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Saudi Arabia Completes E-Link Procedures to Automate Business Acceleration

Riyadh's strategy aims to make the city capital one of the ten largest city economies in the world (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Riyadh's strategy aims to make the city capital one of the ten largest city economies in the world (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Completes E-Link Procedures to Automate Business Acceleration

Riyadh's strategy aims to make the city capital one of the ten largest city economies in the world (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Riyadh's strategy aims to make the city capital one of the ten largest city economies in the world (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) completed the electronic linking procedures with the Saudi Center for Economic Business through the Tanfeeth program to directly link the technical systems of government agencies and banks operating in the Kingdom and integrate them. This step would contribute to automating and accelerating business processing to achieve Vision 2030.

The Saudi Center for Economic Business is concerned with facilitating the procedures for launching and conducting businesses and providing all related services under international best practices.

SAMA stated that it aims, through Tanfeeth, to improve and develop joint business with government agencies, understand the needs of those agencies, and overcome obstacles and difficulties.

It seeks to achieve the objectives of the Central Bank, enhance the technical infrastructure, and increase the level of services aiming to reduce administrative procedures and improve their quality in integration with financial institutions operating in the Kingdom.

Meanwhile, Riyadh Municipality inaugurated Remat al-Riyadh Development Company, the strategic arm, to enable the private sector to implement and develop municipal projects.

The development arm will also help provide services to improve the quality of life and provide direct value to residents and visitors of the region.

Its activities will focus on three main sectors: urban development, asset management, and municipal services.

Remat al-Riyadh will contribute to empowering the strategic role of the Municipality by supporting its operations and enabling the private sector to implement and develop municipal projects.

The mayor and chairman of the Riyadh region, Prince Faisal bin Ayyaf, confirmed that the company would contribute to accelerating the developmental plans for the area and improving residents' lifestyles.

Given that Riyadh is deemed full of tremendous and promising opportunities, the firm will promote this growth by involving the private sector in the municipal sector, as it aspires to be one of the top development companies in the municipal sector.

He indicated that the company's activities are based on three main sectors: urban development, municipal asset management, and municipal services, to improve the quality of services and municipal projects, improve customer experience and achieve satisfaction.

Prince Faisal added that the company aims to boost the level of municipal services and contribute to creating a vibrant society that enables economic and social development for the Riyadh region.

Remat al-Riyadh CEO Abdullah Abu Daoud said that the company aspires to contribute to making Riyadh an ideal and successful model by developing and shaping the future of the municipal sector based on strategic priorities aimed at providing quality projects and services that contribute to the prosperity and improvement of the region and the progress of the area.

It also aims to improve quality of life, achieve financial sustainability, and develop attractive and innovative business models in partnership with the private sector.

During the past year, Saudi Arabia launched the Riyadh city strategy to make the capital one of the ten largest city economies in the world.

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Business

How 2025 Decisions Redrew the Future of Riyadh’s Real Estate Market

Construction is seen at a real estate project in Riyadh. (SPA)
Construction is seen at a real estate project in Riyadh. (SPA)
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How 2025 Decisions Redrew the Future of Riyadh’s Real Estate Market

Construction is seen at a real estate project in Riyadh. (SPA)
Construction is seen at a real estate project in Riyadh. (SPA)

The Saudi capital underwent an unprecedented structural shift in its real estate market in 2025, driven by a forward-looking agenda led by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. Far from incremental regulation, the year’s measures amounted to a deep corrective overhaul aimed at dismantling long-standing distortions, breaking land hoarding, expanding affordable housing supply, and firmly rebalancing landlord-tenant relations.

Together, the decisions ended years of speculation fueled by artificial scarcity and pushed the market toward maturity, one grounded in real demand, fair pricing, and transparency.

Observers dubbed 2025 a “white revolution” for Saudi real estate. The reforms severed the link between property and short-term speculation, restoring housing as a sustainable residential and investment product. Below is a detailed outline of the most significant of these historic decisions:

1- Unlocking land, boosting supply

In March, authorities lifted restrictions on sale, subdivision, development permits, and planning approvals for 81 million square meters north of Riyadh. A similar decision in October freed another 33.24 million square meters to the west.

