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Saudi Arabia Announces $6.4 Billion Investments in Future Tech

Participants at LEAP 2022 in Riyadh. (Bashir Saleh)
Participants at LEAP 2022 in Riyadh. (Bashir Saleh)
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Saudi Arabia Announces $6.4 Billion Investments in Future Tech

Participants at LEAP 2022 in Riyadh. (Bashir Saleh)
Participants at LEAP 2022 in Riyadh. (Bashir Saleh)

Saudi Arabia showcased its huge potential as a regional hub for technology and innovation, which is one of the goals of its Vision 2030.

Riyadh kicked off the LEAP Tech Event 2022 and announced several investment deals worth over $6.4 billion to support future technologies, startups, and tech entrepreneurship.

The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones organized the event.

The conference is in line with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's drive to seize opportunities in the digital economy and enhance the Kingdom's global leadership as the regional hub for technology, innovation, and digital entrepreneurship.

Saudi Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Abdullah al-Sawaha said that with the support of the Crown Prince, the Kingdom is the most significant and fast-growing in the digital economy, with the most prominent technology market and the highest concentration of digital capabilities and the fastest growing in venture capital investments.

"These investments and initiatives are a manifestation of the Kingdom's push towards the growth of the digital economy for the greater good of people," he added.

Deputy Governor for IT and Emerging Technologies at the CITC, Raed al-Fayez stated that smart cities reduce energy use by 50 percent and have many positive social and economic impacts.

The Kingdom has a solid digital infrastructure to enable the applications of these cities, he said.

Assistant Deputy Governor for Planning and Development at the CITC, Nayef Shesha explained that the ICT sector has a huge potential that contributes to enabling a sustainable future and the smart solutions provided by this sector.

LEAP's $6.4 billion deals

Aramco launched Prosperity7 Ventures, a $1 billion venture capital fund designed to develop next-generation technologies and business models and help entrepreneurs across the globe build transformative startups.

Aramco Chief Technology Officer Ahmed al-Khowaiter said: "Through the breadth of the Saudi Aramco ecosystem, its vast resources, and its far-reaching footprint across geographies and sectors, Prosperity7 can present unparalleled opportunities for scalability and impact."

Khowaiter noted that this potential would be instrumental in creating stronger foundations for success for its portfolio companies.

Meanwhile, Saudi Telecom (STC) announced the MENA Hub, a $1 billion investment in regional connectivity and infrastructure, which will support Saudi Arabia's rapidly expanding digital and cloud sector.

As part of its investment, NEOM announced the launch of the world's first cognitive metaverse, XVRS, that will serve residents and visitors of the smart giga-project. It also launched M3LD, a unique data management platform that gives back data control to the user.

J&T Express Group, one of the world's fastest-growing logistics companies, announced an investment of $2 billion with eWTP Arabia Capital and other partners.

The investment will see J&T establish its MENA headquarters in Riyadh and set up an extensive network of smart logistics and distribution facilities to extend Saudi Arabia's reach as the regional center for advanced logistics.

Joseph Bradley, CEO of NEOM, said that cognitive meta cities would define the future. It is a vision focused on experiences rather than scale.

"XVRS puts human needs at its core. It is designed to give people more time, space, and enhanced safety. M3LD, meanwhile, will place data ownership back in the hands of users and restore trust in the data economy."

Furthermore, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) signed a $2 billion joint venture with a subsidiary of the Chinese giant Alibaba.

Digital content

The King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) announced $1.4 billion in funds to support digital content, including an initiative known as The Garage, a space in the capital Riyadh that will host startups specialized in new technologies and supporting digital content.

On the sidelines of the conference, the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO) launched the Startup Passport to make it quicker, easier, and less expensive for startups to do business across borders.

Meanwhile, several investments in digital entrepreneurship, venture capital, and startup funds, amounting to more than $300 million, were announced at LEAP.

With the government's support, the Kingdom has become the most significant technological and digital market using the applications of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

The investments and deals allow Saudi Arabia to be the fastest growing market in digital competitiveness among the G20, with the highest growth in digital content and digital payments.

International participation

Saudi Arabia launched LEAP, the global technology platform, to address future challenges such as healthcare technologies to improve the quality of life and increase life expectancy, empowering humans through robots and technologies.

Held under the theme "One Eye on the Stars," LEAP seeks to discuss the most prominent social and cultural challenges facing the world through modern technologies with the participation of more than 350 speakers from 80 countries and 700 innovators and startups from around the world.

Lord Stephen Carter CBE, former Minister of Communications UK and Group CEO Informa PLC, stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation in developing digital transformation tools.

Carter called for boosting collaboration between Riyadh and London in digital transformation, cybersecurity, and next-generation technologies.

The official stated that Saudi Arabia has made rapid and great strides in automation and environmentally friendly energy, noting that collaboration in this field boosts the economy and strengthens public and private sectors.

Finnish Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Ville Skinnari, and UAE Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications Omar al-Olama addressed innovation and digital transformation legislation.

They emphasized the need to legitimize data protection law, referring to the diverse Saudi capabilities in Information Technology and Communication.

