عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Business

Saudi Arabia Sees Growth in Entrepreneurs' Funds

The Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) discusses youth priorities in entrepreneurship. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) discusses youth priorities in entrepreneurship. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia Sees Growth in Entrepreneurs' Funds

The Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) discusses youth priorities in entrepreneurship. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
The Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) discusses youth priorities in entrepreneurship. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Investment in Saudi Arabia has witnessed a qualitative leap in the stock market and a significant growth in entrepreneurs' funds, be it private or venture investment or startup funds, announced Chairman of the Capital Market Authority (CMA) Mohammed al-Kuwaiz.

Speaking at a panel discussion at the Global Entrepreneurship Congress (GEC) in Riyadh, Kuwaiz pointed out that the crowdfunding platforms contributed to accelerating the financing process for pioneering projects and shortening the time and effort, as it is now possible to obtain funding in less than two minutes through the platforms.

"The financing targets fast-growing businesses, and we see great work from various public and private sectors, and we have an association specialized in venture investment and a government funding program, which did not exist before," he added.

He explained that the quality of ideas of Saudi entrepreneurs is the real driver of venture financing, noting that CMA is working to reshape the companies' code to allow them to have flexibility and more significant benefit.

"The angel investment is developing in the Kingdom, and we currently have five angel groups," he revealed, calling on ambitious young people to enter into entrepreneurship and start from scratch to achieve their ambitions.

Speaking at GEC, G20 Young Entrepreneurs Alliance (YEA) President Prince Fahad bin Mansour addressed topics that interest emerging entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia.

A panel session on "Priorities of Young Entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia" discussed the best ways to benefit from the services provided by the government and private entities that help facilitate the entrepreneur's journey.

Prince Fahad revealed that many means enable and support entrepreneurs, including the business environment that generates opportunities.

He stressed that Saudi Vision 2030 is witnessing significant developments to boost and enhance the economy, including supporting youth.

Prince Fahad believes that the entrepreneurship education curricula may be sufficient to create a promising generation of interested youth.

He indicated that it is essential to enlighten the youth on entrepreneur needs, including the difficulty of the journey and obstacles, adding that every entrepreneur wants to become a billionaire, but there are many difficulties facing their journey.

He stressed that everyone must be aware of all the complications and problems that may arise well before starting their project.

Most Viewed

 
 
Business

OPEC Further Lowers 2026 Global Oil Demand Growth Forecast

FILE PHOTO: People walk past an installation depicting barrel of oil with the logo of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Baku, Azerbaijan November 19, 2024. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk past an installation depicting barrel of oil with the logo of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Baku, Azerbaijan November 19, 2024. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
TT
TT

OPEC Further Lowers 2026 Global Oil Demand Growth Forecast

FILE PHOTO: People walk past an installation depicting barrel of oil with the logo of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Baku, Azerbaijan November 19, 2024. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: People walk past an installation depicting barrel of oil with the logo of Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in Baku, Azerbaijan November 19, 2024. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

OPEC on Wednesday lowered its forecast for world oil demand growth in 2026 to 580,000 barrels per day, a copy of its monthly report showed, marking the fourth straight downward revision.

The producer group continues to see a smaller impact on consumption since the Iran war started than other forecasters such as the International Energy Agency, which expects demand to decline in 2026, Reuters reported.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries also raised its forecast for 2027 oil demand growth, according to the report on OPEC's website.

Business

Bank of America Pledges $250 Billion for US Infrastructure Financing

Signage is seen at the Bank of America Tower in Manhattan, New York City, New York, US, November 2, 2022. (Reuters)
Signage is seen at the Bank of America Tower in Manhattan, New York City, New York, US, November 2, 2022. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Bank of America Pledges $250 Billion for US Infrastructure Financing

Signage is seen at the Bank of America Tower in Manhattan, New York City, New York, US, November 2, 2022. (Reuters)
Signage is seen at the Bank of America Tower in Manhattan, New York City, New York, US, November 2, 2022. (Reuters)

Bank of America said on Wednesday it plans to deploy $250 billion by July 2027 to support US digital and infrastructure projects, a move it says will boost the country's economic growth and help create tens of thousands of jobs.

