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Al-Saif: From Engineering Saudi PIF’s Strategy to Investment Minister 

Saudi Arabia's newly-appointed Investment Minister Fahad Al-Saif. (PIF)
Saudi Arabia's newly-appointed Investment Minister Fahad Al-Saif. (PIF)
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Al-Saif: From Engineering Saudi PIF’s Strategy to Investment Minister 

Saudi Arabia's newly-appointed Investment Minister Fahad Al-Saif. (PIF)
Saudi Arabia's newly-appointed Investment Minister Fahad Al-Saif. (PIF)

Fahad Al-Saif has been appointed Minister of Investment of Saudi Arabia by royal order of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz, capping a career arc that brings financial expertise together with economic vision.

The appointment follows a pivotal tenure at the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF), where he helped shape the Kingdom’s overarching investment strategy and led global investment financing.

The move comes at a moment when efforts to attract foreign capital and deepen international partnerships are accelerating.

Drawing on deep experience in capital structuring, market and sustainability strategies, and the management of relationships with financial institutions and investors, Al-Saif is set to usher the Ministry of Investment into a new phase, one defined by the integration of strategic planning with smart financing to support the goals of Vision 2030.

At the PIF, Al-Saif served as Head of Global Investment Financing and previously led the General Department of Investment Strategy and Economic Studies.

Beyond his executive roles, Al-Saif has held a number of prominent board positions. He chaired the boards of Emaar Economic City and aircraft lessor AviLease, and served as a board member of the Saudi Insurance Authority, ACWA Power, the Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company, and the regional Voluntary Carbon Market Company. He also held the position of Vice Chairman of Bahri.

Al-Saif brings more than 20 years of experience across corporate banking, investment, and global banking services. He previously served as Chief Executive Officer and board member of the National Debt Management Center, acted as an adviser to the Minister of Finance, and founded the Public Debt Management Office at the Ministry of Finance.

His past board memberships include the National Center for Privatization, Gulf International Bank – Saudi Arabia, and the International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation.

Earlier in his career, Al-Saif spent several years in the banking sector, holding multiple positions at the Saudi First Bank and senior leadership roles at HSBC Saudi Arabia. He also led the initial public offering of the National Commercial Bank and served on the advisory committee of the Capital Market Authority.

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Gulf

Empty Quarter: Reservoir of Energy and Graveyard for Drones

The Empty Quarter lies atop two of the world’s largest oil and gas fields (SPA)
The Empty Quarter lies atop two of the world’s largest oil and gas fields (SPA)
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Empty Quarter: Reservoir of Energy and Graveyard for Drones

The Empty Quarter lies atop two of the world’s largest oil and gas fields (SPA)
The Empty Quarter lies atop two of the world’s largest oil and gas fields (SPA)

Stretching across the southern Arabian Peninsula, the Empty Quarter desert spreads like an endless sea of sand. It covers three Saudi administrative regions and extends across four countries, accounting for more than 67% of Saudi Arabia’s sand accumulations and about 22% of the Kingdom’s total land area.

Occupying nearly a fifth of the Arabian Peninsula, the vast desert is viewed by observers as both a reservoir of energy and a graveyard for drones targeting Saudi Arabia. Saudi defense authorities frequently announce interceptions of attacks headed for oil installations in the desert.

The Empty Quarter, one of the world’s largest sand seas, is also among its harshest environments, with temperatures reaching unbearable levels.

National Geographic describes it as a land “tamed only by the most resilient and wise of men despite its harshness,” a testament to the endurance of nomadic Bedouin tribes who forged unique bonds of kinship and marriage across generations.

Beneath the harsh landscape lie immense riches. The Empty Quarter sits atop some of the world’s largest oil and gas reserves. Nearby lie giant fields such as Shaybah, among the world’s largest crude oil fields on the desert’s edge, and Jafurah, Saudi Arabia’s largest unconventional gas field discovered to date. Jafurah alone holds an estimated 200 trillion standard cubic feet of gas and more than 60 billion barrels of condensate.

The Jafurah oil field. Aramco

The result is a striking contrast: a silent desert resting above resources that help drive the global economy.

Since March 5, the Empty Quarter has taken on another, unexpected role — a graveyard for drones targeting Saudi Arabia.

In just one week, its sands swallowed more than 63 drones as Saudi defenses carried out 27 interception and destruction operations, preventing them from striking the Shaybah field and reinforcing confidence in the Kingdom’s ability to protect energy supplies and ensure their delivery to global markets.

Ironically, three countries across which the Empty Quarter stretches — Saudi Arabia, which holds about 80% of the desert, along with Oman and the United Arab Emirates to the east, have faced Iranian drone, ballistic missile and cruise missile attacks.

The Shaybah oil field. Reuters

While many civilian and military sites have been affected, the attempt to target Shaybah marked what analysts described as an escalation threatening global energy sources.

A recent study by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) found that the Empty Quarter was once far different from the barren landscape it is known for today.

In the distant past, it was home to lakes, rivers and green plains that supported rich ecosystems and helped early human populations spread across the Arabian Peninsula.

Today it is among Saudi Arabia’s hottest and driest regions, with average rainfall of less than 50 millimeters a year and summer temperatures exceeding 50°C.

But researchers say these harsh conditions followed a wetter climate period known as “Green Arabia,” which lasted between 11,000 and 5,500 years ago in the late Quaternary era.

During that time, strong monsoon rains from Africa and India — driven by orbital climate shifts — fueled vegetation and wildlife across the region.

The desert’s name reflects both its scale and isolation. Saudi sources say it was called the “Empty Quarter” because it occupies roughly a quarter of the Arabian Peninsula and lacks permanent human settlement, aside from a small number of nomadic Bedouins, with limited wildlife and vegetation.

Some sources also refer to parts of the desert as “Al-Ahqaf,” believed to apply mainly to its southern reaches between Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Yemen.

Tradition links the area to the ancient people of ‘Ad and the legendary city of Iram, said to lie buried beneath the sands.

The Empty Quarter is more than a vast expanse of desert. It is a landscape where extremes meet — immense natural wealth beneath a silent sea of dunes, and a remote terrain that has quietly become a shield protecting vital energy supplies.

Gulf

Saudi Foreign Minister Discusses Regional Escalation with Spanish Counterpart

Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Foreign Minister Discusses Regional Escalation with Spanish Counterpart

Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah received a phone call on Thursday from his Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares.

During the call, they discussed the regional escalation and the efforts being exerted in this regard.

Gulf

Pakistani Prime Minister Arrives in Jeddah

Pakistan's Prime Minister arriving in Jeddah - SPA
Pakistan's Prime Minister arriving in Jeddah - SPA
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Pakistani Prime Minister Arrives in Jeddah

Pakistan's Prime Minister arriving in Jeddah - SPA
Pakistan's Prime Minister arriving in Jeddah - SPA

Pakistan's Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and his accompanying delegation arrived in Jeddah on Thursday, SPA reported.

At King Abdulaziz International Airport, the Pakistani prime minister was welcomed by Deputy Governor of Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, and several other officials.