Saudi PIF Strengthens Expansion Strategy With Key Appointments

Logo of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF)
Logo of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF)
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Saudi PIF Strengthens Expansion Strategy With Key Appointments

Logo of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF)
Logo of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF)

The Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) announced a string of new appointments in its executive team under the framework of an expansion strategy to achieve its goals, as one of the main engines of the Kingdom’s economy.

The appointments announced Tuesday included Yazeed al-Humied, as new Head of the Fund’s Local Holdings Investments and Rashed Sharif, as Managing Director and CEO of the merged entity of NCB Capital and Samba Capital, a key strategic PIF portfolio company.

Leading Saudi financier, Rania Nashar was appointed as Senior Advisor to PIF Governor, Yasir al-Rumayyan. In addition, Fahad Alsaif was named as the new Head of Corporate Finance, Alireza Zaimi appointed to the role of Special Advisor to Rumayyan, and Saad al-Kroud as acting PIF Chief of Staff.

The Fund said that the new appointments aim to support and bolster its ambitious strategy by enhancing the expertise of its executive team.

It described Nashar as a “prominent name in the banking world”, adding that she is the first woman to lead a banking Group in Saudi Arabia as CEO of Samba Financial Group.

She brings more than 20 years of professional experience in the banking industry and assumed various roles in different divisions within Samba, and is a member of various boards including the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul).

Fahad al-Saif was formerly the CEO of the National Debt Management Center and advisor to the Minister of Finance. He and brings more than 20 years of corporate and investment banking leadership experience to the role.

He will become a member of PIF’s Management Committee.

The Fund has an executive management team with extensive experience in various fields, and with the growth of its diversified local and international investment activities, bolstering these experiences will support efforts to achieve the ambitious goals.

“I would like to welcome Rania and Fahad to PIF. As we continue PIFs ambitious strategy they will bring extensive global capital finance and banking experiences to their positions, which will play an integral role in helping accelerate PIF’s growth trajectory,” said Rumayyan.

He also congratulated and thanked “Yazeed, Rashed, Alireza, and Saad for the significant contributions they have made to PIF, and I look forward to continuing to work closely with all of them in their new roles.”

The governor indicated that these appointments are critical to ensuring PIF continues to achieve its ambitious growth trajectory and important mandate on behalf of the people of Saudi Arabia.

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) is one of the world’s largest and most impactful sovereign wealth funds. It is the main engine helping to drive Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation as part of the country’s Vision 2030.

Last week, PIF surpassed the 1,000-employee mark, expanding from an initial 40 employees in 2016.

The Fund has also grown to over $347 billion AUM and has invested a total of $82.9 billion in the Saudi economy during the past four years while contributing to the creation of more than 190,000 new jobs in the country.



Egypt Plans $1 Billion Red Sea Marina, Hotel Development

This picture shows a partial view of Egypt's Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh, October 7, 2025. (AFP)
This picture shows a partial view of Egypt's Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh, October 7, 2025. (AFP)
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Egypt Plans $1 Billion Red Sea Marina, Hotel Development

This picture shows a partial view of Egypt's Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh, October 7, 2025. (AFP)
This picture shows a partial view of Egypt's Red Sea city of Sharm el-Sheikh, October 7, 2025. (AFP)

Egypt announced plans on Monday for a new $1 billion marina, hotel and housing development on the Red Sea in a bid to boost the region's tourist industry.

Construction on the "Monte Galala Towers and Marina" project would ‌start in ‌the second ‌half ⁠of the ‌year and run for seven years, Ahmed Shalaby, managing director of the main developer, Tatweer Misr, said.

The 10-tower development - a partnership with the ⁠housing ministry and other state bodies ‌including the armed ‍forces' engineering authority - ‍would cost about 50 ‍billion Egyptian pounds ($1.07 billion), he added.

The project, also announced by the cabinet, will cover 470,000 square meters on the Gulf of Suez, about ⁠35 km south of Ain Sokhna, Shalaby said.

Egypt aims to boost total tourist arrivals to around 30 million by 2030, from around 19 million recorded by the tourism ministry in 2025.


