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Carbon Trade… Global Interest, Saudi Action

Young people plant trees around the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to reduce carbon emissions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Young people plant trees around the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to reduce carbon emissions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Carbon Trade… Global Interest, Saudi Action

Young people plant trees around the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to reduce carbon emissions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Young people plant trees around the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to reduce carbon emissions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Amid talk of global carbon dioxide emissions rising by about 1 percent this year, which will make climate-warming gases reach a new record level, calls are mounting to take immediate action to preserve nature, climate, health and the entire planet.

In the face of these concerns, a new commercial trend is emerging in international markets, the “carbon trade” between countries, companies, and individuals.

According to the United Nations definition, the UN Carbon Offset Platform is an e-commerce platform where a company, an organization or a regular citizen can purchase units (carbon credits) to compensate for greenhouse gas emissions or to simply support action on climate.

The UN adds that the main feature of this platform is to display UNFCCC-certified climate friendly projects that reduce, avoid or remove greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. These projects are implemented in developing countries around the world and are rewarded with Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) for each ton of greenhouse gas they help reduce, avoid or remove.

A study by the International Emissions Trading Association and the University of Maryland indicated that national climate action plans, collaboratively through carbon trading, could save governments more than $300 billion annually by 2030, which has increased global interest in the carbon market.

In fact, one of the key outcomes of the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) held in Glasgow was the establishment of Article 6 regulating carbon markets under the UNFCCC.

A “carbon market” could contribute to tougher climate action by enabling governments and entities to trade carbon credits resulting from reducing or removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, such as phasing out fossil fuels, switching to renewable energy, or conserving carbon stocks in ecosystems such as forests.

Carbon trade in Saudi Arabia

Recognizing the opportunities provided by carbon trading, through financing projects and activities in the Middle East and North Africa, the Regional Voluntary Carbon Market Company in Saudi Arabia, which was established by the Public Investment Fund last year, plays a major role in expanding the scope of the voluntary carbon market and encouraging sustainable business and climate practices.

In October 2022, the company oversaw the sale of more than 1.4 million tons of carbon credits, the largest share of which was purchased by the Olayan Finance Company, Aramco, and the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden).

The Regional Voluntary Carbon Market is scheduled to host a conference on Oct. 26 on carbon markets in countries of the Global South to agree on a list of actions that must be taken before the 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28).

The Carbon Markets in the Global South - Riyadh Edition will be held within the Future Investment Initiative conference to review the most prominent challenges of strengthening voluntary carbon markets at the global level to reduce carbon emissions. The conference will be held in cooperation with S&P Global Commodity Insights.

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Business

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.