Saudi Fund for Development Signs Agreement to Support SMEs in Oman

The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD)
The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD)
TT

Saudi Fund for Development Signs Agreement to Support SMEs in Oman

The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD)
The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD)

The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) in Oman has signed a development financing agreement worth $67 million with the Oman Development Bank (ODB). The agreement is part of the $150-million support program provided by the Saudi government to Oman through the fund.

The co-chairs of the Saudi-Omani joint committee for the management of the program to support small and medium enterprises (SMEs) signed the agreement at a ceremony at the ODB headquarters in Oman.

Director of Financial Operations and Chairman of the Saudi side of the joint committee Saeed Al-Qahtani and Director General of Treasury at the Ministry of Finance and Chair of the Omani side of the joint committee Zahir Al-Abri represented the two sides in the agreement, while ODB CEO Hussain Al-Lawati signed the agreement on behalf of the bank.

The agreement aims to support the ODB's initiatives in financing SMEs' activities, enhance social and economic growth, and create jobs in various states and governorates of Oman.

The ODB is one of Oman's most prominent government entities concerned with providing financing facilities for micro, small, and medium enterprises in the Sultanate.



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
TT

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."