Saudi Future Investment Initiative Institute Concludes Deal to Support Tourism

The signing ceremony between Saudi Tourism Development Fund and the Future Investment Initiative Institute (FII) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The signing ceremony between Saudi Tourism Development Fund and the Future Investment Initiative Institute (FII) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Future Investment Initiative Institute Concludes Deal to Support Tourism

The signing ceremony between Saudi Tourism Development Fund and the Future Investment Initiative Institute (FII) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The signing ceremony between Saudi Tourism Development Fund and the Future Investment Initiative Institute (FII) (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Future Investment Initiative Institute (FII) announced it concluded an agreement to boost the tourism sector. It organized the "Priority Summit" in New York on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

CEO Richard Attias presented the global survey results aimed at determining the most critical priority for each individual.

The results revealed the priority in terms of population and continental composition to build an innovative roadmap to help humanity transition to assist humanity in surviving and thriving in a new complex world.

- A different experience

Attias explained that the Foundation made this report in 13 countries to understand the recent trends, which can monitor the emerging economies of the countries that represent approximately 50 percent of the population and see them on the map shown for the nations.

"In the ten main findings of the report, we noticed that people are very positive about themselves, as 77% of normal people in countries were going in the right direction," the CEO was quoted by SPA.

He pointed out that another analysis was done that shows the relationship between optimism and GDP that can gradually improve the citizen's outlook by paying attention to his priorities.

He reported that 53 percent of high-income countries enjoy a nutritionally better life.

- Quality of life

Saudi Minister of Investment Khalid al-Falih addressed the priority sectors in investment after the economic transformation the world is witnessing, highlighting the Kingdom's efforts and plans to invest in industries that focus on improving the quality of life.

The minister stressed that technology has a significant and fundamental impact on investing, living, and the interaction mechanisms between companies.

"In light of the outbreak of the epidemic, it has been proven that the use of technology is important to deal with the challenges we face and provide opportunities for investors," Falih said.

- Companies and individuals

Speaking at the summit, the governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saudi Aramco, Yasir al-Rumayyan, discussed the role of companies and investors in supporting the most critical priorities of individuals.

During a plenary session with the Honorary President of the University of Pennsylvania, Judith Rodin, he disclosed the difference between a crisis management approach and a crisis management approach that causes other crises.

PIF plays a significant role in stimulating the Saudi economy, noted Rumayyan, noting that the Fund has an initiative dedicated to ensuring the achievement of the goals set in the Vision Realization Program.

- Tourism development

The Saudi Tourism Development Fund and the FII signed a strategic partnership agreement to work together in advancing projects and initiatives in line with the Institute's core focus areas.

It will also support the curation of the upcoming sixth edition of the FII forum, which will be held in Riyadh from October 25-27 under the theme of "Impact on Humanity: Enabling a New Global Order."

The CEO of the Fund, Qusai al-Fakhri, explained that the partnership with FII will enhance efforts between the two parties and seek jointly to encourage and support investment in the tourism sector in Saudi Arabia.

"We look forward to exploring together how the face of tourism is changing and how we can work with global efforts to make tourism growth sustainable," said Fakhri.

The Fund's partnership with FII is a testament to the Fund's enthusiasm to contribute to the Institute's work and its investment in the four essential pillars of Sustainability, Healthcare, Education, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics, on which the Institute was founded.

The Tourism Development Fund was established to empower one of Saudi Arabia's most rapidly growing industries. It aims to facilitate local and international investors access to tourism investments across the Kingdom.

The Fund's efforts align with Saudi Arabia's bold ambition to bolster the country's reputation as a top tourist destination.

- Foreign Trade

Furthermore, the Minister of Commerce and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saudi General Authority for Foreign Trade, Majid al-Qasabi, held bilateral meetings in Bali on the sidelines of the G20 working group on commerce, investment, and industry.

Qasabi with ministers of trade of Türkiye, India, Argentina, South Africa, and Russia.

During the meetings, opportunities for cooperation on investment and industry and an increase in trade exchanges were reviewed.



Saudi Arabia Allows Contracting Exceptions for Firms without Regional HQ

The King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Allows Contracting Exceptions for Firms without Regional HQ

The King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The King Abdullah Financial District in Riyadh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia has introduced greater flexibility into its investment environment, allowing government entities, under strict controls to safeguard spending efficiency and ensure the delivery of critical projects, to seek exceptions to contract with international companies that do not have regional headquarters in the kingdom.

The Local Content and Government Procurement Authority notified all government bodies of the mechanism to apply for exemptions through the Etimad digital platform.

The step is designed to balance enforcement of the “regional headquarters relocation” decision, in force since early 2024, with the needs of technically specialized projects or those driven by intense price competition.

Under a government decision that took effect at the start of 2024, state entities, including authorities, institutions and government-affiliated funds, are barred from contracting with any foreign commercial company whose regional headquarters in the region is located outside Saudi Arabia.

According to the information, the Local Content and Government Procurement Authority informed all entities of the rules governing contracts with companies that lack a regional headquarters in the kingdom and related parties.

Government entities may request an exemption from the committee for specific projects, multiple projects or a defined time period, provided the application is submitted before launching a tender or initiating direct contracting procedures.

Submission mechanism

In two circulars, the authority detailed how to submit exemption requests and clarified the cases in which contracting is permitted under the controls. It said the exemption service was launched on the Etimad platform in November 2025.

The service is available to entities that float tenders through Etimad. Requests for tenders launched before the service went live, as well as those issued outside the platform, will continue to follow the previously adopted process.

Etimad is the kingdom’s official financial services portal run by the Ministry of Finance, aimed at driving digital transformation of government procedures and boosting transparency and efficiency in managing budgets, contracts, payments, tenders and procurement. The platform streamlines transactions between state entities and the private sector.

Technical criteria

When issuing the contracting controls, the government made clear that companies without a regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia, or related parties, are not barred from bidding for public tenders.

However, their offers can only be accepted in two cases: if there is no more than one technically compliant bid, or if the offer ranks among the best technically and is at least 25% lower in price than the second-best bid after overall evaluation.

Contracts with an estimated value of no more than 1 million riyals ($266,000) are also exempt. The minister may, in the public interest, amend the threshold, cancel the exemption or suspend it temporarily.

More than 700 headquarters

More than 700 multinational companies had relocated their regional headquarters to Riyadh by early 2026, exceeding the initial target of attracting 500 companies by 2030. The program seeks to cement the kingdom’s position as a regional business hub and to localize global expertise.

When announcing the contracting ban, Saudi Arabia said the move was intended to incentivize foreign firms dealing with the government and its affiliated entities to adjust their operations.

It aims to create jobs, curb economic leakage, raise spending efficiency and ensure that key goods and services procured by government entities are delivered inside the kingdom with appropriate local content.

The government said the policy aligns with the objectives of the Riyadh 2030 strategy unveiled during the recent Future Investment Initiative forum, where 24 multinational companies announced plans to move their regional headquarters to the Saudi capital.

It stressed that the decision does not affect any investor’s ability to enter the Saudi economy or continue working with the private sector.

 


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.