Aramco Signs 34 Deals with Major US Companies

(FILES) This picture shows Aramco tower at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh on April 16, 2023. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP)
(FILES) This picture shows Aramco tower at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh on April 16, 2023. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP)
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Aramco Signs 34 Deals with Major US Companies

(FILES) This picture shows Aramco tower at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh on April 16, 2023. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP)
(FILES) This picture shows Aramco tower at the King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) in Riyadh on April 16, 2023. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP)

Saudi Aramco said on Wednesday it had signed 34 preliminary deals with major US companies, potentially worth up to $90 billion in a push to deepen commercial ties with the United States on the back of President Donald Trump's visit to the Kingdom.

The announcement was made a day after Riyadh pledged $600 billion in US investments.

"The US is really a good place to put our investment," Aramco CEO Amin Nasser said on Tuesday at the US-Saudi Investment Forum in Riyadh.

Aramco said the agreements, struck through its Aramco Group Companies, aim to build on its longstanding ties with US companies, enhance shareholder value, and expand collaboration in energy and other strategic sectors.

A memorandum of understanding with tech heavyweight Nvidia aims to establish advanced industrial AI infrastructure, including an AI Hub, an engineering and robotics center, and workforce training programs.

Aramco also signed an MoU with ExxonMobil to evaluate a significant upgrade to their SAMREF refinery, with plans to expand it into an integrated petrochemical complex.

It also inked a non-binding agreement with Amazon Web Services to collaborate on digital transformation and lower-carbon initiatives, while an MoU with Qualcomm focuses on collaboration in enhancing industrial networks and AI capabilities.

"Our US-related activities have evolved over the decades, and now include multi-disciplinary R&D, the Motiva refinery in Port Arthur, start-up investments, potential collaborations in LNG, and ongoing procurement," Nasser said in a statement.

Aramco said on Tuesday it would invest $3.4 billion to expand the Motiva refinery in Texas.

Beyond energy, the state oil giant has become a key vehicle for industrial development, digital transformation, and foreign investment.

It expanded existing relationships with several high-profile US suppliers including SLB, Baker Hughes, GE Vernova and Honeywell.

On the financial services front, it has forged agreements with asset management giants PIMCO, State Street Corporation and Wellington.

It also signed a deal for short-term cash investments through a unified investment fund, named 'Fund of One', with financial heavyweights BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and PIMCO.



Morocco’s Central Bank Keeps Interest Rate Steady at 2.25%

The Moroccan Central Bank in Rabat (Reuters)
The Moroccan Central Bank in Rabat (Reuters)
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Morocco’s Central Bank Keeps Interest Rate Steady at 2.25%

The Moroccan Central Bank in Rabat (Reuters)
The Moroccan Central Bank in Rabat (Reuters)

Morocco’s Central Bank (Bank Al-Maghrib) has maintained its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 2.25%, stating that current borrowing cost levels remain consistent with inflation expectations.

In a statement issued following the quarterly meeting of its board of directors on Monday, the bank explained that the average inflation rate is expected to reach 1% in 2025, supported by a decline in food prices, before gradually rising to 1.8% in 2026.

The statement noted that the outlook for the national economy remains surrounded by a high degree of uncertainty, due to ongoing geopolitical tensions, fluctuations in global trade policies, and the volatile performance of the domestic agricultural sector.

Domestically, according to annual national accounts data released by the High Commission for Planning, the Moroccan economy grew by 3.8% in 2024, a much faster pace than indicated by the quarterly data for the same year. According to Bank Al-Maghrib’s forecasts, economic growth is expected to accelerate to 4.6% in 2025, before stabilizing at 4.4% in 2026.

The agricultural sector’s value-added is projected to rise by 5% in 2025, driven by an estimated cereal harvest of 44 million quintals, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, and by 3.2% in 2026, based on an assumed average output of 50 million quintals. As for non-agricultural sectors, supported by ongoing investment in infrastructure, they are expected to grow by approximately 4.5% in both 2025 and 2026.

Regarding external accounts, trade exchanges are expected to improve gradually over the medium term, with the direct impact of US tariffs remaining limited. Export growth is estimated at around 5.1% in 2025 and 9% in 2026, driven particularly by increased exports of phosphate and its derivatives, which are projected to reach 106.7 billion dirhams by 2026.