Red Sea Global Awards $266 Mn Contract in Saudi Arabia

Triple Bay masterplan of the Red Sea Global (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Triple Bay masterplan of the Red Sea Global (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Red Sea Global Awards $266 Mn Contract in Saudi Arabia

Triple Bay masterplan of the Red Sea Global (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Triple Bay masterplan of the Red Sea Global (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Red Sea Global awarded a Primary Infrastructure and Utility Contract of $266 million to the al-Ayuni Investment and Contracting to progress expansion at Amaala’s first phase of development across its Triple Bay masterplan.

Red Sea Global is developing The Red Sea and Amaala destinations in the Kingdom.

Al-Ayuni, classified as a “First Class” contractor in the Kingdom since 2006, will deliver state-of-the-art Primary Utility Infrastructure Systems while minimizing Triple Bay’s carbon footprint as part of Amaala’s commitment towards net-zero operations.

The CEO of Red Sea Group, John Pagano, said the deal forms a critical part of Red Sea Global’s ambition to pioneer a new relationship between luxury tourism and the natural environment.

“The sheer scale of the developments and our relentless pursuit of regenerative tourism requires meaningful partnerships that can deliver resilient infrastructure,” said Pagano.

He asserted that cooperation with al-Ayuni can collectively shape future developments in the Kingdom.

Al-Ayuni was selected based on its technical and commercial competencies and regional and global credentials.

All design and construction methods meet Red Sea Group’s stringent criteria for end-to-end sustainable development, including economic, financial, social, and institutional factors.

Al-Ayuni’s Chairman Faheed al-Ayuni indicated that Red Sea Global is a future-forward developer closely aligned with the company’s legacy of innovating world-class solutions, cementing trusted relationships, and setting new benchmarks.

Al-Ayuni asserted it was an “honor for us to contribute to its pioneering destinations, and we look forward to unlocking the full breadth of our robust capabilities to meet RSG’s ambitious sustainability targets.”

Amaala’s first phase of development, focused on the Triple Bay masterplan, will encompass eight hotels and upwards of 1,200 hotel keys upon full completion in 2027.

The destination will offer 3,000 hotel rooms across 25 hotels, high-end retail establishments, fine dining, wellness, and recreational facilities.



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.