Saudi Arabia: Over 16% Growth in Mortgage Financing for Housing Support Beneficiaries in 2024

The Real Estate Development Fund’s pavilion at the Future of Real Estate Forum 2023 in Riyadh. (Real Estate Development Fund)
The Real Estate Development Fund’s pavilion at the Future of Real Estate Forum 2023 in Riyadh. (Real Estate Development Fund)
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Saudi Arabia: Over 16% Growth in Mortgage Financing for Housing Support Beneficiaries in 2024

The Real Estate Development Fund’s pavilion at the Future of Real Estate Forum 2023 in Riyadh. (Real Estate Development Fund)
The Real Estate Development Fund’s pavilion at the Future of Real Estate Forum 2023 in Riyadh. (Real Estate Development Fund)

The Saudi Real Estate Development Fund (REDF) announced on Monday a 16.4% increase in mortgage financing for beneficiaries of housing support programs in 2024, with total financing reaching SAR 62.9 billion ($16.7 billion). This marks a significant rise compared to SAR 54 billion ($14.4 billion) in 2023.

According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), December 2024 saw a notable 44% increase in the value of mortgage financing, reaching SAR 9.4 billion ($2.5 billion), compared to SAR 6.5 billion ($1.73 billion) in December 2023. This represents a growth of SAR 2.85 billion ($760 million). Additionally, the number of financing contracts surged by 52% during the same period.

Mansour bin Madi, CEO of the REDF, stated that the total financing in 2024 supported 89,000 financing contracts, compared to 74,000 in 2023—an increase of 15,000 contracts, or 20%.

Bin Madi highlighted that the REDF, in collaboration with the housing ecosystem and strategic partnerships with financing entities and real estate development sectors, is working to enhance homeownership opportunities by offering suitable housing products in the real estate market.

The self-construction product accounted for 14% of the total mortgage financing for beneficiaries of housing support programs. Meanwhile, under-construction housing units comprised 29%, and ready-to-move-in housing units made up 57%.

Bin Madi noted that December 2024 recorded the highest volume of mortgage financing for the year, with SAR 9.38 billion ($2.5 billion), financing approximately 12,340 contracts.

He reaffirmed the REDF’s commitment to strengthening its role in the mortgage financing market by providing diverse housing and financing solutions.

These efforts aim to meet beneficiaries’ preferences, facilitate easier homeownership for “Sakani” program beneficiaries, and align with Saudi Arabia’s Housing Program, he underlined. The program seeks to raise the homeownership rate among citizens to 70% by 2030.



Saudi Firm Manara May Invest in Pakistan's Reko Diq Mine

Trucks working in a mineral mine (Saudi Public Investment Fund)
Trucks working in a mineral mine (Saudi Public Investment Fund)
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Saudi Firm Manara May Invest in Pakistan's Reko Diq Mine

Trucks working in a mineral mine (Saudi Public Investment Fund)
Trucks working in a mineral mine (Saudi Public Investment Fund)

Saudi Arabian mining company Manara Minerals could invest in Pakistan's Reko Diq mine in the next two quarters, Pakistani Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik said on Tuesday.

Manara, a joint venture between state-controlled miner Ma'aden and the $925-billion Public Investment Fund (PIF), was set up as part of the Kingdom's efforts to diversify its economy away from oil, including by buying minority stakes in assets overseas.

“I'm very hopeful that in the next quarter or two we will have very big announcements,” Malik said on the sidelines of the Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, adding they would be copper-related.

“So we're very hopeful that this year, we will make some big announcements, both in the way of Reko Diq, but hopefully also” in mines around it, he added.

Asked if Manara would be involved, Malik said, “why not, of course.”

Executives from Manara visited Pakistan in May last year for talks about buying a stake in the Reko Diq mine, considered one of the world's largest underdeveloped cooper-gold areas by global mining company Barrick Gold, which owns the project jointly with Pakistan.

Manara's then-acting chief executive Robert Wilt, now CEO of Ma'aden, told Reuters that a stake in Reko Diq was among several opportunities the company was evaluating.