Saudi Arabia Launches Investment and Acquisition Facilitation Program to Provide Liquidity to Industrial Firms

A factory in Madinah. (SPA)
A factory in Madinah. (SPA)
TT

Saudi Arabia Launches Investment and Acquisition Facilitation Program to Provide Liquidity to Industrial Firms

A factory in Madinah. (SPA)
A factory in Madinah. (SPA)

The Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources has launched the Investment Facilitation and Acquisition Program, which aims to offer diverse investment opportunities that align with investors’ goals, while also assisting industrial companies in expanding their production or addressing challenges in business development.

In a statement on Tuesday, the ministry said the program provides three key advantages: facilitating acquisitions within the industrial sector, offering liquidity to industrial companies, and presenting suitable opportunities for investors.

The ministry added that the program’s launch reflects its commitment to expanding and promoting industrial investment opportunities, creating an attractive business environment, and providing programs that help industrial companies increase production and enhance their competitiveness.

The process for applicants to the Investment Facilitation and Acquisition Program involves several steps, including submitting applications from both investors and companies, attaching the necessary documents through a designated electronic registration form, and analyzing the submitted applications to identify interested parties and determine compatibility.

If a match is found between an investor’s interests and a participating company, the two sides are connected. The investor then conducts an analysis and evaluation of the company and may submit an investment or acquisition offer to the owner if the evaluation aligns with their investment strategy.



Oil Extends Drop on Easing Libyan Dispute, Demand Concerns

Representation photo: A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
Representation photo: A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
TT

Oil Extends Drop on Easing Libyan Dispute, Demand Concerns

Representation photo: A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo
Representation photo: A pumpjack brings oil to the surface in the Monterey Shale, California, US April 29, 2013. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo

Oil prices fell on Wednesday, extending a plunge of more than 4% the previous day, on expectations that a political dispute halting Libyan exports could be resolved and concerns over lower global demand growth.
Brent crude futures for November fell 37 cents, or 0.5%, to $73.38 by 0330 GMT, after the previous session's fall of 4.9%. US West Texas Intermediate crude futures for October were down 41 cents, or 0.6%, at $69.93, after dropping 4.4% on Tuesday.
Both contracts fell to their lowest since December on signs of a deal to resolve the political dispute between rival factions in Libya that cut output by about half and curbed exports.
"Selling continued in Asia amid expectations of a potential deal to resolve the dispute in Libya," said Toshitaka Tazawa, an analyst at Fujitomi Securities Co Ltd.
"The market remained under pressure also because of concerns over sluggish fuel demand following weak economic indicators from China and the United States."
Libya's two legislative bodies agreed on Tuesday to jointly appoint a central bank governor, potentially defusing the battle for control of oil revenue that set off the dispute.
Libyan oil exports at major ports were halted on Monday and production cut nationwide. Libya's National Oil Corp (NOC) declared force majeure on its El Feel oilfield from Sept. 2.
"Easing political tension in Libya potentially seeing some supplies return and economic weakness in the world's largest oil consumers, US and China, serve as a confluence of headwinds for oil prices," said Yeap Jun Rong, a market strategist at IG.
"The faster contraction in new orders and production, along with increasing prices, presented in the US manufacturing PMI data seems to be renewing growth fears, which does not offer much reassurance around the oil demand outlook."
Market sentiment weakened after Tuesday's Institute for Supply Management data showing that US manufacturing remained subdued, despite a modest improvement in August from an eight-month low in July.
In China, the world's biggest importer of crude, recent data showed that manufacturing activity sank to a six-month low in August, when growth in new home prices slowed.
Weekly US inventory data has been delayed by Monday's Labor Day holiday. The report from the American Petroleum Institute is due at 4:30 p.m. EDT (2030 GMT) on Wednesday and data from the Energy Information Administration will be published at 11:00 a.m. EDT (1500 GMT) on Thursday.
US crude oil and gasoline stockpiles were expected to have fallen last week, while distillate inventories probably rose, a preliminary Reuters poll showed on Tuesday.