Saudi Arabia to Host World Economic Forum Meeting in April

'Saudi Arabia: The Course Ahead' panel in Davos on Thursday
'Saudi Arabia: The Course Ahead' panel in Davos on Thursday
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Saudi Arabia to Host World Economic Forum Meeting in April

'Saudi Arabia: The Course Ahead' panel in Davos on Thursday
'Saudi Arabia: The Course Ahead' panel in Davos on Thursday

Saudi Arabia will host a special World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in April, Economy Minister Faisal Alibrahim said on Thursday.

The meeting, scheduled to take place from April 28-29, will focus on global collaboration, growth and energy, Alibrahim said in Davos, Switzerland, where the World Economic Forum's main annual event is currently taking place.

He spoke at “Saudi Arabia: The Course Ahead" panel.

"The (World Economic) Forum has recognized that the kingdom is becoming a stronger, more impactful leader on the global stage... and we found it as an opportune time to bring this global Tier 1 event to the kingdom, and start this new chapter together," Alibrahim later told Reuters in an interview.

"This will contribute to Riyadh becoming a more global platform," he said, adding the Saudi government had been in talks with the WEF for some time to host an event.

Hosting the WEF in Riyadh will not take away from the kingdom's flagship annual event, the Future Investment Initiative (FII), Alibrahim said.



Saudi PIF Completes $7 bln Inaugural Murabaha Credit Facility

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) logo
The Public Investment Fund (PIF) logo
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Saudi PIF Completes $7 bln Inaugural Murabaha Credit Facility

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) logo
The Public Investment Fund (PIF) logo

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) completed on Monday a $7 billion inaugural murabaha credit facility.
In a statement, PIF said the credit facility is supported by a syndicate of 20 international and regional financial institutions.
PIF head of the Global Capital Finance Division and head of Investment Strategy and Economic Insights Division Fahad AlSaif said: “This inaugural murabaha credit facility demonstrates the flexibility and depth of PIF’s financing strategy and use of diversified funding sources, as we continue to drive transformative investments, globally and in Saudi Arabia”, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday.
This financing complements PIF’s successful sukuk issuances over the past two years, the statement added. It also underpins PIF’s strong financial position, as well as its best-practice approach to debt financing.
PIF is rated Aa3 by Moody’s with stable outlook and A+ by Fitch with stable outlook. PIF has four main sources of funding: capital injections from government, government asset transfers, retained earnings from investments, and loans and debt instruments.