Saudi Dussur Signs 4 Joint Ventures, Global Acquisition Deal

The signing ceremony of the JV of Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The signing ceremony of the JV of Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Dussur Signs 4 Joint Ventures, Global Acquisition Deal

The signing ceremony of the JV of Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The signing ceremony of the JV of Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments (Dussur) announced the signing of five new shareholders' agreements, including four joint ventures and one global acquisition deal.

Dussur, owned by PIF, Aramco, and SABIC, signed the agreement at a special event attended by Minister of Energy and Investment Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources, Bandar al-Khorayef, Minister of Education Hamad al-Sheikh.

The event was held at King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC).

The first JV agreement was signed with Korea's SeAH Changwon Integrated Specialty Steel Co. Ltd (SeAH) to establish the first local seamless stainless-steel pipe production plant in Saudi Arabia.

The total investment for establishing the joint venture is estimated at $270 million. SeAH and Dussur will invest up to $140 million with a percentage share of 51 percent and 49 percent, respectively.

The Saudi Industrial Development Fund will provide the remaining financing for the joint venture.

The second joint venture agreement was signed between Dussur, Tatweer Educational Transportation Services Company, and CHTC KINWIN Automobile to establish the first state-of-the-art bus manufacturing facility in Saudi Arabia with an annual production capacity of 3000 buses.

The project is in line with Vision 2030 and is significant as it is the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia and will support the localization of the automotive industry and the development of the automotive ecosystem.

The Jeddah-based joint venture company will manufacture and assemble several bus models in the first phase, using three engine technologies: Internal combustion engine, pure electrical, and hydrogen fuel cell.

The company will primarily serve the growing local demand, which is currently met by imports, and the growing demand for buses for Hajj and Umrah, schools, tourism, and public transportation.

The third JV agreement announced at the event was between Dussur and 3D Systems to establish the Center for Innovation and Additive Manufacturing in the Kingdom.

It will provide on-demand printing and application engineering solutions for critical industries such as energy, aerospace, defense, and healthcare.

The initiative will support the Kingdom's path to industrialization by localizing disruptive technologies, contributing to supply security, and building unique capabilities for future jobs.

Dussur and Baker Hughes signed the fourth joint venture agreement to build a blending and chemical reaction facility with a production capacity of 30,000 tons to produce demulsifiers, scale inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, and biocides.

The facility will be located in Jubail City, Saudi Arabia.

Dussur also announced the successful completion of an acquisition agreement with the international private equity consortium Broad Peak Global (BPG) and Asia Green Fund (AGF) to acquire the Clean Technologies business of DuPont de Nemours.

The new, independent company will be named Elessent Clean Technologies. It is worth noting that the new company is a global leader in chemical catalysts and advanced equipment, specializing in environmental sustainability technologies in the metals, fertilizer, chemicals, and oil refining sectors.

CEO of Dussur Raed al-Rayes stated that the company measures the development impact of projects before investing.

Rayes explained that Dussur portfolio has managed to attract more than SR1 billion worth of foreign investment and create more than 2,600 direct jobs by 2030, with an employment nationalization of no less than 65 percent, reaching as high as 90 percent in some projects.

The Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Company is a strategic industrial investment firm that partners with world-class experts to form state-of-the-art joint ventures, including M&A in the industrial sectors.



IMF Board to Review Staff-level $8.1 Bln Agreement for Ukraine

The city's downtown on a frosty winter day, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 19, 2026. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
The city's downtown on a frosty winter day, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 19, 2026. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
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IMF Board to Review Staff-level $8.1 Bln Agreement for Ukraine

The city's downtown on a frosty winter day, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 19, 2026. REUTERS/Alina Smutko
The city's downtown on a frosty winter day, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 19, 2026. REUTERS/Alina Smutko

The International Monetary Fund on Thursday said its board ​would review a staff-level agreement for a new $8.1 billion lending program for Ukraine in coming days.

IMF spokeswoman Jule Kozack told reporters that Ukrainian authorities had completed the prior actions needed to move forward with the request ⁠of a new ⁠IMF program, including submission of a draft law on the labor code and adoption of a budget.

She said Ukraine's economic growth in 2025 ⁠was likely under 2%. After four years of war, the country's economy had settled into a slower growth path with larger fiscal and current account balances, she said, noting that the IMF continues to monitor the situation closely.

