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Saudi Arabia to Rank among World’s Top Localizers of Tech Startups

Saudi Arabia leads the Middle East in investing in technology startups. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia leads the Middle East in investing in technology startups. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia to Rank among World’s Top Localizers of Tech Startups

Saudi Arabia leads the Middle East in investing in technology startups. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia leads the Middle East in investing in technology startups. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Experts are predicting that Saudi Arabia will rank among the world’s top sources for tech startups by 2022, basing their projection on a recent report that ranked Riyadh as second in terms of number of investors and startups in the sector.

The Kingdom is exerting continuous efforts to localize tech industries and enhance startup incubators for Saudi innovation. For mega projects in Saudi Arabia, like “The Line,” technology, artificial intelligence and the internet of things are vital.

According to the report, startups in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region registered a record number of 256 active investors during 2020, a year that was heavily challenged by the coronavirus pandemic. The figure reflects a 19% year-on-year increase compared to 2019.

In 2020, the investments in startups totaled around one billion dollars.

Saudi Arabia is implementing its plans in a thoughtful manner and with the support of its leaders, Abdullah Al-Melehi, an investor in technology, told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Apart from nurturing the partnership between the public and private sectors, the Kingdom is working greatly on developing and increasing the number of startups focused on innovation, he added.

This works to promote technological industries in line with the Kingdom's shift towards smart cities.

Al-Melehi asserted that Saudi efforts will likely double the size of tech startups in the Kingdom, where they are offered highly professional, financial and moral support.

According to the new tech industry report, published by “MAGNiTT,” Saudi Arabia ranked second after the UAE with 22% of the number of investors in 2020.

The report pointed out that “500 Startups,” which is backed by the “500 Falcons,” was the most invested in the MENA region in 2020. It pumped funds to 42 projects spanning across various sectors in the region.

Finance technology came on top of the sectors that achieved growth in demand during 2020 due to the pandemic with 63 companies investing in e-payment solutions.

The report, however, revealed that the activity of startup accelerators and incubators in the region had shrunk by 28% on an annual basis during 2020. Startup incubators accounted for only 10% of the total active investors in the region due to the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

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SpaceX Leveraged Fund Providers Hit by Day-one Launch Setback, Sources Say

The SpaceX logo and a rising stock graph in this illustration, taken June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
The SpaceX logo and a rising stock graph in this illustration, taken June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
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SpaceX Leveraged Fund Providers Hit by Day-one Launch Setback, Sources Say

The SpaceX logo and a rising stock graph in this illustration, taken June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
The SpaceX logo and a rising stock graph in this illustration, taken June 11, 2026. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Asset managers eager to roll out leveraged exchange-traded funds tied to SpaceX on its first trading day have been told to delay the launch until Monday, four sources familiar with the matter said.

The setback denies speculators and traders a chance to capture what many expect could be a strong first-day pop in the shares of the blockbuster IPO, while managers will have to wait for the influx of capital into their products, Reuters said.

"We had really wanted to be out on Friday," said Matt Markiewicz, head ‌of product and ‌capital markets at Tradr ETFs, declining to comment on the ‌delay. ⁠The firm's 2x ⁠long and 2x short ETFs will now debut Monday on Cboe Global Markets .

"There is a lot at stake; these products could end up holding a total of more than $10 billion" in assets, Markiewicz added.

Asset managers seeking SEC approval to launch the ETFs had hoped to trade in lockstep with SpaceX's market debut, several of the issuers said.

Instead, exchanges told them on Wednesday the listings would need to be pushed to the first trading day following ⁠the IPO, according to four sources. The exchanges cited SEC concerns ‌that coupling the ETF launches with leveraged products could complicate ‌the SpaceX debut, three sources said.

The SEC did not respond to requests for comment. ‌A spokesman for the Nasdaq Stock Market, which will be home to the SpaceX IPO ‌as well as some of the ETFs, declined comment. Cboe Global Markets and the New York Stock Exchange could not immediately be reached for comment.

While there is no precedent for leveraged funds - introduced in the US less than four years ago and surging in number over the past ‌12 months - to launch alongside an underlying stock, asset managers had hoped to gain an edge in what analysts say could be ⁠a multibillion-dollar race ⁠for assets in the first weeks of trading.

"There are billions at stake in the first few weeks alone," said Todd Sohn, an ETF analyst at Strategas.

