, which will result in a positive experience for EV users and support the EV adoption objectives of Saudi Arabia."

The collaboration between ROSHN and EVIQ will also see the launch of the Kingdom's first fast-charging public site launch at ROSHN Front in Riyadh.

This strategic alliance aims to leverage the expertise of both entities to enhance the infrastructure and support systems crucial for the widespread adoption of EVs in the region.

The partnership with EVIQ aligns with ROSHN's ambitions to raise the bar for the real estate industry through innovation, sustainability, and integrity.



ECB's Lagarde Renews Integration Call as Trade War Looms

FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Governor of the Bank of Finland Olli Rehn arrive at the non-monetary policy meeting of the ECB's Governing Council in Inari, Finnish Lapland, Finland February 22, 2023. Lehtikuva/Tarmo Lehtosalo via REUTERS//File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Governor of the Bank of Finland Olli Rehn arrive at the non-monetary policy meeting of the ECB's Governing Council in Inari, Finnish Lapland, Finland February 22, 2023. Lehtikuva/Tarmo Lehtosalo via REUTERS//File Photo
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ECB's Lagarde Renews Integration Call as Trade War Looms

FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Governor of the Bank of Finland Olli Rehn arrive at the non-monetary policy meeting of the ECB's Governing Council in Inari, Finnish Lapland, Finland February 22, 2023. Lehtikuva/Tarmo Lehtosalo via REUTERS//File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Governor of the Bank of Finland Olli Rehn arrive at the non-monetary policy meeting of the ECB's Governing Council in Inari, Finnish Lapland, Finland February 22, 2023. Lehtikuva/Tarmo Lehtosalo via REUTERS//File Photo

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde renewed her call for economic integration across Europe on Friday, arguing that intensifying global trade tensions and a growing technology gap with the United States create fresh urgency for action.
US President-elect Donald Trump has promised to impose tariffs on most if not all imports and said Europe would pay a heavy price for having run a large trade surplus with the US for decades.
"The geopolitical environment has also become less favorable, with growing threats to free trade from all corners of the world," Lagarde said in a speech, without directly referring to Trump.
"The urgency to integrate our capital markets has risen."
While Europe has made some progress, EU members tend to water down most proposals to protect vested national interests to the detriment of the bloc as a whole, Reuters quoted Lagarde as saying.
But this is taking hundreds of billions if not trillions of euros out of the economy as households are holding 11.5 trillion euros in cash and deposits, and much of this is not making its way to the firms that need the funding.
"If EU households were to align their deposit-to-financial assets ratio with that of US households, a stock of up to 8 trillion euros could be redirected into long-term, market-based investments – or a flow of around 350 billion euros annually," Lagarde said.
When the cash actually enters the capital market, it often stays within national borders or leaves for the US in hope of better returns, Lagarde added.
Europe therefore needs to reduce the cost of investing in capital markets and must make the regulatory regime easier for cash to flow to places where it is needed the most.
A solution might be to create an EU-wide regulatory regime on top of the 27 national rules and certain issuers could then opt into this framework.
"To bypass the cumbersome process of regulatory harmonization, we could envisage a 28th regime for issuers of securities," Lagarde said. "They would benefit from a unified corporate and securities law, facilitating cross-border placement, holding and settlement."
Still, that would not solve the problem that few innovative companies set up shop in Europe, partly due to the lack of funding. So Europe must make it easier for investment to flow into venture capital and for banks to fund startups, she said.