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The World’s Eyes Turn to Riyadh for Launch of LEAP 24

The second edition of LEAP (SPA)
The second edition of LEAP (SPA)
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The World’s Eyes Turn to Riyadh for Launch of LEAP 24

The second edition of LEAP (SPA)
The second edition of LEAP (SPA)

LEAP24, the world’s largest technological exhibition, kicked off on Monday in Riyadh, with the participation of more than 1,800 international and local exhibitors, and more than 1,000 technical experts and 600 startup companies.

Organized by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming and Drones, the exhibition, which runs from March 4 to 7, highlights the latest technology industries and unveils government AI initiatives and the newest innovations.

In its current edition, the conference has expanded the number of participants from major technical exhibitors in the world, in addition to the presence of an elite group of expert speakers and international companies.

The current version will see the participation of world tech giants, including Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Dell, Cisco, SAP, Amazon Web Services, Alibaba, Huawei, Ericsson, and others.

More than 30 government agencies are competing to showcase their advanced digital services, through the “Digital Saudi Arabia” exhibition, organized by the Digital Government Authority within the activities of LEAP 24, with the participation of many government and private agencies.

The event aims to enhance the Kingdom’s international position as an innovative digital environment, highlight success stories in the digital transformation journey, and its importance at the regional and international levels, in addition to unveiling the most prominent digital government services aimed at raising the quality of life and enhancing competitiveness.

The exhibition will see government agencies and national companies showcasing their digital products and services based on innovative models using emerging technologies, in addition to the signing of strategic agreements and the launching of new services, dialogue sessions for a number of ministers and officials, and workshops in the field of digital transformation.

The LEAP conference witnessed rapid developments over its years, as the total number of launches increased from $6.4 billion in the first edition to more than $9 billion in the second edition, while the number of attendees increased from 100,000 visitors in the first edition to more than 172,000 in the second year.

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Business

Saudi E-Commerce Hits Record Monthly Sales over SAR30.7 Billion in October

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA file)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA file)
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Saudi E-Commerce Hits Record Monthly Sales over SAR30.7 Billion in October

A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA file)
A view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (SPA file)

E-commerce sales in Saudi Arabia via "mada" cards soared to an all-time monthly high in October 2025, surpassing SAR30.7 billion.

The surge in sales represents a 68% year-on-year increase, totaling about SAR12.4 billion more than the SAR18.3 billion recorded in October 2024, according to the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) statistical bulletin on Wednesday.

E-commerce sales for the third quarter (Q3) of 2025 hit SAR88.3 billion, up 15.2% from the previous quarter, representing an increase of about SAR11.6 billion over the SAR76.6 billion recorded in Q2.

On a monthly basis, e-commerce sales in October rose 6%, gaining approximately SAR1.6 billion over September’s total of SAR29.1 billion.

From January to October, "mada" data showed e-commerce sales grew 47.3%, rising by around SAR9.9 billion over the SAR20.9 billion recorded in January.

These figures cover transactions made via "mada" cards on e-commerce websites, apps, and digital wallets, and do not include credit-card payments.

Business

Jeddah's King Abdulaziz Airport Launches First Direct Flight to Moscow

The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location. (SPA)
The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location. (SPA)
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Jeddah's King Abdulaziz Airport Launches First Direct Flight to Moscow

The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location. (SPA)
The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location. (SPA)

Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) celebrated the launch of its first direct flynas flight to Moscow, operating three weekly flights between Jeddah and Vnukovo International Airport.

This initiative, in partnership with the Saudi Tourism Authority and the Air Connectivity Program, boosts air links between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

It marks KAIA's third direct Russian destination, following Makhachkala and Mineralnye Vody, which were inaugurated earlier this month by Azimuth Airlines.

The expansion supports Jeddah Airports Company’s goal of broadening travel options and increasing air traffic revenue, leveraging the Kingdom's strategic location.

Business

China Widens Foreign Investment Incentive List to Stem Falling Inflows

People visit a shopping center in Beijing on December 20, 2025. (AFP)
People visit a shopping center in Beijing on December 20, 2025. (AFP)
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China Widens Foreign Investment Incentive List to Stem Falling Inflows

People visit a shopping center in Beijing on December 20, 2025. (AFP)
People visit a shopping center in Beijing on December 20, 2025. (AFP)

China on Wednesday listed more sectors eligible for foreign investment incentives, from tax breaks to preferential ​land use, in its latest effort to stem a prolonged decline in overseas capital inflows.

Under the 2025 edition of the catalogue of industries for encouraging foreign investment, China added more than 200 and revised about 300, with a ‌focus on ‌advanced manufacturing, modern services and ‌green ⁠and ​high-tech ‌sectors, the list jointly issued by the National Development and Reform Commission and the commerce ministry showed.

The new catalogue, which takes effect on February 1, 2026, replaces the 2022 version and continues a policy framework ⁠that offers foreign-invested enterprises tariff exemptions on imported equipment, preferential ‌land pricing, reduced corporate income ‍tax rates in ‍designated regions and tax credits for reinvestment ‍of profits.

The catalogue also extends incentives to central and western regions, as well as the northeast and Hainan, as Beijing seeks to attract ​more foreign investment into less developed areas.

China has in recent months ⁠taken a raft of measures to boost foreign investment, including pilot programs in Beijing, Shanghai and other regions to expand market access in services such as telecoms, healthcare and education, amid trade tensions with the United States.

Foreign direct investment in China totaled 693.2 billion yuan ($98.84 billion) from January to November this year, down 7.5% from the ‌same period last year, data from the commerce ministry showed.