Major players in the leveraged stock arena, including Direxion, GraniteShares, ProShares and Defiance, plan to roll out 2x leveraged long ETFs as soon as they are permitted to do so, according to their filings and advertisements on investment forums and social media sites.

"Investors will have multiple options; they will be able to get SpaceX exposure because of early entry on the part of passive index providers, or through the stock itself, or through the leveraged (ETF) ecosystem, which adds up to a pretty robust mechanism for price discovery," said Simeon Hyman, global investment strategist at ProShares.

He said his firm had no plans to launch early and was comfortable waiting until Monday. "The intent of everybody is to have this (IPO) work smoothly."

Business

Türkiye Central Bank Commits to Continued Disinflation Path

A man carries goods on his shoulder on a hot day in Istanbul, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP)
A man carries goods on his shoulder on a hot day in Istanbul, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP)
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Türkiye Central Bank Commits to Continued Disinflation Path

A man carries goods on his shoulder on a hot day in Istanbul, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP)
A man carries goods on his shoulder on a hot day in Istanbul, Wednesday, June 3, 2026. (AP)

Turkish Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan said on Friday that price stability remains the top priority and that the disinflation process will continue despite recent ‌geopolitical tensions.

The ‌governor said ‌policy ⁠tools and strong ⁠reserves provide the means to sustain disinflation, and that a rebalancing in domestic demand is ⁠expected to continue ‌supporting ‌the process.

Governor said ‌the central bank ‌will continue to monitor all factors affecting the inflation outlook.

Loan ‌growth is moving toward a more ⁠balanced ⁠path, the governor said, citing the latest policy measures.

Strong reserves alongside policy tools act as buffers against geopolitical risks to disinflation.

Business

Dollar Steadies as Traders Weigh Prospects for Iran Ceasefire

A US $100 dollar bill is seen on December 17, 2009. (Reuters)
A US $100 dollar bill is seen on December 17, 2009. (Reuters)
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Dollar Steadies as Traders Weigh Prospects for Iran Ceasefire

A US $100 dollar bill is seen on December 17, 2009. (Reuters)
A US $100 dollar bill is seen on December 17, 2009. (Reuters)

The dollar found its footing on Friday after sliding the previous day as traders waited for confirmation that a ceasefire deal in the Middle East could be imminent.

The euro bounced around and was last very slightly higher at $1.158, near its strongest in a week after the European Central Bank's first interest rate hike in three years on Thursday.

The US dollar was up 0.1% against Japan's currency at 160 yen, keeping it around a key level at which traders tend to get nervous about intervention from Tokyo.

The British pound fell very slightly to $1.341. Data showing the economy contracted in April appeared to have little impact, with the focus on Iran ‌talks.

US President Donald ‌Trump said on Thursday the United States and Iran could ‌sign ⁠a peace deal ⁠as soon as this weekend that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. Brent crude slid 3.6% to $87 a barrel on Friday.

Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency said on Friday the memorandum, which contained US commitments to lifting sanctions and its naval blockade, required finalization by the relevant authorities.

Yet analysts and investors sounded a skeptical note, saying potential breakthroughs have previously failed to materialize.

"There's a question around the hopes of a deal, ⁠and questions around whether it will be met and agreed upon ‌by Iran and the United States," said Michael ‌Wan, senior currency analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group in Singapore.

"It sounds like it's quite ‌close, but they're not exactly at the finish line."

The US dollar index, which ‌measures the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was flat at 99.68 after slumping to its weakest in a week on Thursday.

Investors have flocked to the safe-haven dollar when tension in the Iran war has flared, and sold it to buy stocks when peace talks ‌have appeared to make progress.

"For today, the market will again be headline-driven. Will Vice President JD Vance be getting ⁠on a plane ⁠to Europe to sign some kind of agreement?" asked Chris Turner, global head of markets at ING.

"And more importantly, will we receive confirmation from Iran that it is happy with a deal and will also be sending a delegation to Europe this weekend? Expect the dollar to be bounced around."

Data on Thursday showed US producer prices increased more than expected in May, ahead of Kevin Warsh's first rate-setting meeting as chair of the Federal Reserve next week.

Traders expect the Fed to keep rates steady at 3.5% to 3.75%but see a more than 50% chance that it raises them by the end of the year, with pricing pulled slightly lower on Thursday by Trump's comments about a potential deal.

In cryptocurrencies, bitcoin was up 0.1% at $63,430 but down 13% for the month so far.