The Wall Street bank said its "Critical Infrastructure Finance Initiative," launched on the heels of the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations, will provide primary market lending, investments, ‌capital markets services, ‌and banking and advisory offerings.

The announcement underscores how ‌major ⁠US financial institutions are seeking ⁠to capitalize on rising demand for AI data centers, critical minerals and energy infrastructure upgrades.

It comes days after Morgan Stanley said it would facilitate roughly $1.5 trillion over the next decade to finance technology and infrastructure projects.

Last year JPMorgan Chase launched a $1.5 trillion plan to facilitate, finance and invest in industries deemed critical to the US national security and economic resilience, including defense, ⁠energy and advanced manufacturing.

BOOSTING GROWTH, CREATING JOBS

Bank of ‌America's financing will target three areas: ‌digital infrastructure, including data centers and computing; energy and power infrastructure, including renewable generation ‌and energy storage; and core infrastructure such as transportation and natural gas.

"Meeting ‌America's growing infrastructure needs requires mobilizing capital at scale across increasingly interconnected sectors," said Karen Fang, global head of infrastructure and sustainable finance at Bank of America.

"Delivering these projects requires integrated financing solutions spanning corporate and project-level capital in both public ‌and private markets."

The $250 billion target will be measured over an 18-month period from January 1, 2026, to July ⁠4, 2027, ⁠the bank said.

"If we all do our job right, we should be deploying more capital," said Fang, who is also co-head of global capital solutions at BofA, when asked about potential deployment of more capital after July 2027.

Many projects require new infrastructure to be built before becoming operational, she said.

In the United States, infrastructure construction loans typically have terms of five to seven years. Once projects are completed and operating, they are often refinanced with longer-term debt lasting 10, 15 or 20 years, Fang said.

She said greater infrastructure investment would help drive economic growth and create long-term jobs.

"Infrastructure spending will lead to economic growth and prosperity," she said.

Business

IEA Cuts 2026 Oil Demand Forecast Again as Hormuz Remains Shut

Boats and a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 3, 2026. (Reuters)
Boats and a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 3, 2026. (Reuters)
TT
TT

IEA Cuts 2026 Oil Demand Forecast Again as Hormuz Remains Shut

Boats and a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 3, 2026. (Reuters)
Boats and a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Musandam, Oman, August 3, 2026. (Reuters)

The International Energy Agency on Wednesday sharply reduced its forecast for global oil demand this year, as supplies remain crimped by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and high prices deter buyers.

Demand is expected to slump by 1.6 million barrels per day (mb/d), compared with its forecast slump of one million barrels in its previous monthly report in July.

Crude prices have remained well above levels seen before the US and Israeli attacks on Iran in late February, sparking a war that has seen Iran launch attacks at several Gulf countries.

Tehran also responded by effectively shutting down tanker and cargo traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which around one-fifth of global oil supplies usually transit.

"The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz and elevated fuel prices continue to weigh on oil consumption," the Paris-based IEA said.

Despite a purported ceasefire and repeated claims that a deal to open the strait was imminent -- what the IEA referred to as "sudden diplomatic pivots" -- only a handful of ships are being let through, leading to volatile pricing on global oil markets.

The IEA said global supplies rose by 2.4 million barrels per day in July, to reach 101.5 mb/d, but that was still 6.3 mb/d lower than a year ago.

But "renewed hostilities and maritime disruptions in July and early August undermined the recovery efforts," the agency said.

It now expects global supply to fall by 4.3 mb/d on average this year, before recovering next year.

On the demand side, the IEA is projecting a return to growth in the fourth quarter of this year.