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.”



Japan's Core Inflation Rate Slows in September

FILE PHOTO: Media members observe the stock quotation board at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo, Japan, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Media members observe the stock quotation board at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo, Japan, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo
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Japan's Core Inflation Rate Slows in September

FILE PHOTO: Media members observe the stock quotation board at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo, Japan, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Media members observe the stock quotation board at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo, Japan, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo

Japanese inflation slowed in September with prices up 2.4 percent on-year, not including volatile fresh food, official data showed Friday.
The core Consumer Price Index eased from 2.8 percent in August as the pace of increase in electricity and gas prices relented, the internal affairs ministry said.
Despite the slowdown, the rate remained above the Bank of Japan's two percent target, set over a decade ago as part of efforts to boost the stagnant economy, reported AFP.
The target has been surpassed every month since April 2022, although the bank has questioned to what extent that is down to temporary factors such as the Ukraine war.
"The resumption of electricity subsidies resulted in a plunge in headline inflation in September," said Marcel Thieliant, head of Asia-Pacific at Capital Economics.
Thieliant predicted a further deceleration of core inflation in October, but noted that the subsidies "should be phased out completely by December, which should lift inflation".
The Bank of Japan raised interest rates in March for the first time since 2007 and again in July, in initial steps towards normalizing its ultra-loose monetary policies.
New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said this month that the environment was not right for another interest rate increase.
After Ishiba took office in early October, perceptions that he favored hiking borrowing costs and the possibility that he could raise taxes triggered a surge in the yen and stock market volatility.
One dollar bought 150 yen on Friday morning after the Japanese currency weakened from levels around 149.35 the day before.
Excluding both fresh food and energy, Japanese prices rose 2.1 percent in September.
"We expect inflation excluding fresh food and energy to remain around two percent until early next year, when it should gradually fall below two percent," Thieliant said.
"Accordingly, we still expect the Bank of Japan to press ahead with another interest rate hike before year-end."