Saudi Arabia’s National Housing Company (NHC) has emerged as a central force in reshaping the Kingdom’s housing market, evolving from a state-backed developer into a key engine of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s economic reform agenda under Vision 2030.
Far from being a conventional real estate company, NHC today manages residential suburbs and assets accounting for around 20 percent of total real estate product sales in Saudi Arabia, underscoring its growing influence in one of the region’s largest property markets.
Since its launch in 2016, the company has positioned itself at the center of the Kingdom’s housing transformation, helping drive the Housing Program, one of Vision 2030’s flagship initiatives aimed at raising Saudi homeownership to 70 percent by the end of the decade.
NHC Chief Executive Mohammed Albuty said the company had played a pivotal role in restructuring the sector to ensure long-term sustainability beyond direct state financing. He pointed to the 2025 Vision 2030 annual report, which showed Saudi homeownership rising to 66.24 percent, surpassing the government’s interim target of 65 percent for 2025.
NHC was established by royal decree in 2016 as the investment and development arm of what is now the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing. Its creation marked the beginning of a new “national developer” model designed to manage housing assets and projects with greater efficiency and flexibility.
A major turning point came in 2020, when another royal order transferred the company’s ownership to the state, elevating it from a supporting entity to a market leader. The move enabled NHC to launch some of the region’s largest residential suburbs, shifting from managing limited housing complexes to developing integrated cities covering more than 160 million square meters.
The company has also sought to curb construction costs through its digital procurement platform, Supply Pro, which links developers directly with manufacturers and suppliers. The platform currently offers more than 1,500 products from 129 factories and 45 suppliers, helping reduce development costs by around 20 percent.
Speaking at the Real Estate Supply Chain Forum, Albuty said NHC had boosted local content in its projects through supply chain localization agreements and industrial partnerships worth more than SAR 21 billion ($5.6 billion). The deals included SAR 8 billion in supply chain service agreements, SAR 5 billion in industrial localization initiatives and 15 supply contracts worth more than SAR 8 billion.
Maan Alothimeen, NHC’s general manager for supply chains and business support, said Supply Pro had handled transactions exceeding SAR 2 billion over the past two years, with Saudi factories and small- and medium-sized enterprises accounting for 95 percent of the activity.
NHC has also become a platform for local developers, helping transform smaller firms into major players capable of managing billion-riyal projects. By offering investment opportunities in residential and commercial real estate, as well as in the operation of health, education and leisure facilities, the company has encouraged broader private-sector participation.
The strategy has contributed to the delivery of more than 300,000 housing units. The financial stability provided by NHC has also enabled emerging Saudi developers to grow into large companies managing projects valued at more than SAR 263 billion ($70 billion), strengthening the competitiveness of the Saudi property market.
As part of efforts to deepen local industrial participation, NHC signed a memorandum of understanding with the Local Content and Government Procurement Authority to turn its suburban developments into permanent showcases for Saudi-made products, a move expected to generate thousands of jobs in manufacturing and logistics.
Saudi Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majed Al-Hogail said mortgage financing had become a cornerstone of the Kingdom’s real estate expansion. He noted that the value of Saudi mortgage financing had surged from around SAR 200 billion ($53.3 billion) to more than SAR 900 billion ($240 billion) by the end of 2025, representing 27 percent of total Saudi banking portfolios.
Al-Hogail added that the Saudi Real Estate Refinance Co. (SRC) had issued sukuk in the London market to strengthen liquidity links between domestic and international financial markets and secure sustainable funding flows for the housing sector.
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Khaled Al-Mobid, chief executive of Menassat Real Estate Co., said NHC had become a key implementation arm of Saudi housing policy by increasing the supply of planned residential units, helping stabilize prices in the market.
He noted that the company’s most significant shift had been its evolution from a traditional developer into an “enabler” for private firms. Through the provision of serviced land and infrastructure, NHC allowed smaller developers to participate in large-scale projects and gain operational expertise, contributing to a more mature and professional real estate industry.
Al-Mobid added that NHC’s role extended beyond construction to balancing the housing market itself. By increasing organized housing supply and lowering development costs through economies of scale, the company was helping ease pressure on citizens and improve affordability.
He also said NHC’s partnership-driven model reduced reliance on direct government spending while encouraging private capital inflows and spreading investment risk, supporting the creation of a more financially sustainable housing sector.
As Saudi Arabia moves closer to achieving its Vision 2030 housing targets, NHC’s significance now goes beyond building homes. The company has become a model for a more diversified real estate economy led by private-sector investment and local industry, positioning housing as a driver of broader economic stability and growth.