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IMF and Arab Monetary Fund Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
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IMF and Arab Monetary Fund Sign MoU to Enhance Cooperation

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA
The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki - SPA

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference on Emerging Market Economies (EME) to enhance cooperation between the two institutions.

The MoU was signed by IMF Managing Director Dr. Kristalina Georgieva and AMF Director General Dr. Fahad Alturki, SPA reported.

The agreement aims to strengthen coordination in economic and financial policy areas, including surveillance and lending activities, data and analytical exchange, capacity building, and the provision of technical assistance, in support of regional financial and economic stability.

Both sides affirmed that the MoU represents an important step toward deepening their strategic partnership and strengthening the regional financial safety net, serving member countries and enhancing their ability to address economic challenges.

Business

Saudi Chambers Federation Announces First Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
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Saudi Chambers Federation Announces First Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council

File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT
File photo of the Saudi flag/AAWSAT

The Federation of Saudi Chambers announced the formation of the first joint Saudi-Kuwaiti Business Council for its inaugural term (1447–1451 AH) and the election of Salman bin Hassan Al-Oqayel as its chairman.

Al-Oqayel said the council’s formation marks a pivotal milestone in economic relations between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, reflecting a practical approach to enabling the business sectors in both countries to capitalize on promising investment opportunities and strengthen bilateral trade and investment partnerships, SPA reported.

He noted that trade between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reached approximately SAR9.5 billion by the end of November 2025, including SAR8 billion in Saudi exports and SAR1.5 billion in Kuwaiti imports.

Business

Leading Harvard Trade Economist Says Saudi Arabia Holds Key to Success in Fragmented Global Economy

Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
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Leading Harvard Trade Economist Says Saudi Arabia Holds Key to Success in Fragmented Global Economy

Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).
Professor Pol Antràs speaks during a panel discussion at the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies (Asharq Al-Awsat).

Harvard University economics professor Pol Antràs said Saudi Arabia represents an exceptional model in the shifting global trade landscape, differing fundamentally from traditional emerging-market frameworks. He also stressed that globalization has not ended but has instead re-formed into what he describes as fragmented integration.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat on the sidelines of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies, Antràs said Saudi Arabia’s Vision-driven structural reforms position the Kingdom to benefit from the ongoing phase of fragmented integration, adding that the country’s strategic focus on logistics transformation and artificial intelligence constitutes a key engine for sustainable growth that extends beyond the volatility of global crises.

Antràs, the Robert G. Ory Professor of Economics at Harvard University, is one of the leading contemporary theorists of international trade. His research, which reshaped understanding of global value chains, focuses on how firms organize cross-border production and how regulation and technological change influence global trade flows and corporate decision-making.

He said conventional classifications of economies often obscure important structural differences, noting that the term emerging markets groups together countries with widely divergent industrial bases. Economies that depend heavily on manufacturing exports rely critically on market access and trade integration and therefore face stronger competitive pressures from Chinese exports that are increasingly shifting toward alternative markets.

Saudi Arabia, by contrast, exports extensively while facing limited direct competition from China in its primary export commodity, a situation that creates a strategic opportunity. The current environment allows the Kingdom to obtain imports from China at lower cost and access a broader range of goods that previously flowed largely toward the United States market.

Addressing how emerging economies should respond to dumping pressures and rising competition, Antràs said countries should minimize protectionist tendencies and instead position themselves as committed participants in the multilateral trading system, allowing foreign producers to access domestic markets while encouraging domestic firms to expand internationally.

He noted that although Chinese dumping presents concerns for countries with manufacturing sectors that compete directly with Chinese production, the risk is lower for Saudi Arabia because it does not maintain a large manufacturing base that overlaps directly with Chinese exports. Lower-cost imports could benefit Saudi consumers, while targeted policy tools such as credit programs, subsidies, and support for firms seeking to redesign and upgrade business models represent more effective responses than broad protectionist measures.

Globalization has not ended

Antràs said globalization continues but through more complex structures, with trade agreements increasingly negotiated through diverse arrangements rather than relying primarily on multilateral negotiations. Trade deals will continue to be concluded, but they are likely to become more complex, with uncertainty remaining a defining feature of the global trading environment.

Interest rates and artificial intelligence

According to Antràs, high global interest rates, combined with the additional risk premiums faced by emerging markets, are constraining investment, particularly in sectors that require export financing, capital expenditure, and continuous quality upgrading.

However, he noted that elevated interest rates partly reflect expectations of stronger long-term growth driven by artificial intelligence and broader technological transformation.

He also said if those growth expectations materialize, productivity gains could enable small and medium-sized enterprises to forecast demand more accurately and identify previously untapped markets, partially offsetting the negative effects of higher borrowing costs.

Employment concerns and the role of government

The Harvard professor warned that labor markets face a dual challenge stemming from intensified Chinese export competition and accelerating job automation driven by artificial intelligence, developments that could lead to significant disruptions, particularly among younger workers. He said governments must adopt proactive strategies requiring substantial fiscal resources to mitigate near-term labor-market shocks.

According to Antràs, productivity growth remains the central condition for success: if new technologies deliver the anticipated productivity gains, governments will gain the fiscal space needed to compensate affected groups and retrain the workforce, achieving a balance between addressing short-term disruptions and investing in long-term strategic gains.