Saudi Commitment to Building a Green Future

The Governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Chairman of Saudi Aramco, Yasir Al Rumayyan, speaking to an audience during the Saudi Green Initiative Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Chairman of Saudi Aramco, Yasir Al Rumayyan, speaking to an audience during the Saudi Green Initiative Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Commitment to Building a Green Future

The Governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Chairman of Saudi Aramco, Yasir Al Rumayyan, speaking to an audience during the Saudi Green Initiative Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Chairman of Saudi Aramco, Yasir Al Rumayyan, speaking to an audience during the Saudi Green Initiative Forum in Sharm El-Sheikh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Governor of the Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Chairman of Saudi Aramco Yasir Al Rumayyan said the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) is a turning point in the environmental efforts, which aim to transition national ambitions into practical steps that affect the entire world.

Al Rumayyan underlined the great efforts being made by the Kingdom to build a green future, as part of its ambitions for carbon neutrality by 2060.

The Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) Initiative was the first of its kind in the MENA region, Al Rumayyan added during the Saudi Green Initiative Forum on the sidelines of the COP27 climate summit in Sharm El Sheikh.

The world’s largest-ever carbon credit auction took place last month, when 1.4 million tons of carbon credits were sold to 15 Saudi and regional entities.

The PIF was also the first sovereign wealth fund to issue a 100-year tranche green bond, Al Rumayyan added.

The success of this issue reflects investor confidence in Saudi Arabia and the PIF, as well as the Kingdom’s ability to establish a sustainable economy for the next 100 years.

No entity can achieve these goals alone, the PIF Governor said, stressing the significance of cooperation between the governments and private sector to drive innovation.

“I hope you are as inspired as I am about investing and partnering in the green transition. I see a world, in which we can seek both economic growth and environmental stewardship,” Al Rumayyan added.

“Here, the Saudi Green Initiative is creating a whole society movement, where we will pursue these goals. And if we act in a spirit of partnership, we will arrive at where we need to be in Saudi Arabia, the Middle East and around the world,” he concluded.



Japan's Core Inflation Rate Slows in September

FILE PHOTO: Media members observe the stock quotation board at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo, Japan, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Media members observe the stock quotation board at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo, Japan, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo
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Japan's Core Inflation Rate Slows in September

FILE PHOTO: Media members observe the stock quotation board at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo, Japan, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Media members observe the stock quotation board at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo, Japan, August 6, 2024. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan/File Photo

Japanese inflation slowed in September with prices up 2.4 percent on-year, not including volatile fresh food, official data showed Friday.
The core Consumer Price Index eased from 2.8 percent in August as the pace of increase in electricity and gas prices relented, the internal affairs ministry said.
Despite the slowdown, the rate remained above the Bank of Japan's two percent target, set over a decade ago as part of efforts to boost the stagnant economy, reported AFP.
The target has been surpassed every month since April 2022, although the bank has questioned to what extent that is down to temporary factors such as the Ukraine war.
"The resumption of electricity subsidies resulted in a plunge in headline inflation in September," said Marcel Thieliant, head of Asia-Pacific at Capital Economics.
Thieliant predicted a further deceleration of core inflation in October, but noted that the subsidies "should be phased out completely by December, which should lift inflation".
The Bank of Japan raised interest rates in March for the first time since 2007 and again in July, in initial steps towards normalizing its ultra-loose monetary policies.
New Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said this month that the environment was not right for another interest rate increase.
After Ishiba took office in early October, perceptions that he favored hiking borrowing costs and the possibility that he could raise taxes triggered a surge in the yen and stock market volatility.
One dollar bought 150 yen on Friday morning after the Japanese currency weakened from levels around 149.35 the day before.
Excluding both fresh food and energy, Japanese prices rose 2.1 percent in September.
"We expect inflation excluding fresh food and energy to remain around two percent until early next year, when it should gradually fall below two percent," Thieliant said.
"Accordingly, we still expect the Bank of Japan to press ahead with another interest rate hike before year-end."