Red Sea Global Secures Financial Close on $522 Million Debt Financing with Riyad Bank

RSG said it has completed a $522 million financing agreement with Riyad Bank. SPA
RSG said it has completed a $522 million financing agreement with Riyad Bank. SPA
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Red Sea Global Secures Financial Close on $522 Million Debt Financing with Riyad Bank

RSG said it has completed a $522 million financing agreement with Riyad Bank. SPA
RSG said it has completed a $522 million financing agreement with Riyad Bank. SPA

Red Sea Global (RSG) said on Sunday that it has completed a SAR2 billion ($522 million) financing agreement with Riyad Bank.

According to a statement, the financing supports RSG's Joint Venture (JV) with Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), a prominent global investment company headquartered in Saudi Arabia, for the development of the highly anticipated Four Seasons Resort at The Red Sea destination.

"The Kingdom's tourism potential is truly limitless, and with our first two hotels now open, we are at the vanguard of putting Saudi Arabia on the global tourism map. Riyad Bank has been with us since our first debt financing deal in 2021, and we're honored to have them partner with us once again,” said RSG CEO John Pagano.

He also said that the Four Seasons Resort, situated on Shura Island, is set to be a luxury property offering 159 exquisite guest rooms, adding that Shura Island is part of the first phase of development, which will include 11 luxury, premium, and lifestyle hotels and resorts, residential units, a championship golf course, a 118-berth marina, and a comprehensive retail, dining, and entertainment complex.

"RSG has an incredible responsibility to be an enabler of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 and added to this, it set its own incomparable ambitions to deliver development in a way that is responsible and regenerative,” said Riyad Bank CEO Nadir Al-Koraya.

“We believed in the vision its leadership presented back then at our first encounter, and last year, when The Red Sea welcomed its first guests, our faith was shown to be well-founded. We're privileged to once again have the opportunity to support one of the world's most ambitious developers."

In 2023, The Red Sea welcomed its first guests, and now two of its hotels are open. The Red Sea International Airport (RSI) has been receiving a regular schedule of flights since September 2023. Desert Rock and Shebara will welcome their first guests later this year, while Shura Island is on track to welcome guests in 2025.

Upon full completion in 2030, the destination will comprise 50 resorts, offering up to 8,000 hotel rooms and more than 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites. The destination will also include luxury marinas, golf courses, entertainment, and leisure facilities.



E-commerce Giant Alibaba Has Completed 3-year 'Rectification' Period

Alibaba Group has completed three years "rectification" following a fine levied in 2021 for monopolistic behavior. Reuters
Alibaba Group has completed three years "rectification" following a fine levied in 2021 for monopolistic behavior. Reuters
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E-commerce Giant Alibaba Has Completed 3-year 'Rectification' Period

Alibaba Group has completed three years "rectification" following a fine levied in 2021 for monopolistic behavior. Reuters
Alibaba Group has completed three years "rectification" following a fine levied in 2021 for monopolistic behavior. Reuters

China's State Administration of Market Regulation issued a statement on Friday saying Alibaba Group had completed three years "rectification" following a fine levied in 2021 for monopolistic behavior.
In 2021, the regulator slapped a record $2.75 billion fine on the e-commerce giant for abusing its market position by forcing merchants on its platforms not to work with rival platforms.
The regulator's statement said Alibaba's rectification work had achieved "good results" and that it would continue to "guide" Alibaba to continue to "regulate its operations and improve its compliance and quality."
The fine levied on Alibaba in 2021 came during a period of intense scrutiny for the business empire founded by billionaire Jack Ma, Reuters reported. A $37 billion IPO by the finance arm he founded, Ant Group, was also scuttled following Ma's public critique of the country's regulatory system in late 2020.
Alibaba, in its own statement, described the regulator's announcement on Friday as a "new starting point for development" and said it would continue to "promote the healthy development of the platform economy and create more value for society."