Saudi E-commerce Growth Rate Exceeds 32%

Saudi Minister of Commerce Majid al-Qasabi at the event organized by the E-commerce Council in cooperation with the Joint Saudi-British Business Council (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Minister of Commerce Majid al-Qasabi at the event organized by the E-commerce Council in cooperation with the Joint Saudi-British Business Council (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi E-commerce Growth Rate Exceeds 32%

Saudi Minister of Commerce Majid al-Qasabi at the event organized by the E-commerce Council in cooperation with the Joint Saudi-British Business Council (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Minister of Commerce Majid al-Qasabi at the event organized by the E-commerce Council in cooperation with the Joint Saudi-British Business Council (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia is one of the top ten countries in e-commerce, achieving an annual growth rate of more than 32 percent, announced Minister of Commerce Majid al-Qasabi.

Speaking at a seminar on the "Role of E-commerce in Strengthening the Saudi-British Economic Partnership," Qasabi stressed that strengthening the e-commerce business system is one of the goals of the National Transformation Program of Vision 2030.

He highlighted the significance of e-commerce in strengthening the national economy.

The E-commerce Council organized the event in cooperation with the Saudi-British Joint Business Council in London, which was attended by the Saudi ambassador to the UK, Prince Khalid bin Bandar, and the Honorary President of the Joint Saudi British Business Council, Baroness Symons, from the British side.

Qasabi chaired a high-level Saudi delegation that included representatives from 11 government agencies.

Deputy Minister of Commerce and General Supervisor of the E-commerce Council Iman al-Mutairi said that Saudi Arabia improved and reformed its e-commerce legislation and regulations, which created substantial growth opportunities in the field.

Mutairi noted that market growth reached $43.2 billion in 2021.

Several Saudi authorities in public and private sectors reviewed investment opportunities mainly in digital infrastructure, financial technology, electronic payment, logistics and transportation and last-mile delivery solutions.

They also reviewed electronic services related to the quality of life such as e-health, e-learning, entertainment, games, and others, in addition to dealing with cooperation and bilateral partnership in light of the high growth achieved by e-commerce.

Saudi authorities at the event included representatives from the ministries of trade, investment, transport, and logistics, the Saudi Central Bank (Sama), the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority, the Small and Medium Enterprises Authority (Monshaat), the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the National Competitiveness Center (NCC), the Saudi Business Center, and the Saudi Post.

The Saudi delegation continues its visit to London by touring several business accelerators and incubators, most notably "TechUK," concerned with trade and technology.

TechUK collaborates with the British government and about 850 members in various sectors to form and accelerate trade policies.

The Saudi officials will also visit Level39, a tech community consisting of 1250 leaders in cybersecurity and the UK's largest concentration of cyber expertise.

Saudi Arabia recently witnessed great steps to develop and strengthen its economic relationship with Britain leading to promising opportunities in its Vision 2030.



Washington Urges Israel to Extend Cooperation with Palestinian Banks

A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
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Washington Urges Israel to Extend Cooperation with Palestinian Banks

A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)
A West Bank Jewish settlement is seen in the background, while a protestor waves a Palestinian flag during a protest against Israel's separation barrier in the West Bank village of Bilin in 2012. (AP)

The United States on Thursday called on Israel to extend its cooperation with Palestinian banks for another year, to avoid blocking vital transactions in the occupied West Bank.

"I am glad that Israel has allowed its banks to continue cooperating with Palestinian banks, but I remain convinced that a one-year extension of the waiver to facilitate this cooperation is needed," US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Thursday, on the sidelines of a meeting of G20 finance ministers in Rio de Janeiro.

In May, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich threatened to cut off a vital banking channel between Israel and the West Bank in response to three European countries recognizing the State of Palestine.

On June 30, however, Smotrich extended a waiver that allows cooperation between Israel's banking system and Palestinian banks in the occupied West Bank for four months, according to Israeli media, according to AFP.

The Times of Israel newspaper reported that the decision on the waiver was made at a cabinet meeting in a "move that saw Israel legalize several West Bank settlement outposts."

The waiver was due to expire at the end of June, and the extension permitted Israeli banks to process payments for salaries and services to the Palestinian Authority in shekels, averting a blow to a Palestinian economy already devastated by the war in Gaza.

The Israeli threat raised serious concerns in the United States, which said at the time it feared "a humanitarian crisis" if banking ties were cut.

According to Washington, these banking channels are key to nearly $8 billion of imports from Israel to the West Bank, including electricity, water, fuel and food.