Saudi Arabia: Kafalah Joins Simah to Build Comprehensive Credit Report

Simah Saudi Credit Bureau CEO Swaied Alzahrani and Hamam Hashem, director general of the Kafalah Program, sign the deal. (Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic)
Simah Saudi Credit Bureau CEO Swaied Alzahrani and Hamam Hashem, director general of the Kafalah Program, sign the deal. (Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic)
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Saudi Arabia: Kafalah Joins Simah to Build Comprehensive Credit Report

Simah Saudi Credit Bureau CEO Swaied Alzahrani and Hamam Hashem, director general of the Kafalah Program, sign the deal. (Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic)
Simah Saudi Credit Bureau CEO Swaied Alzahrani and Hamam Hashem, director general of the Kafalah Program, sign the deal. (Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic)

Saudi Arabia’s Kafalah Program (SME Financing Guarantee Program) for small and medium-sized enterprises will join Simah Saudi Credit Bureau.

The announcement was made through an information exchange agreement, which was signed by Simah Saudi Credit Bureau CEO Swaied Alzahrani and Hamam Hashem, director general of the Kafalah Program.

This strategic partnership goes in tandem with Saudi Vision 2030 through its inspirational role in creating job opportunities, supporting innovation and reinforcing exports given that SMEs are among the main contributors in economic development around the world.

Simah Saudi Credit Bureau CEO Swaied Alzahrani expressed delight that Kafalah joined Simah.

Simah’s plans, he said, will cover all relevant sectors whether economic, investment, industrial, judiciary and logistics in the private and public sectors. It also seeks to provide all services and products that contribute in building an environment that attracts investments.

Director General of the Kafalah Program, Hamam Hashem stressed that the membership agreement signed with Simah allows Kafalah to benefit from the credit information in the business sector.

It will also become informed on credit attitudes of all beneficiaries from Kafalah, which will help assess financial adequacy and build an accurate credit report.

He added that Kafalah is one of the pioneering national specialized programs and it has made several achievements since its establishment at the of 2006.



Gazprom, CNPC Discuss Future Russian Gas Supplies to China

A view shows a board with the logo of Russian gas producer Gazprom at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 5, 2024. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo
A view shows a board with the logo of Russian gas producer Gazprom at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 5, 2024. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo
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Gazprom, CNPC Discuss Future Russian Gas Supplies to China

A view shows a board with the logo of Russian gas producer Gazprom at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 5, 2024. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo
A view shows a board with the logo of Russian gas producer Gazprom at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 5, 2024. REUTERS/Anton Vaganov/File Photo

The heads of Russia's Gazprom and China's energy company CNPC discussed future Russian gas supplies to China during talks in Beijing, Gazprom said on Friday, as Moscow seeks stronger ties with the world's biggest energy consumer.

Russia, the holder of world's largest gas reserves, has diverted oil supplies from Europe to India and China since the start of the conflict in Ukraine in February 2022, Reuters said.

At the same time, Russia's diversification of pipeline natural gas from the European Union has been slow.

It started gas exports to China via the Power of Siberia pipeline in the end of 2019 and plans to reach the pipeline's annual exporting capacity of 38 billion cubic meters this year.

Russia and China have also agreed on exports of 10 bcm of gas from Russia's Pacific island of Sakhalin starting from 2027.

However, years of talks about the Power of Siberia 2 pipeline, which would ship 50 bcm of gas per year to China via Mongolia, have yet to be concluded as the two sides disagree over issues such as the gas price.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to travel to China in early September to participate in celebrations marking the anniversary of the victory over Japan in World War II.

The trip follows Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow in May.