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Saudi Arabia Grants 90,000 Licenses as Real Estate Brokerage Law Comes into Force

Saudi Arabia to transfer real estate activities into online activity (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia to transfer real estate activities into online activity (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Grants 90,000 Licenses as Real Estate Brokerage Law Comes into Force

Saudi Arabia to transfer real estate activities into online activity (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia to transfer real estate activities into online activity (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Real Estate Authority said that it had received, through its electronic services, over 89,000 requests for real estate licenses in just two days after the real estate brokerage law came into force.

The Authority issued over 72,000 licenses to individual practitioners and 17,100 licenses to establishments.

Spokesman Tayseer al-Mufarrej explained that the Authority is working to ensure business continuity in the real estate market and the transition to the new regulations in a straightforward manner.

Individuals who have been issued licenses to practice real estate mediation and marketing are allowed to mediate in real estate transactions between the two parties in exchange for a commission.

Electronic mediation includes promoting real estate to conclude a real estate transaction.

Licensed establishments can practice real estate brokerage and marketing activities. They are also allowed to practice property and facilities management, including financial and technical management, on behalf of others for the real estate specified in the property management contract.

Individual and establishment licenses will soon be issued and announced for real estate auctions for establishments, real estate analysis, consulting activities, and real estate advertisements.

Mufarrej confirmed that the real estate brokerage system identified seven main activities subject to its provisions: brokerage, real estate marketing activity, property management, and facilities management, as well as real estate auction, advertising, consultancy, and analysis activity.

Individuals' activities included mediation, marketing, advertising, consultancy, and real estate analysis.

Meanwhile, the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announced the amendment of Article 8 of the Implementing Regulation of the Finance Companies Control Law.

The amendment of this article followed a public consultation announced earlier on the Public Consultation Platform.

The amendment is part of SAMA's continuous efforts to develop the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) sector and attract a new segment of investors to establish finance companies specializing in financing SMEs.

SAMA clarified that a sub-article numbered (4) was added to Article (8) of the Implementing Regulation of the Finance Companies Control Law.

It stipulated that the minimum paid-up capital for a finance company that provides financing for SMEs shall not be less than $13.3 million.

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Business

Crypto Platform Binance Confirms ‘Complex’ $6.3 Bn Hack

Representations of cryptocurrencies are seen in front of displayed Binance logo in this illustration taken November 10, 2022. (Reuters)
Representations of cryptocurrencies are seen in front of displayed Binance logo in this illustration taken November 10, 2022. (Reuters)
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Crypto Platform Binance Confirms ‘Complex’ $6.3 Bn Hack

Representations of cryptocurrencies are seen in front of displayed Binance logo in this illustration taken November 10, 2022. (Reuters)
Representations of cryptocurrencies are seen in front of displayed Binance logo in this illustration taken November 10, 2022. (Reuters)

Cryptocurrency platform Binance said Friday it was working to resolve a "complex attack" that hit around $6.3 billion in funds, with about half that amount frozen to prevent a massive theft. 

The company -- the world's largest crypto exchange by daily trading volumes -- said investigations had "uncovered additional points of breach", contrary to initial findings that suggested the hack involved a single compromised laptop. 

"This was a complex attack, and we are doing all we can in coordination with law enforcement to resolve it," Binance wrote on X. 

The firm earlier posted a series of sometimes contradictory messages, insisting that "user funds are completely safe" but also saying it would "cover all losses." 

The company confirmed on its X account for Latin America that "the total estimated impact is around $6.3 billion." 

That is four times the amount impacted in the biggest-ever cyberattack of its kind to date: $1.5 billion taken in February last year from the Bybit platform. 

Binance warned the figure "may continue to increase as our teams work closely with law enforcement, issuers, blockchain intelligence firms and industry partners to trace and freeze additional assets." 

It said around $3 billion in affected assets had been frozen. 

The 2023 Bybit heist was attributed at the time to a group of hackers affiliated with North Korea called TraderTraitor. 

Blockchain investigation firm TRM Labs said Thursday it had "high confidence" that the Binance hack was also orchestrated by TraderTraitor, citing "robust on and off-chain intelligence." 

"Several features of this attack match earlier North Korea-linked heists," TRM said. 

TraderTraitor is believed to be part of Lazarus Group -- which gained notoriety in 2014 when it was accused of hacking into Sony Pictures as revenge for "The Interview," a film that mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. 

- Fund freeze - 

At about 0900 GMT Friday, Binance said it was on track to resume withdrawals in 45 hours, after announcing earlier that all deposits and withdrawals had been "temporarily suspended". 

"Deposits remain unaffected," it said. 

The company had said on X that initial investigation suggested the hack involved a compromised laptop belonging to a "DevOps engineer," allowing the unauthorized party to access a "service container" and execute unauthorized withdrawal transactions. 