Saudi-Polish Investment Forum Explores Prospects for Economic and Investment Cooperation

The forum brought together government officials, business leaders, and investors from both countries with the aim of enhancing economic cooperation - SPA
The forum brought together government officials, business leaders, and investors from both countries with the aim of enhancing economic cooperation - SPA
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Saudi-Polish Investment Forum Explores Prospects for Economic and Investment Cooperation

The forum brought together government officials, business leaders, and investors from both countries with the aim of enhancing economic cooperation - SPA
The forum brought together government officials, business leaders, and investors from both countries with the aim of enhancing economic cooperation - SPA

The Saudi-Polish Investment Forum was held today at the headquarters of the Federation of Saudi Chambers in Riyadh, with the participation of Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Finance of the Republic of Poland Andrzej Domański, and Vice President of the Federation of Saudi Chambers Emad Al-Fakhri.

The forum brought together government officials, business leaders, and investors from both countries with the aim of enhancing economic cooperation, expanding investment partnerships in priority sectors, and exploring high-quality investment opportunities that support sustainable growth in Saudi Arabia and Poland.

During a dedicated session, the forum reviewed economic and investment prospects in both countries through presentations highlighting promising opportunities, investment enablers, and supportive legislative environments.

Several specialized roundtables addressed strategic themes, including the development of the digital economy, with a focus on information and communication technologies (ICT), financial technologies (fintech), and artificial intelligence-driven innovation, SPA reported.

Discussions also covered the development of agricultural value chains from production to market access through advanced technologies, food processing, and agricultural machinery. In addition, participants examined ways to enhance the construction sector by developing systems and materials, improving execution efficiency, and accelerating delivery timelines. Energy security issues and the role of industrial sectors in supporting economic transformation and sustainability were also discussed.

The forum witnessed the announcement of two major investment agreements. The first aims to establish a framework for joint cooperation in supporting investment, exchanging information and expertise, and organizing joint business events to strengthen institutional partnerships.

The second agreement focuses on supporting reciprocal investments through the development of financing and insurance tools and the stimulation of joint ventures to boost investment flows.

The forum concluded by emphasizing the importance of continued coordination and dialogue between the public and private sectors in both countries to deepen Saudi-Polish economic relations and advance shared interests.


Gold Rises as Dollar Slips, Focus Turns to US Jobs Data

FILE PHOTO: An employee places ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom at the Novosibirsk precious metals refining and manufacturing plant in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, Russia, September 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An employee places ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom at the Novosibirsk precious metals refining and manufacturing plant in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, Russia, September 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo
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Gold Rises as Dollar Slips, Focus Turns to US Jobs Data

FILE PHOTO: An employee places ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom at the Novosibirsk precious metals refining and manufacturing plant in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, Russia, September 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: An employee places ingots of 99.99 percent pure gold in a workroom at the Novosibirsk precious metals refining and manufacturing plant in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, Russia, September 15, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo

Gold prices rose on Monday, buoyed by a softer dollar as investors braced for a week packed with US economic data that could offer more clues on the US Federal Reserve's monetary policy.

Spot gold rose 1.2% to $5,018.56 per ounce by 9:30 a.m. ET (1430 GMT), extending a 4% rally from Friday.

US gold futures for April delivery also gained 1.3% to $5,042.20 per ounce.

The US dollar fell 0.8% to a more than one-week low, making greenback-priced bullion cheaper for overseas buyers.

"The big mover today (in gold prices) is the US dollar," said Bart Melek, global head of commodity strategy at TD Securities, adding that expectations are growing for weak economic data, particularly on the labor front, Reuters reported.

Investors are closely watching this week's release of US nonfarm payrolls, consumer prices and initial jobless claims for fresh signals on monetary policy, with markets already pricing in at least two rate cuts of 25 basis points in 2026.

US nonfarm payrolls are expected to have risen by 70,000 in January, according to a Reuters poll.

Lower interest rates tend to support gold by reducing the opportunity cost of holding the non-yielding asset.

Meanwhile, China's central bank extended its gold buying spree for a 15th month in January, data from the People's Bank of China showed on Saturday.

"The debasement trade continues, with ongoing geopolitical risks driving people into gold," Melek said, adding that China's purchases have had a psychological impact on the market.

Spot silver climbed 2.9% to $80.22 per ounce after a near 10% gain in the previous session. It hit an all-time high of $121.64 on January 29.

Spot platinum was down 0.2% at $2,092.95 per ounce, while palladium was steady at $1,707.25.

"A slowdown in EV sales hasn't really materialized despite all the policy softening, so I do see that platinum and palladium will possibly slow down," after a bullish run in 2025, WisdomTree commodities strategist Nitesh Shah said.