KSA Enables Private Sector to Invest In State Development Projects

Saudi Arabia seeks to enable the private sector to participate in government development projects. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia seeks to enable the private sector to participate in government development projects. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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KSA Enables Private Sector to Invest In State Development Projects

Saudi Arabia seeks to enable the private sector to participate in government development projects. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia seeks to enable the private sector to participate in government development projects. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Real Estate announced the signing of a MoU with the Projects Support Fund at the Ministry of Finance to enhance mutual cooperation in the field of partnerships with the private sector.

The memorandum gives the private sector the opportunity to invest in development projects in the sectors covered by the fund, namely education, health care and real estate development.

The governor of the Real Estate General Authority, Ihsan Bafakih, said on Thursday that the MoU reflected the Authority’s approach towards enhancing integration and partnership between all components of the government system in order to achieve the desired goals.

According to Bafakih, the Authority and the Fund seek, through the MoU, to achieve several goals, including contributing to financing real estate development projects, such as buildings and integrated service projects, in accordance with the financing policies approved by the Fund, in addition to qualifying private sector institutions and introducing them to the financial and technical requirements and providing an favorable environment to attract various qualitative investments.

On a different note, the National Debt Management Center at the Ministry of Finance (NDMC) signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI). The agreement was signed by Fahad Al-Saif, Chief Executive Officer of the NDMC, and Atsuo Kuroda, Chairman and CEO of NEXI.

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan, who is also the chairman of the NDMC’s Board of Directors, said that the signing of the Memorandum came in parallel with the fifth Saudi-Japan Vision 2030 Ministerial Meeting and aimed to expand the opportunities of financing government projects implemented by Japanese companies in the Kingdom.



Oil Prices on Track for Fourth Straight Week of Gains

FILE PHOTO: Oil pump jacks are seen at Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Oil pump jacks are seen at Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo
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Oil Prices on Track for Fourth Straight Week of Gains

FILE PHOTO: Oil pump jacks are seen at Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Oil pump jacks are seen at Vaca Muerta shale oil and gas drilling, in the Patagonian province of Neuquen, Argentina January 21, 2019. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo

Oil prices dipped on Friday but were on track for a fourth straight week of gains and were near their highest levels since late April on hopes of strong summer fuel demand and some supply concerns.
Brent crude futures, which have risen 7% over the last four weeks, slipped 31 cents, or 0.4%, to $87.12 a barrel by 0415 GMT, Reuters said.
US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures, which have climbed 9% over the past four weeks, was at $83.70, down 18 cents, or 0.2%. With the US market shut for the Fourth of July holiday on Thursday, trading was thin and there was no settlement for WTI.
Oil rose this week on strong summer demand expectations in the United States, the world's largest oil consumer.
"Market sentiment has been supported this week by strong mobility indicators and intensifying geopolitical tension in the Middle East," analysts at ANZ Research said in a note on Friday.
The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported a massive 12.2 million barrel draw in inventories last week, compared with analysts' expectations for a draw of 700,000 barrels.
US data on Wednesday showed that first-time applications for unemployment benefits increased last week while jobless numbers also rose, which analysts said could potentially hasten interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserves and support oil markets.
On the supply side, Reuters reported on Thursday that Russia's oil producers Rosneft and Lukoil will sharply cut oil exports from the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk in July.
Traders were also tracking the war in Gaza and elections in France and the United Kingdom, analysts said.