Saudi REDF, SRC Sign Refinancing Agreement for $2.7 Billion Property Portfolio

Buildings are seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
Buildings are seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
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Saudi REDF, SRC Sign Refinancing Agreement for $2.7 Billion Property Portfolio

Buildings are seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)
Buildings are seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Reuters)

The Saudi real estate sector witnessed on Monday the conclusion of the first agreement to refinance a Saudi real estate portfolio, with the Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company (SRC) announcing a partnership deal with the Real Estate Development Fund (REDF) to refinance a real estate portfolio worth 10 billion riyals ($2.7 billion).

The agreement was signed by REDF CEO Mansour bin Madi, and the CEO of SRC Fabrice Susini.

A statement issued on Monday said that the agreement supports REDF by “enhancing its financial stability” and aims to boost liquidity in Saudi Arabia’s home financing market, cut the cost of home financing for Saudis and support the country’s housing objectives.

In this regard, Susini said: “The agreement aims to increase the supply of home loans for affordable housing that aligns with our vision to develop a robust secondary home financing market for the benefit of the primary housing market in the kingdom.

“Therefore, the agreement with REDF positions us as a catalyst in achieving the housing goals stipulated by Vision 2030,” he added.

Bin Madi, for his part, stated that the agreement comes within the framework of the National Development Fund’s strategy that supports the goals and future plans of the Real Estate Fund to provide various financing and housing options in the residential real estate financing market.

He added that the Fund provided more than 560,000 subsidized real estate loans from June in 2017 until the third quarter of this year as part of the subsidized loan program.



US Economy Shrinks 0.3% in 1st Quarter as Trump Says 'Be Patient'

President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
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US Economy Shrinks 0.3% in 1st Quarter as Trump Says 'Be Patient'

President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Americans should be patient in the face of a first quarter economic contraction, arguing that his tariffs would eventually lead to a boom in the US economy.

The economy shrank 0.3% from January through March, first drop in three years. It was slowed by a surge in imports as companies in the United States tried to bring in foreign goods before Trump imposed massive tariffs.
The January-March expansion was the slowest in almost three years and was down from 2.4% in the last three months of 2024. Imports shaved 5 percentage points off first-quarter growth. Consumer spending also slowed sharply.
Trump inherited a solid economy that had grown steadily despite high interest rates imposed by the Federal Reserve to fight inflation. His trade policies — including 145% tariffs on China — have paralyzed businesses and threatened to raise prices and hurt consumers.

Republican Trump blamed his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden, for the poor showing.

"This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s," he said. "Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden 'Overhang.'

Trump added: "This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!!"