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Saudi Crown Prince Announces Development of Sindalah Island, First Sea Destination in NEOM

The Sindalah Island. The Crown Prince announced the development of the island. (SPA)
The Sindalah Island. The Crown Prince announced the development of the island. (SPA)
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Saudi Crown Prince Announces Development of Sindalah Island, First Sea Destination in NEOM

The Sindalah Island. The Crown Prince announced the development of the island. (SPA)
The Sindalah Island. The Crown Prince announced the development of the island. (SPA)

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, the Chairman of the NEOM Company Board of Directors, has announced the development of Sindalah, the first luxury island destination in NEOM and one of the most important projects supporting Saudi Arabia’s national tourism strategy.

A main gateway to the Red Sea offering bespoke nautical experiences, Sindalah is expected to start welcoming guests to enjoy its exquisite facilities and exclusive offerings from early 2024. The development will create 3,500 jobs for the tourism sector and hospitality and leisure services.

Extending over an area of approximately 840,000 square meters, Sindalah, is one of a group of islands that will be developed in NEOM, each according to its unique vision and design.

The Crown Prince said: “This is another significant moment for NEOM and a major step in the Kingdom realizing its tourism ambitions under Vision 2030. Sindalah will be NEOM’s first luxury island and yacht club destination in the Red Sea, providing a scenic gateway to the Red Sea that will become the region’s most exciting and attractive tourism location. It will be a destination where travelers can experience the true beauty of NEOM and Saudi Arabia, above and below the water, making Sindalah the future of luxury travel.”

Adding to NEOM’s growing tourism offerings, Sindalah will reshape the luxury international yachting calendar offering a new season for visitors and guests to enjoy. It will feature a prestigious 86-berth marina, an ideal destination for accommodating luxury vessels, while offshore buoys will house superyachts.

Providing one-of-a-kind nautical experiences, Sindalah will offer 413 ultra-premium hotel rooms, in addition to 333 top-end serviced apartments. A luxe beach club, glamorous yacht club, and 38 unique culinary offerings will provide an incomparable experience in the Red Sea.

With its incredible array of amenities, state-of-the-art marine facilities, strategic location and exceptional natural landscapes, Sindalah is expected to become one of the most alluring islands in the Red Sea.

Building on its ability to design new tourism opportunities from the ground up, NEOM is working with world-class leisure and hotel brands to make Sindalah an exclusive and glamorous destination in the Red Sea for the world’s yachting community.

NEOM is developing the island to be a premium destination surrounded by a stunning and diverse marine environment which has one of the world’s most beautiful coral reserves.

Sindalah is also expected to become a popular golfing destination by offering enthusiasts the opportunity to experience a world-class 6,474-yard (5,920 meters) par 70 course. With its 18 tees, the Sindalah golf course will deliver two unique nine-hole experiences.

The announcement of Sindalah affirms the accelerated pace in the development of NEOM towards achieving the ambitious vision of the Crown Prince, with the development of its flagship projects such as THE LINE, its designs recently revealed by the Crown Prince; TROJENA, its global mountain tourism destination that will be the Arabian Gulf’s first outdoor skiing retreat; and OXAGON, its reimagined manufacturing and innovation city.

All NEOM projects are aligned to redefine the way humanity lives and works in harmony with nature.

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Saudi Arabia Ranks 2nd Globally in World Bank’s GovTech Maturity Index 2025

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia Ranks 2nd Globally in World Bank’s GovTech Maturity Index 2025

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia has achieved an unprecedented milestone, ranking second worldwide in the 2025 GovTech Maturity Index (GTMI) released by the World Bank, covering 197 economies.

The results were announced at a press conference in Washington on Thursday.

According to the GTMI findings, Saudi Arabia excelled across all the report’s indices, placing it in the “very advanced” category with an overall score of 99.64%.

The assessment examined digital infrastructure, core government systems, online service delivery, and citizen engagement, with the Kingdom achieving some of the highest scores recorded worldwide.

Governor of the Digital Government Authority (DGA) Eng. Ahmed Mohammed Alsuwaiyan said the achievement reflects the unlimited support provided by the Kingdom’s leadership, the integration of government efforts, and strong partnerships with the private sector.

He noted that national teams over recent years have redesigned government services and developed advanced digital infrastructure, enabling the Kingdom to achieve this global standing.

Alsuwaiyan stressed that the DGA will continue to promote innovation and enhance the quality of digital services to support the national economy and advance the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.

The 2025 GTMI results show Saudi Arabia achieving 99.92% in the Core Government Systems Index (CGSI), 99.90% in the Public Service Digitalization Index (PSDI), 99.30% in the Digital Citizen Engagement Index (DCEI), and 99.50% in the GovTech Enablers Index (GTEI), securing an “A” rating among “very advanced countries” and reflecting an extensively mature digital government ecosystem.

This achievement caps a rising trajectory for Saudi Arabia’s digital government since the launch of Vision 2030, which prioritizes the citizen in the digital transformation process by improving government service delivery, enhancing user experience, and boosting operational efficiency.

These commitments have been supported by broad governmental integration, comprehensive development of digital systems, and the adoption of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

Saudi Arabia has made significant leaps in GovTech maturity, rising from 49th globally in the first GTMI in 2020 to third in 2022 and second in 2025, cementing its status as a global leader in digital transformation and innovation.

