Saudi Industry Minister Discusses in Singapore Partnerships in Advanced Manufacturing Technologies 

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef held bilateral meetings with heads of Singaporean institutions to discuss boosting cooperation. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef held bilateral meetings with heads of Singaporean institutions to discuss boosting cooperation. (SPA)
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Saudi Industry Minister Discusses in Singapore Partnerships in Advanced Manufacturing Technologies 

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef held bilateral meetings with heads of Singaporean institutions to discuss boosting cooperation. (SPA)
Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef held bilateral meetings with heads of Singaporean institutions to discuss boosting cooperation. (SPA)

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef held bilateral meetings with heads of Singaporean institutions to discuss boosting cooperation, benefiting from their expertise in creating sustainable economic growth, developing small and medium-sized enterprises, and partnering on advanced manufacturing technology, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Tuesday.

The meetings were attended by Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources Assistant Minister for Planning and Development Dr. Abdullah Ali Alahmari, National Industrial Development Center (NIDC) Chief Executive Eng. Saleh Al-Sulami, and Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones Chief Executive Majed Rafed Al-Argoubi.

During a meeting with Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) Chairman Png Cheong Boon, Alkhorayef discussed opportunities to bolster cooperation, build partnerships, and benefit from the EDB’s expertise.

He met with Enterprise Singapore Executive Chairman Lee Chuan Teck to explore aspects of cooperation, leveraging the institution’s expertise in capacity building, innovation, and transformation.

Alkhorayef also met with Meinhardt Group's head of the fourth industrial revolution division to discuss modern technologies that could boost efficiency and innovation in the sector.

In his meeting with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) chief executive, Alkhorayef explored ways to strengthen cooperation with the agency, which is considered one of the top innovative government organizations globally in the field of science and technology.

The minister’s official visit to Singapore is one leg of an economic tour of East-Asia where he is leading a ministry delegation with the aim of deepening bilateral ties, attracting high-quality investments to Saudi Arabia, and exploring mutual investment opportunities in the industrial sector.



Bitcoin Drops to 11-day Low amid Tech Selloff

FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Bitcoin Drops to 11-day Low amid Tech Selloff

FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sparks strike representation of cryptocurrency Bitcoin in this illustration taken November 24, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

Bitcoin fell below $100,000 on Monday, hitting its lowest in 11 days, in a move analysts attributed to a wave of caution after the surging popularity of a Chinese artificial intelligence model sparked a selloff in Western AI-related stocks.

The world's biggest cryptocurrency struggled to make gains last week, as a rally that had seen it break above $100,000 after US President Donald Trump's election ran out of steam, Reuters reported.

At 1156 GMT, bitcoin was at $98,852.17, down around 6% on the day, having fallen sharply in early trading to hit its lowest since Jan. 16.

Technology stocks plunged, as traders worried that Chinese AI startup DeepSeek could threaten Western companies' dominance of the sector, in a move some called AI's "Sputnik moment", referring to the former Soviet Union's launch of a satellite that marked the start of the space race in the late 1950s.

Bitcoin's losses are "seemingly driven by some risk-off sentiment circulating the markets currently due to DeepSeek," wrote eToro analyst Simon Peters.

Geoffrey Kendrick, global head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered, said a decline in Nasdaq futures had hurt crypto markets, but that disappointment over the Trump administration's announcement about a cryptocurrency stockpile had put digital assets more at risk of a sharp selloff.

Crypto failed to feature in Trump's day-one announcements after taking office last week, leaving some investors disappointed. In an executive order on Thursday, Trump created a working group to draft new crypto rules and explore a crypto stockpile, while the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) spiked accounting guidance that the industry said had stymied crypto adoption.

The prospect of interest rates staying higher for longer also hurt riskier assets, said Thomas Puech, CEO of digital asset hedge fund Indigo.

US Federal Reserve policymakers meet this week and are expected to keep interest rates on hold.