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Islamic Development Bank Targets Green Infrastructure Projects, Human Capital Development

Dr. Muhammad bin Sulaiman Al-Jasser and Hala Al-Saeed during a press conference in Sharm El-Sheikh on Thursday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Dr. Muhammad bin Sulaiman Al-Jasser and Hala Al-Saeed during a press conference in Sharm El-Sheikh on Thursday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
    Sharm El Sheikh - Sabri Najeh
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Islamic Development Bank Targets Green Infrastructure Projects, Human Capital Development

Dr. Muhammad bin Sulaiman Al-Jasser and Hala Al-Saeed during a press conference in Sharm El-Sheikh on Thursday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Dr. Muhammad bin Sulaiman Al-Jasser and Hala Al-Saeed during a press conference in Sharm El-Sheikh on Thursday. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Dr. Muhammad bin Sulaiman Al-Jasser, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), said that the group was currently focusing on green infrastructure projects and human capital development, especially in light of climate challenges.

In a press conference held on Thursday to launch the three-day activities of the IsDB in Sharm El-Sheikh, Al-Jasser said the group, which has so far provided funds amounting to USD 162 billion to 57 member countries, will pump the sixth increase in its capital by about USD 7.5 billion, bringing its capital to USD 77.5 billion.

He noted that the funds would be used to support many projects submitted by the group’s member states.

Al-Jasser pointed to the group’s strategy in community development operations, saying: “The Bank Group has taken a number of measures so that the upcoming projects and partnerships are more compatible with the Bank’s strategy, with a focus on combating poverty and protecting the environment, as well as increasing infrastructure projects and human capital development…”

He revealed that the bank has approved projects worth USD 1.6 billion in December, with the increasing need to inject new investments, adding that by the end of 2022, the bank’s lending value would reach USD 5 billion.

The IsDB continues to cooperate with its global partners, including the multilateral development banks, the Arab Coordination Group and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), along with other partners to mobilize new resources, Al-Jasser underlined.

He also affirmed IsDB’s full commitment and continued support to member states to confront development challenges and put their economies back on the right track.

In his speech at the 16th IsDB Global Forum on Islamic Finance, on the sidelines of the group’s meetings on Thursday, Al-Jasser noted that the economic crisis that resulted from Covid-19 pandemic has increased poverty rates and inequality of opportunities worldwide.

He emphasized that more than half a billion people around the world have been pushed into poverty during the pandemic.

“The pandemic prompted us to increase our efforts, and we have already studied optimal cooperation with member states to reduce poverty. We have also expanded the partnership with the Oxford Initiative and presented an integrated program with more development projects,” he said.

Speaking at the same conference, Egyptian Minister of Planning, Hala Al-Saeed, said her country was one of the largest contributors to the bank’s capital.

Saeed noted that Egypt had a growing cooperation portfolio with the IsDB, which amounted to around USD 17 billion (until the end of March 2022).

The portfolio includes 367 projects, 303 of which have already been completed at a total cost of more than USD 10.5 billion.

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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.