Business

European Central Bank Leaves Rates Unchanged with Economy Showing Signs of Modest Growth

The Euro currency symbol is seen prior to a press conference after an ECB's governing council meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
The Euro currency symbol is seen prior to a press conference after an ECB's governing council meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
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European Central Bank Leaves Rates Unchanged with Economy Showing Signs of Modest Growth

The Euro currency symbol is seen prior to a press conference after an ECB's governing council meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)
The Euro currency symbol is seen prior to a press conference after an ECB's governing council meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)

The European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged Thursday for the fourth meeting in a row as the economy in the 20 countries that use the euro increasingly looks strong enough to get by without the stimulus of lower borrowing costs for businesses and consumers.

Bank President Christine Lagarde said that while the economy had remained “resilient,” there was too much uncertainty over trade and international conflicts to give any hints about future moves.

“We reconfirmed that we are in a good place” with interest rates, she said. “Which does not mean that we are static.”

Instead, the bank's rate setting council would take things meeting by meeting, starting with the next gathering in February. There is “no set date for any move,” she said. “There are lots of factors that that are in play and that will evolve over the course of '26.”

The council left the benchmark deposit rate unchanged at 2%, where it has been since a rate cut in June. Economists now think the rate could stay there for months - and possibly into 2027.

That’s because the ECB remains poised between inflation that’s just a bit too persistent and growth that’s underwhelming but steady after a trade deal with the US remove some of the uncertainty that had held back business planning. Higher rates fight inflation while cuts support growth.

The bank said in its decision statement that economic growth “is expected to be stronger” than in the bank's last projections in September, while inflation in services businesses was declining more slowly, even as overall inflation was expected to stabilize at the bank's 2% target.

Surveys of purchasing managers by S&P Global slipped slightly for December but still showed business activity expanding as the year comes to an end, reinforcing expectations that the 20 countries using the euro currency will continue to see growth of around 0.3% per quarter over the previous quarter.

That outcome is better than feared during turbulent trade negotiations with the United States over the summer, which finally settled with a 15% tariff, or import tax, imposed on European goods by US President Donald Trump.

Trump had threatened higher rates and the deal struck with the European Union's executive commission appears to have removed uncertainty and made it easier for businesses to make decisions. So the economy can get by without the added boost from a cut, analysts say.

“The haze of economic uncertainty has somewhat lifted, especially regarding trade,” The Associated Press quoted economist Lorenzo Codogno as saying.

On top of that, inflationary pressures remain too high for the ECB to contemplate a cut. The headline rate of 2.1% for annual inflation in November is roughly in line with the bank's goal of 2%, thanks in part to a drop in volatile energy prices. But inflation was higher at 3.5% in the services sector, which encompasses much of the economy from hairdressers and hotels to concert tickets and medical services.

While the ECB stood pat, the Bank of England on Thursday cut its key interest rate for the first time in four months as stubbornly high inflation starts to ease.

Policymakers voted 5-4 to reduce the base rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 3.75% on Thursday. Consumer price inflation slowed to 3.2% in the 12 months through November, from 3.6% a month earlier.

Central bank rate cuts can support growth because they strongly influence borrowing rates throughout the economy, lowering credit costs and promoting credit sensitive purchases such as new homes by consumers or new production facilities by businesses. Higher rates have the opposite effect and are used to contain inflation by dampening demand for goods.

Business

Saudi Arabia Achieves 2nd Position Globally in ITU’s Digital Regulatory Maturity Index 2025

Saudi Arabia Achieves 2nd Position Globally in ITU’s Digital Regulatory Maturity Index 2025
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Saudi Arabia Achieves 2nd Position Globally in ITU’s Digital Regulatory Maturity Index 2025

Saudi Arabia Achieves 2nd Position Globally in ITU’s Digital Regulatory Maturity Index 2025

The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) announced that Saudi Arabia has ranked second globally in the Digital Regulatory Maturity Index 2025, placing just behind Germany among 193 countries, and maintaining its position in the highest “Leading” category of the global classification, according to a statement issued by the Communications, Space and Technology Commission (CST).

CST Acting Governor Eng. Haitham bin Abdulrahman Alohali stated that this achievement is the result of the support and enablement of the wise leadership, alignment of national digital economy directions with international multi-stakeholder initiatives, and strong collaboration between public and private sector entities through cooperative and participatory regulation, SPA reported.

He added that the Kingdom’s progress was further driven by adopting regulatory policies based on measuring social and economic impact, launching digital inclusion programs to empower all segments of society, implementing policies that promote development and innovation across sectors such as science, agriculture, and finance, and joining the Tampere Convention to facilitate the provision of telecommunications resources for disaster mitigation.

Alohali highlighted that attaining the highest “Leading” maturity level has contributed to accelerating the growth of Saudi Arabia’s digital economy, expanding the telecom and technology market, stimulating competition, attracting investment, and strengthening the Kingdom’s leading and active role within the ITU.

The statement added that this achievement reflects the efforts led by CST in collaboration with the National Regulatory Committee, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Economy and Planning, Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, Digital Government Authority, Saudi Central Bank, Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority, Transport General Authority, General Authority of Media Regulation, National Cybersecurity Authority, Saudi Water Authority, Saudi Electricity Regulatory Authority, General Authority for Competition, and Consumer Protection Association.