"Russia's invasion continues to take a ⁠heavy ⁠toll on Ukraine's people and its economy," Kozack said. Intensified aerial attacks by Russia had damaged critical energy and logistics infrastructure, causing disruptions to economic activity, Reuters quoted her as saying.

As of January, she said, 5 million Ukrainian refugees remained in Europe and 3.7 million Ukrainians were displaced inside the country.


US Stocks Fall as Iran Angst Lifts Oil Prices

A screen displays a stock chart at a work station on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, US, April 6, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
A screen displays a stock chart at a work station on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, US, April 6, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
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US Stocks Fall as Iran Angst Lifts Oil Prices

A screen displays a stock chart at a work station on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, US, April 6, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
A screen displays a stock chart at a work station on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, US, April 6, 2022. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Wall Street stocks retreated early Thursday as worries over US-Iran tensions lifted oil prices while markets digested mixed results from Walmart.

US oil futures rose to a six-month high as Iran's atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami said no country can deprive the Islamic republic of its right to nuclear enrichment, after US President Donald Trump again hinted at military action following talks in Geneva.

"We'd call this an undercurrent of concern that is bubbling up in oil prices," Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare said of the "geopolitical angst."

About 10 minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 0.6 percent at 49,379.46, AFP reported.

The broad-based S&P 500 fell 0.5 percent to 6,849.35, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index declined 0.6 percent to 22,621.38.

Among individual companies, Walmart rose 1.7 percent after reporting solid results but offering forecasts that missed analyst expectations.

Shares of the retail giant initially fell, but pushed higher after Walmart executives talked up artificial intelligence investments on a conference call with analysts.

The US trade deficit in goods expanded to a new record in 2025, government data showed, despite sweeping tariffs that Trump imposed during his first year back in the White House.


Gold Advances on US–Iran Tensions as Markets Weigh Fed Policy Path

UK gold bars and gold Sovereign coins are displayed at Baird & Co in Hatton Garden in London, Britain, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Hiba Kola/File Photo
UK gold bars and gold Sovereign coins are displayed at Baird & Co in Hatton Garden in London, Britain, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Hiba Kola/File Photo
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Gold Advances on US–Iran Tensions as Markets Weigh Fed Policy Path

UK gold bars and gold Sovereign coins are displayed at Baird & Co in Hatton Garden in London, Britain, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Hiba Kola/File Photo
UK gold bars and gold Sovereign coins are displayed at Baird & Co in Hatton Garden in London, Britain, October 8, 2025. REUTERS/Hiba Kola/File Photo

Gold prices extended gains on Thursday after rising more than 2% in the previous session, as lingering tensions between the United States and Iran prompted a flight to safety, while investors evaluated the Federal Reserve's monetary policy path.

Spot gold rose 0.2% to $4,989.09 per ounce by 1227 GMT. US gold futures for April delivery held steady at $5,008.60.

"Geopolitical concerns are front and centre with reports that, if the US were to take military action against Iran, it could go on for several weeks," said Jamie Dutta, market analyst at Nemo.money, Reuters reported.

Some progress was made during Iran talks this week in Geneva but distance remained on some issues, the White House said on Wednesday.

FED LARGELY UNITED

Top US national security advisers met in the White House Situation Room on Wednesday to discuss Iran and were told all US military forces deployed to the region should be in place by mid-March.

Meanwhile, the Fed's January minutes showed it largely united on holding interest rates steady, but divided over what comes next, with "several" open to rate hikes if inflation remains elevated, while others were inclined to support further cuts if inflation recedes.

The weekly jobless claims data, due later in the day, and Friday's Personal Consumption Expenditures report, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, will provide further clues on the central bank's policy trajectory.

Markets currently expect this year's first interest rate cut to be in June, according to CME's FedWatch Tool.

Non-yielding bullion tends to do well in low-interest-rate environments.

Spot silver rose 0.9% to $77.87 per ounce after climbing more than 5% on Wednesday.

Silver is "supported by tight supply and low COMEX stock levels ahead of the delivery period of the March contract. However, given the extent of the historic correction earlier this month, silver is not back on safer ground until it trades back above $86," said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank.

Spot platinum fell 0.6% to $2,059.55 per ounce, while palladium lost 1.7% to $1,686.47.