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City was also mandated to deliver 10,000 - 40,000 fully serviced plots annually at subsidized prices capped at SAR 1,500 per square meter, curbing price manipulation and offering real alternatives for citizens.

2- Rent controls and contractual fairness

To stabilize households and businesses, the government froze annual rent increases for residential and commercial leases in Riyadh for five years starting in September. Enforced through the upgraded “Ejar” platform, the move halted arbitrary hikes while aligning growth with residents’ quality of life.

3- Tougher fees

An improved White Land Tax took effect in August, extending beyond vacant plots to include unoccupied built properties. Annual fees rose to as much as 10% of land value for parcels of 5,000 square meters or more within urban limits, raising the cost of land hoarding and incentivizing prompt development.

4- Investment openness and digital governance

A revised foreign ownership regime allowed non-Saudis - individuals and companies - to own property in designated zones under strict criteria, injecting international liquidity. Transparency was reinforced by the launch of the “Real Estate Balance” platform, providing real-time price indicators based on actual transactions and curbing phantom pricing.

5- Quality and urban standards

Policy shifted from quantity to quality with mandatory application of the Saudi Building Code and sustainability standards for all new developments, ensuring long-term operational value and preventing low-quality sprawl.

Structural shift

Sector specialists told Asharq Al-Awsat the measures represent a qualitative leap in market management, moving Riyadh from a scarcity and speculation-led cycle to a balanced market governed by genuine demand, efficient land use, disciplined contracts, and transparent indicators.

Khaled Al-Mobid, CEO of Menassat Realty Co., said the reforms were timely and corrective after years of rapid price escalation. He noted early positives: slowing price growth, a return to realistic negotiations, increased supply in some districts, and better-quality offerings focused on intrinsic value rather than quick appreciation.

Abdullah Al-Moussa, a real estate expert and broker, described the steps as addressing root causes, not symptoms.

He observed a behavioral shift, especially in northern Riyadh, from “hold and wait” to reassessment, alongside calmer price momentum, renewed interest in actual development, and clearer rental dynamics.

Saqr Al-Zahrani, another market expert, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the reforms tackled structural imbalances by breaking artificial scarcity created by undeveloped land banks.

Opening vast tracts north and west and introducing market-wide indicators restored “organized abundance,” aligning prices with real demand and purchasing power without heavy-handed intervention, he remarked.

He added that recent months have seen weaker demand for raw land and stalled auctions, contrasted with rising interest in off-plan sales and partnerships with developers.

Banks, too, have reprioritized toward projects with operational viability, lifting overall supply quality despite a temporary slowdown in some transactions.

Consumers, meanwhile, are showing greater patience and interest in self-build options, signaling a maturing market awareness.

Outlook

Experts expect the effects to continue through 2027, delivering broad price stability with limited corrections in overheated locations rather than sharp declines.

Homeownership, especially among young buyers, is projected to rise as capital shifts from land speculation to long-term development.

The 2025 decisions were not short-term fixes but the launch of a new social and economic trajectory for Riyadh’s property market, redefining real estate as a housing service and value-adding investment, not a speculative vessel.

As Riyadh advances toward becoming one of the world’s ten largest city economies, its real estate reset offers a model for aligning regulation with quality of life, transparency, and sustainable growth.

Business

Deal to Export Oil from Kurdish Region to Continue with No Issues, Kurdish Rudaw Reports

A staff at an oilfield holds the flag of Kurdistan. (X)
A staff at an oilfield holds the flag of Kurdistan. (X)
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Deal to Export Oil from Kurdish Region to Continue with No Issues, Kurdish Rudaw Reports

A staff at an oilfield holds the flag of Kurdistan. (X)
A staff at an oilfield holds the flag of Kurdistan. (X)

Kurdistan broadcaster Rudaw quoted the ​vice president of Iraq's state oil company SOMO as saying ‌on Saturday that ‌the ‌oil ⁠export ​deal ‌between Baghdad and Erbil is set to be renewed with ⁠out issues, Reuters reported.

In September, ‌Iraq restarted ‍the ‍export of ‍oil from its Kurdish region to Türkiye after ​an interruption of more ⁠than two years following a deal between Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government.

