Saudi Aramco Buys 7.4% Stake in Norwegian Software Firm Cognite

The logo of Saudi Aramco is pictured outside Khurais, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. (Reuters)
The logo of Saudi Aramco is pictured outside Khurais, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. (Reuters)
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Saudi Aramco Buys 7.4% Stake in Norwegian Software Firm Cognite

The logo of Saudi Aramco is pictured outside Khurais, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. (Reuters)
The logo of Saudi Aramco is pictured outside Khurais, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. (Reuters)

Saudi Aramco has bought a 7.4% stake in Norwegian industrial software group Cognite from oil firm Aker BP, Cognite said on Wednesday.

The price for the stake was "around 1 billion Norwegian crowns," or about $113 million, an Aker BP spokesperson told Reuters, valuing Cognite at just over $1.5 billion.

Cognite and Saudi Aramco are in a partnership to provide digitization services in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East region.

"Cognite has proven that their technology delivers complex real time insights seamlessly and is optimizing how energy is being supplied to the world," Saudi Aramco Senior Vice President Ahmad A. Al-Sa'adi said in a statement.

Both Cognite and Aker BP are part of Norwegian billionaire Kjell Inge Roekke's group of companies, whose investment firm Aker ASA has a 50.5% stake in Cognite.

US venture capital firm Accel holds 12.4% while Cognite's Chief Executive John Markus Lervik owns 7.2%, an Aker spokesman said in May last year.



Saudi PIF, Hong Kong Monetary Authority Sign MoU on Investment Fund

The MoU was signed at FII 8th Edition in Riyadh. SPA
The MoU was signed at FII 8th Edition in Riyadh. SPA
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Saudi PIF, Hong Kong Monetary Authority Sign MoU on Investment Fund

The MoU was signed at FII 8th Edition in Riyadh. SPA
The MoU was signed at FII 8th Edition in Riyadh. SPA

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) signed on Thursday a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work towards jointly anchoring a new investment fund, with a target size of $1 billion.

The MoU was signed at FII 8th Edition in Riyadh.

Under the MoU, the fund would explore investment in manufacturing, renewables, fintech, and healthcare, supporting the localization of companies connected to Hong Kong and the Greater Bay area in Saudi Arabia. It would create highly skilled local jobs and drive economic growth by fostering regional champions in the target sectors. It would reinforce Hong Kong’s position as one of the world’s leading financial hubs, leveraging its diverse talent pool, efficient financial infrastructure and deep liquidity. The signing of this MoU is a new milestone that underlines the economic ties between two leading institutions: PIF and HKMA.

The proposed new fund aligns with PIF’s economic diversification and sustainability strategy.

This partnership has the potential to drive shared prosperity by investing in industries that will shape future economies. It combines HKMA’s long-term investment expertise with PIF’s strategy for the target sectors.

The new fund would promote foreign direct investments via Hong Kong, providing a platform for companies to internationalize their businesses and access attractive investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia.