عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Business

Report Highlights Saudi Incentives for New Technologies, 4th Industrial Revolution Solutions

Photo taken during the LEAP technological conference, which focused on the 4th Industrial Revolution among other files. (Photo: Bashir Saleh)
Photo taken during the LEAP technological conference, which focused on the 4th Industrial Revolution among other files. (Photo: Bashir Saleh)
TT
TT

Report Highlights Saudi Incentives for New Technologies, 4th Industrial Revolution Solutions

Photo taken during the LEAP technological conference, which focused on the 4th Industrial Revolution among other files. (Photo: Bashir Saleh)
Photo taken during the LEAP technological conference, which focused on the 4th Industrial Revolution among other files. (Photo: Bashir Saleh)

A recent report revealed five advantages and incentives to enable Saudi Arabia to implement the technologies and solutions of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including the presence of digital infrastructure equipped with 5G technology, and the Kingdom’s financial and investment capabilities.

The Kingdom inaugurated last year a dedicated center on the sidelines of the first Saudi Forum for the 4th Industrial Revolution, which was held in Riyadh, in a step that reflects the country’s determination to empower this sector.

According to a report issued by the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, Saudi Arabia’s advanced digital government is one of the country’s most important features that enables it to implement the techniques of the 4th Industrial Revolution, in addition to the presence of more than 40 specialized and integrated industrial cities and a motivated young population.

The report noted that the 4th Industrial Revolution contributed to supporting the localization of new and advanced industries within the Kingdom, expanding supply chains and enhancing their flexibility and reliability, in addition to increasing the competitive advantage of existing industries.

Saudi Arabia attaches great importance to this revolution through the development of the national industry and logistics services within Saudi Vision 2030, which aims to transform the Kingdom into a leading industrial power and a global logistics platform. This goal is attained by maximizing the value achieved from the mining and energy sectors and focusing on local content and the 4th Industrial Revolution to contribute significantly in enhancing and diversifying the economic impact of the targeted sectors, sustaining their growth, achieving leadership and creating an attractive investment environment.

The activities of the LEAP Conference, which was hosted in Riyadh on Tuesday, focused on future technologies, digital transformation and economic diversification in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, in addition to the future of smart and digital sustainable cities.

Most Viewed

 
 
Business

ECB's Lagarde Renews Integration Call as Trade War Looms

FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Governor of the Bank of Finland Olli Rehn arrive at the non-monetary policy meeting of the ECB's Governing Council in Inari, Finnish Lapland, Finland February 22, 2023. Lehtikuva/Tarmo Lehtosalo via REUTERS//File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Governor of the Bank of Finland Olli Rehn arrive at the non-monetary policy meeting of the ECB's Governing Council in Inari, Finnish Lapland, Finland February 22, 2023. Lehtikuva/Tarmo Lehtosalo via REUTERS//File Photo
TT
TT

ECB's Lagarde Renews Integration Call as Trade War Looms

FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Governor of the Bank of Finland Olli Rehn arrive at the non-monetary policy meeting of the ECB's Governing Council in Inari, Finnish Lapland, Finland February 22, 2023. Lehtikuva/Tarmo Lehtosalo via REUTERS//File Photo
FILE PHOTO: European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde and Governor of the Bank of Finland Olli Rehn arrive at the non-monetary policy meeting of the ECB's Governing Council in Inari, Finnish Lapland, Finland February 22, 2023. Lehtikuva/Tarmo Lehtosalo via REUTERS//File Photo

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde renewed her call for economic integration across Europe on Friday, arguing that intensifying global trade tensions and a growing technology gap with the United States create fresh urgency for action.
US President-elect Donald Trump has promised to impose tariffs on most if not all imports and said Europe would pay a heavy price for having run a large trade surplus with the US for decades.
"The geopolitical environment has also become less favorable, with growing threats to free trade from all corners of the world," Lagarde said in a speech, without directly referring to Trump.
"The urgency to integrate our capital markets has risen."
While Europe has made some progress, EU members tend to water down most proposals to protect vested national interests to the detriment of the bloc as a whole, Reuters quoted Lagarde as saying.
But this is taking hundreds of billions if not trillions of euros out of the economy as households are holding 11.5 trillion euros in cash and deposits, and much of this is not making its way to the firms that need the funding.
"If EU households were to align their deposit-to-financial assets ratio with that of US households, a stock of up to 8 trillion euros could be redirected into long-term, market-based investments – or a flow of around 350 billion euros annually," Lagarde said.
When the cash actually enters the capital market, it often stays within national borders or leaves for the US in hope of better returns, Lagarde added.
Europe therefore needs to reduce the cost of investing in capital markets and must make the regulatory regime easier for cash to flow to places where it is needed the most.
A solution might be to create an EU-wide regulatory regime on top of the 27 national rules and certain issuers could then opt into this framework.
"To bypass the cumbersome process of regulatory harmonization, we could envisage a 28th regime for issuers of securities," Lagarde said. "They would benefit from a unified corporate and securities law, facilitating cross-border placement, holding and settlement."
Still, that would not solve the problem that few innovative companies set up shop in Europe, partly due to the lack of funding. So Europe must make it easier for investment to flow into venture capital and for banks to fund startups, she said.