NEOM Established as Closed Joint-Stock Company Owned by Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund

NEOM is established as a closed joint-stock company owned by the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund. (SPA)
NEOM is established as a closed joint-stock company owned by the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund. (SPA)
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NEOM Established as Closed Joint-Stock Company Owned by Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund

NEOM is established as a closed joint-stock company owned by the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund. (SPA)
NEOM is established as a closed joint-stock company owned by the Saudi Sovereign Wealth Fund. (SPA)

The world’s future destination for dreamers and innovators has obtained the necessary approvals from authorities in Saudi Arabia to establish a closed joint-stock company under the name NEOM to develop the project that is set to be the most ambitious on earth.

The newly-established entity is fully owned by the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia and is responsible for achieving NEOM’s vision, which is to be the land of the future, where the greatest minds and best talents are empowered to embody pioneering ideas and exceed boundaries in a world inspired by imagination.

In order to achieve NEOM’s vision, the company will develop a new area in the Northwest of Saudi Arabia equipped with all elements to make it the best place to live and work; and a leading investment destination.

This area will be the land of the future that will incubate human genius in search for solutions key challenges facing humanity.

NEOM will have new cities with extensive infrastructure that includes a network of airports, an advanced seaport, industrial areas, as well as creative and innovation centers to unlock the potential of a knowledge-based economy, and a range of world-class tourist destinations.

It is designed as an eco-friendly environment that caters for sustainability and livability.

The significant change in the legal status of NEOM will also allow the company to create 16 key economic sectors that will put it on the global investment map, which includes the future of energy, water, tourism, media, health and well-being, sport, food, mobility, biotech, manufacturing and livability.

Nadhmi Al-Nasr, will serve as the CEO of NEOM, while the 16 sectors will be spearheaded by leading international executives and experts in their fields.

Al-Nasr is a leading Saudi executive with a track record of developing mega projects including Shaybah oilfield, a giant deposit located at the heart of the Empty Quarter desert, as well as King Abdullah University for Science and Technology (KAUST).

Commenting on this milestone, he said: “The new entity will have a unique and historical role to play as it will be responsible for developing a new global destination from scratch on a huge area, and a futuristic civilization that is based on sustainability and livability.”

He added: "All this aims to turn NEOM into a global center for attracting investment, knowledge, innovation and technology in order to compete with all economic capital cities.”



Bitcoin Rises Above $94,000 for First Time

FILE PHOTO: A bitcoin is seen in an illustration picture taken at La Maison du Bitcoin in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A bitcoin is seen in an illustration picture taken at La Maison du Bitcoin in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Illustration/File Photo
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Bitcoin Rises Above $94,000 for First Time

FILE PHOTO: A bitcoin is seen in an illustration picture taken at La Maison du Bitcoin in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A bitcoin is seen in an illustration picture taken at La Maison du Bitcoin in Paris, France, June 23, 2017. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/Illustration/File Photo

Bitcoin rose to a record high above $94,000 as a report that Donald Trump's social media company was in talks to buy crypto trading firm Bakkt boosted expectations of a crypto-friendly regime under his incoming administration.
Bitcoin, the world's biggest and best-known cryptocurrency, has more than doubled this year. It was last at $93,521 on Wednesday, having hit a high of $94,078 in early Asian trading hours.
The Financial Times said Trump Media and Technology Group, which operates Truth Social, is close to an all-stock acquisition of Bakkt, which is backed by NYSE-owner Intercontinental Exchange.
"Trump's seeming interest to push further into crypto on a personal level has contributed to optimism that crypto will be a top priority when Trump takes office," said Stéphane Ouellette, chief executive officer of crypto trading firm FRNT Financial.
Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported Trump was meeting privately with the crypto exchange CEO Brian Armstrong, further aiding sentiment.
Cryptocurrencies have soared since the Nov. 5 US election as traders bet President-elect Trump's promised support for digital assets would lead to a less restrictive regulatory regime.
Options trading over BlackRock's spot bitcoin ETF on the Nasdaq made a strong debut on Tuesday with a bullish call-to-put ratio of 4.4:1, according to QCP Capital.
"We expect these options to be popular and, in turn, may positively influence trading volumes of these ETPs (exchange traded products) as the underlying," said Kenneth Worthington, analyst at J.P.Morgan.
The growing excitement has taken the global cryptocurrency market's value above $3 trillion to a record high, based on analytics and data aggregator CoinGecko.
US spot bitcoin exchange traded products have attracted about $4.2 billion in inflows since Trump's election victory, about 15% of the total inflows since the products were launched on US stock exchanges in January, Reuters reported.
Chris Weston, head of research at Australian online broker Pepperstone, said there is real underlying buying pressure for bitcoin, and "another kick higher should bring in a fresh chase from those who like to buy what's strong".