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Saudi Arabia Issues 86 Industrial Licenses in April Worth $587 Million

A part of Ras Al Khair Industrial City, which is considered the main cornerstone of the mining industry in the Kingdom (SPA)
A part of Ras Al Khair Industrial City, which is considered the main cornerstone of the mining industry in the Kingdom (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Issues 86 Industrial Licenses in April Worth $587 Million

A part of Ras Al Khair Industrial City, which is considered the main cornerstone of the mining industry in the Kingdom (SPA)
A part of Ras Al Khair Industrial City, which is considered the main cornerstone of the mining industry in the Kingdom (SPA)

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources issued 86 new industrial licenses in April, totaling investments of SAR2.2 billion (USD587 million). This brings the year-to-date total to 410 licenses.

According to a report from the ministry’s National Center for Industrial and Mining Information released on Sunday, 67 factories began production in April, investing SAR1.5 billion (USD400 million).

Food production led with 12 new factories, followed by chemicals with 11, and rubber/plastics with 10.

The report noted that 92.5% of new factories were domestic, with joint ventures at 5.9% and foreign investments at 1.49%.

As of April 2024, Saudi Arabia had 11,800 operational or under-construction factories, with investments totaling SAR1.4 trillion (USD373 billion), up from about 10,800 in April 2023.

Small-scale facilities received 80.2% of new licenses, followed by medium-scale at 13.9%. Domestic factories accounted for 100% of the licenses by investment type.

The new licenses were distributed across 10 regions, led by Riyadh with 36 factories, Makkah with 22, and the Eastern Region with 17. Medina had three factories, while Qassim and Hail had two each. Najran, Asir, Al Jouf, and Tabuk each had on.

The ministry’s updates provide insights into Saudi Arabia’s industrial activity, highlighting changes in new investments and factory openings on a monthly basis.

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Türkiye's Central Bank Raises Inflation Forecasts, Vows Tight Policy

FILED - 24 May 2018, Türkiye, Istanbul: Turkish lira are kept fanned out. Photo: Can Merey/dpa
FILED - 24 May 2018, Türkiye, Istanbul: Turkish lira are kept fanned out. Photo: Can Merey/dpa
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Türkiye's Central Bank Raises Inflation Forecasts, Vows Tight Policy

FILED - 24 May 2018, Türkiye, Istanbul: Turkish lira are kept fanned out. Photo: Can Merey/dpa
FILED - 24 May 2018, Türkiye, Istanbul: Turkish lira are kept fanned out. Photo: Can Merey/dpa

Türkiye's central bank raised its year-end inflation forecasts for this year and next to 44% and 21% respectively on Friday, and Governor Fatih Karahan vowed to keep policy tight to propel the disinflation process and hit targets.

The bank's previous inflation report three months ago forecast year-end inflation of 38% in 2024 and 14% next year, Reuters reported. The revision underlines its tougher-than-expected battle against inflation that began with aggressive rate hikes 18 months ago.
Presenting a quarterly update in Ankara, Karahan cited improvement in core inflation trends even as service-related price readings are proceeding slower than anticipated. But even in that sector, inflation is gradually losing momentum, he said.
"We will decisively maintain our tight monetary policy stance until price stability is achieved," he said. "As the stickiness in services inflation weakens, the underlying trend of inflation will decline further in 2025."
October inflation remained loftier than expected, dipping only to 48.58% annually on the back of tight policy and so-called base effects, down from a peak above 75% in May.
Monthly inflation - a gauge closely monitored by the bank for signs of when to begin rate cuts - rose by 2.88% in the same period on the back of clothing and food prices.
The bank has hiked rates by 4,150 basis points between June 2023 and March 2024, to 50%, as part of an abrupt shift to orthodox policy after years of low rates aimed at stoking growth.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who in past years was viewed as influencing monetary policy, had supported the previous unorthodoxy. It triggered a series of currency crashes and sent inflation soaring.

Erdogan was quoted on Friday as telling reporters that "no one should doubt" the steady decline in inflation and that economic steps would continue with discipline and determination to ease price pressures.

The central bank warned last month that a bump in recent inflation readings increased uncertainty, prompting analysts to delay expectations for the first rate cut to December or January.

Karahan said the new inflation forecasts were based on maintaining tight policy, adding the bank would do "whatever is necessary" to wrestle inflation down, and pointing to what he called a significant fall in the annual rate since May.

He said the slowdown in domestic demand continues at a moderate pace and the output gap has continued to decline in the third quarter.