"We have found no evidence of any private key leaks from wallets," it said, promising to share a detailed technical analysis once investigations were complete. 

But it said later that "subsequent investigation has uncovered additional points of breach." 

Paolo Ardoino, the boss of Tether -- a company that issues a cryptocurrency known as USDT -- said his firm froze about $1.6 billion "related to a potential Binance exchange hack." 

Jeremy Allaire, who runs cryptocurrency platform Circle, said his company had frozen more than $800 million in USDC. 

USDT and USDC are both "stablecoins," or digital currencies whose value is linked to a traditional currency, the US dollar. 

The US Department of Justice and the FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

- Crypto prices tumble - 

For several hours before Binance confirmed the attack, industry observers said hackers had managed to reach the platform. 

The prices of most major cryptocurrencies fell on news of the cyberattack, except for the stablecoins, which by definition can only fluctuate within tight margins. 

Bitcoin and Ethereum plunged nearly five percent and nearly six percent respectively on the news. BNB, native to Binance, tumbled nearly 10 percent. 

The attack on Binance comes as many observers express worries that the ever-expanding capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) models could compromise cryptography and IT security protocols. 

Business

TotalEnergies to Cut Diesel Prices to €2.15 per Liter at 705 French Stations

A sign of TotalEnergies on a fuel station in Paris, France on October 9, 2022. (AFP)
A sign of TotalEnergies on a fuel station in Paris, France on October 9, 2022. (AFP)
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TotalEnergies to Cut Diesel Prices to €2.15 per Liter at 705 French Stations

A sign of TotalEnergies on a fuel station in Paris, France on October 9, 2022. (AFP)
A sign of TotalEnergies on a fuel station in Paris, France on October 9, 2022. (AFP)

TotalEnergies said on Friday it will cut diesel prices to €2.15 ($2.40) a liter at 705 French stations from ‌Saturday, October ‌31.

The price ‌reduction ⁠comes after France ⁠announced it would release 10 million barrels of diesel from its strategic reserves on November ⁠1.

TotalEnergies said it ‌is ‌passing on the savings ‌from these older, cheaper ‌fuel stocks immediately, without waiting for physical deliveries to arrive.

The company ‌said in a statement the Access ⁠stations ⁠account for 60% of its fuel sales in the country, adding it will maintain a nationwide diesel price cap of €2.25 per liter.

Business

Türkiye’s Q3 Tourism Revenues Rise 5%, Minister Sees Full-Year Topping $65 Billion

People walk on a small street that leads to the historical Galata Tower, Istanbul, Türkiye, April 25, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk on a small street that leads to the historical Galata Tower, Istanbul, Türkiye, April 25, 2025. (Reuters)
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Türkiye’s Q3 Tourism Revenues Rise 5%, Minister Sees Full-Year Topping $65 Billion

People walk on a small street that leads to the historical Galata Tower, Istanbul, Türkiye, April 25, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk on a small street that leads to the historical Galata Tower, Istanbul, Türkiye, April 25, 2025. (Reuters)

Türkiye’s tourism revenues rose 5% year-on-year to $25.53 billion in the third quarter, with revenues in the first nine months increasing 2.4% to $51.29 billion, Turkish Statistical Institute data showed on Friday. 

Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said Türkiye was on track to generate more than $65 billion in full-year tourism revenues. 

"Longer-than-expected average stays and higher overnight spending have boosted tourism revenues," Ersoy told a news conference on the sector's performance in the ‌first nine ‌months of the year. 

The number of visitors ‌fell ⁠1% year-on-year to ⁠23.37 million in the third quarter, while total arrivals reached 49.13 million in the January-September period, the data showed. 

Separately, data from the Tourism Ministry showed that the number of foreign visitors rose 0.4% year-on-year to 6.11 million in September. However, foreign arrivals fell 1.52% to 40.93 million ⁠in the first nine months of the ‌year. 

Russians accounted for the ‌largest group of foreign visitors in September, with 979,647 arrivals, ‌followed by visitors from Germany, Britain, Iran and Poland. 

Average ‌overnight spending per visitor declined 1.3% year-on-year to $723 in the third quarter. For the first nine months, it fell 9.6% to $778. 

Ersoy said average visitor stays continued to exceed expectations, but warned ‌of risks to the sector in the final quarter, including a possible escalation of ⁠the Iran ⁠war, as well as an increase in drone attacks on cities amid the Russia-Ukraine war. 

In 2025, revenues increased by 6.8% from the previous year to a record $65.2 billion, according to official data. Before the Iran war began, the government's target for this year was $68 billion. 

Lower revenues could add to Türkiye's current account deficit, which is already under pressure from soaring energy prices due to the fallout from the Iran war. 

The war has hurt demand for travel to Türkiye's historic sites and Mediterranean beaches.