Business

Musk Wins Appeal that Restores 2018 Tesla Pay Deal Now Worth about $139 Billion

FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk attends the Breakthrough Prize awards in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 13, 2024. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk attends the Breakthrough Prize awards in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 13, 2024. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
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Musk Wins Appeal that Restores 2018 Tesla Pay Deal Now Worth about $139 Billion

FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk attends the Breakthrough Prize awards in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 13, 2024. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk attends the Breakthrough Prize awards in Los Angeles, California, U.S., April 13, 2024. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

Elon Musk's 2018 pay package from Tesla, once worth $56 billion, was restored by the Delaware ​Supreme Court on Friday, nearly two years after a lower court struck down the compensation deal as "unfathomable." The ruling overturns a decision that had prompted a furious backlash from Musk and damaged Delaware's business-friendly reputation. It assures Musk greater control over the company, which he has said is his main concern, even after shareholders recently approved a new pay package that could be worth $878 billion if Tesla meets certain targets, Reuters reported.

The Supreme Court said a 2024 ruling that rescinded the pay package had been improper and inequitable to Musk. The remedy of total rescission "leaves Musk uncompensated for his time and efforts over a period of six years," the 49-page ruling issued on Friday stated.

The 2018 pay package is now worth about $139 billion based on the price of Tesla's stock at the close of trading on Friday. "For ‌Elon, this is ‌a win because he gets control faster," said Gene Munster, managing partner at Tesla ‌investor ⁠Deepwater ​Asset Management.

If Musk ‌exercises all the stock options from the 2018 package, his stake in Tesla would grow from about 12.4% to 18.1% of an expanded share base. The company is issuing shares tied to his new pay package, although he must earn them by hitting performance goals.

Tesla shares were up less than 1% in after-hours trading following the ruling.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Musk posted on X that he was "vindicated." Lawyers who challenged the pay package said in a statement that they were considering their next steps and were "proud to have participated in the historic verdict below, calling to account the Tesla board and its largest stockholder for their breaches of fiduciary duty." The pay package was by ⁠far the largest ever until Tesla shareholders approved the new pay plan in November. If Tesla’s appeal had failed, it could have triggered a $26 billion hit to profit over two ‌years to account for the replacement stock-compensation package it had promised Musk – at ‍today’s much higher stock price.

The 2018 pay deal provided Musk options ‍to acquire about 304 million Tesla shares at a deeply discounted price if the company hit various milestones, which it did. ‍The options represent around 9% of Tesla's outstanding stock. Musk never collected his stock options because soon after shareholders approved the 2018 compensation, the board was sued by Richard Tornetta, an investor with nine Tesla shares.

UNFRIENDLY TO BUSINESS?

In 2024, after a five-day trial, Delaware Judge Kathaleen McCormick concluded that Tesla's directors were conflicted and key facts were hidden from shareholders when they voted to approve the plan. She ordered that the 2018 plan be rescinded.

Musk ​accused Delaware judges of being activists who are hostile to tech founders and he urged businesses to follow Tesla and reincorporate elsewhere. Dropbox, Roblox, Trade Desk and Coinbase were among the handful of large companies that moved ⁠their legal homes to Nevada or Texas. However, Delaware remains by far the most popular legal home for U.S. public companies.

Tesla's board had warned that Musk, the world's richest person who also leads the SpaceX rocket venture and artificial intelligence startup xAI, could leave the electric car company if he did not get the pay he wanted and an increase in his voting power. The Delaware Supreme Court may have been reluctant to annul Musk's pay package because shareholders had overwhelmingly voted in favor of it, said Brian Dunn, director of the Institute for Compensation Studies at Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. "I think that there's some belief that maybe the courts shouldn't get between the shareholders and the decisions that they make," said Dunn. Shareholders approved the new pay package in November and Tesla has taken steps to reduce the risk that a shareholder could tie up the 2025 package in the courts.

The Austin-based company is now incorporated in Texas, which allows Tesla to require that any investor or group of investors must own 3% of the company stock before suing for an alleged corporate law violation. A ‌stake of that size would be worth around $30 billion and Musk is the only individual with that much stock.