79 Saudi Govt. Bodies to Be Included in Finance Ministry’s Planned Treasury

The Saudi Ministry of Finance is planning to include 79 entities in the treasury in 2021. (SPA)
The Saudi Ministry of Finance is planning to include 79 entities in the treasury in 2021. (SPA)
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79 Saudi Govt. Bodies to Be Included in Finance Ministry’s Planned Treasury

The Saudi Ministry of Finance is planning to include 79 entities in the treasury in 2021. (SPA)
The Saudi Ministry of Finance is planning to include 79 entities in the treasury in 2021. (SPA)

The Saudi Ministry of Finance is planning to include 79 entities in the treasury in 2021, as officials finalize the last phase of establishing the independent unit at the ministry.

The treasury management project stems from the Fiscal Balance Program, one of the executive programs aimed at achieving the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.

The project seeks to improve cash and liquidity management through consolidating all revenues, centralizing all expenditures and establishing an efficient structure for financing expenditures.

It will seek to avoid the accumulation of unused cash balances in the bank accounts of government agencies that do not earn any return.

This will ensure effective cash management to facilitate the fiscal planning process, efficiency of financing and improve future visibility, as well as enhance the transparency of government fiscal resources.

The ministry will improve and develop the technical system and make use of artificial intelligence in business development on the medium-term. In addition, it will complete the Treasury Single Account (TSA) initiative after applying the unified account concept to all government agencies.

The account will help increase the effectiveness of controlling government resources, maximizing non-oil revenue sources and reducing the cost of borrowing, in addition to increasing returns on money invested.

This will be enhanced through the effective use of surplus and unused cash balances, support to simplify business and the movement of cash between accounts, monitoring of revenues, ease of setting and achieving goals and speeding up payment processing, expenditures and decision-making processes.

In addition, the Ministry seeks to activate the role of Transformation Partners in 2021 and enable them to follow up and implement the initiatives related to the transformation at the government agencies.

The work will extend beyond 2020 and in the medium-term, for three years.

Initiatives related to the transition at the level of government agencies and the MoF will also continue in order to build the financial position of the Kingdom and then the consolidated fiscal statements in December 2023.

Meanwhile, the Supervisory and Compliance Department will be made functional in 2021. It is responsible for evaluating regulatory frameworks and activating control self-assessment in government agencies.

It will also initiate the Central Control Department responsible for evaluating systems with a financial impact and analyzing their data.



PIF Hosts 7th Annual One Planet Sovereign Wealth Funds Summit in Riyadh

PIF Hosts 7th Annual One Planet Sovereign Wealth Funds Summit in Riyadh
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PIF Hosts 7th Annual One Planet Sovereign Wealth Funds Summit in Riyadh

PIF Hosts 7th Annual One Planet Sovereign Wealth Funds Summit in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) organized the seventh annual summit for the One Planet Sovereign Wealth Funds (OPSWF) Group in Riyadh on Tuesday.

French President Emmanuel Macron, PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, and over 100 CEOs, members of OPSWF, asset managers, and private equity fund representatives attended the event.

The summit coincided with Saudi Arabia's hosting of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the Conference of the Parties (COP16) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, the Saudi Green Initiative, and the One Water Summit.

Tuesday’s discussions focused on the pivotal role of sovereign wealth funds as global investors in addressing climate challenges, creating value through opportunity-driven investments, and financing current and future climate solutions to drive economic transformation and sustainable development.

Other issues included expanding investments in renewable energy, supporting green financing in hard-to-abate sectors, utilizing artificial intelligence to enhance emission reduction strategies, and advancing green building standards.

Key action tracks were identified to enhance investment decision-making for climate action, boost efficiency and impact within the global financial system, and address crucial areas, such as climate-related data, enabling technologies like AI, transition finance, clean hydrogen, greening real estate, and renewables in emerging markets and developing economies.

"PIF is committed to net zero by 2050, contributing to Saudi Arabia's aim of net zero by 2060. Renewables is one of PIF's strategic sectors, and PIF is working toward the localization of renewable energy and hydrogen production to achieve its target of developing 70% of the nation's renewable energy capacity," he added.

He stressed PIF's ongoing efforts to support sustainability through various projects and initiatives, including the issuance of its Green Finance Framework, the first sovereign wealth fund to issue a green bond, and the first to issue a 100-year green bond.

PIF and OPSWF Network members are building a sustainable and inclusive investment approach to ensure inclusivity for all in the transition to net zero, he noted.