Digital Transformation, Technical Development Boost Profitability of Saudi Tech Firms in 2023

Tech companies will continue to see their profits grow thanks to their efforts to raise their operational efficiency. (SPA)
Tech companies will continue to see their profits grow thanks to their efforts to raise their operational efficiency. (SPA)
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Digital Transformation, Technical Development Boost Profitability of Saudi Tech Firms in 2023

Tech companies will continue to see their profits grow thanks to their efforts to raise their operational efficiency. (SPA)
Tech companies will continue to see their profits grow thanks to their efforts to raise their operational efficiency. (SPA)

Financial analysts have linked the growth of net profits of Saudi application and technology services companies by 22 percent during 2023 with the Kingdom’s significant digital and technical transformation since the launch of its Vision 2030.

They explained that the sector’s companies are likely to see their net profits increase thanks to the implementation of digital transformation plans, the growth of the Kingdom’s digital indicators, and the high demand from government and private agencies to provide integrated digital solutions in the field of transformation to e-government.

The five applications and technology services companies listed on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) achieved a 22 percent growth in their net profits by the end of 2023, compared to the previous year. They increased to SAR 2.68 billion ($700 million) in 2023, from SAR 2.2 billion ($600 million) in 2022.

According to the financial results announced in the Saudi financial market, the revenues of the tech sector during 2023 reached about SAR 20 billion ($5.2 billion), with a growth rate of 29 percent over the previous year.

In comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, Economic Analyst and CEO of G.World, Mohamed Hamdy Omar said the Saudi applications and technical services market offered many opportunities for growth in the sector, thanks to the Kingdom’s digital transformation plans.

These plans have encouraged the rise of modern digital and technical services and the launch of many companies operating in the sector.

He noted that the implementation of digital transformation procedures will lead to “a clear rise in the revenues of application and technology services companies in the coming years, in parallel with the growth in the Kingdom’s digital indicators and improvement in the quality of the digital infrastructure, and interest in introducing emerging technologies into the services of government and private agencies.”

Financial Analyst Tariq Al-Ateeq said applications and technical services companies will continue to see their net profits grow during the current year as a result of the sector’s continued efforts to raise its operational efficiency, provide new digital and technical activities, and focus on development, marketing and technical investment services.



Washington Urges Israel to Extend Cooperation with Palestinian Banks

A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
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Washington Urges Israel to Extend Cooperation with Palestinian Banks

A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)

The United States on Thursday called on Israel to extend its cooperation with Palestinian banks for another year, to avoid blocking vital transactions in the occupied West Bank.

"I am glad that Israel has allowed its banks to continue cooperating with Palestinian banks, but I remain convinced that a one-year extension of the waiver to facilitate this cooperation is needed," US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday, on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Rio de Janeiro.

In May, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to cut off a vital banking channel between Israel and the West Bank in response to three European countries recognizing the State of Palestine.

On June 30, however, Smotrich extended a waiver that allows cooperation between Israel's banking system and Palestinian banks in the occupied West Bank for four months, according to Israeli media, according to AFP.

The Times of Israel newspaper reported that the decision on the waiver was made at a cabinet meeting in a "move that saw Israel legalize several West Bank settlement outposts."

The waiver was due to expire at the end of June, and the extension permitted Israeli banks to process payments for salaries and services to the Palestinian Authority in shekels, averting a blow to a Palestinian economy already devastated by the war in Gaza.

The Israeli threat raised serious concerns in the United States, which said at the time it feared "a humanitarian crisis" if banking ties were cut.

According to Washington, these banking channels are key to nearly $8 billion of imports from Israel to the West Bank, including electricity, water, fuel and food.