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Riyadh WEF Special Meeting Calls for Tech Use in Global Economic Growth

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2024. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Saudi Arabia's Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2024. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
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Riyadh WEF Special Meeting Calls for Tech Use in Global Economic Growth

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2024. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
Saudi Arabia's Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim speaks during the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2024. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

Leaders from around the world are stressing the importance of boosting global growth and tackling economic challenges, calling for urgent action to chart a sustainable future.

Riyadh had hosted global leaders for a two-day World Economic Forum (WEF) special meeting in Riyadh.

The Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development 2024 - held under the patronage of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - brought together key leaders to exchange perspectives, consider new data, and advance high-impact partnerships.

Attendees at the meeting stressed the importance of working together to boost sustainable economic growth and tackle obstacles.

They highlighted the need to use technology wisely amid global changes, aiming not just for economic growth but also to fix systemic issues.

They urged unified efforts to address economic slowdowns and build resilience by pooling expertise and resources to create new strategies for growth, job creation, and fair opportunities in building stronger economies.

Wide-ranging discussions at the WEF meeting delved into geopolitical and technological developments, with a focus on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, renewable energy, logistics sectors, and other economic issues confronting the world.

Saudi Economy Minister Faisal Alibrahim stated that the global economy is still facing slow growth. He stressed the need for fair technology distribution, saying it could boost growth in less developed countries.

During the final plenary session, Alibrahim announced that the Kingdom joined the AI Governance Alliance, and will co-launch the ‘Inclusive AI Initiative for Growth and Development’, to develop solutions for AI access and adoption.

Alibrahim also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing non-oil sectors since Vision 2030, aiming for a diverse economy led by productivity. He mentioned Saudi Arabia’s adaptability to AI technologies.

Additionally, Alibrahim discussed the recent conflicts in the Middle East, suggesting that peace in the region would help economic progress.

“We may end up with this decade being remembered as the Turbulent Twenties or the Tepid Twenties, and what we actually want is Transformational Twenties,” said Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

“Over the next 100 years leaders must aim for the same degree of wealth as that created over the past 100 years, but with a much better distribution of the benefits of growth,” she added.

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Business

UN's FAO: World Food Prices Fall for 3rd Month in November

FILE PHOTO: Prices of food are displayed at the Borough Market in London, Britain May 22, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Prices of food are displayed at the Borough Market in London, Britain May 22, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
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UN's FAO: World Food Prices Fall for 3rd Month in November

FILE PHOTO: Prices of food are displayed at the Borough Market in London, Britain May 22, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Prices of food are displayed at the Borough Market in London, Britain May 22, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo

World food commodity prices fell for a third consecutive month in November, with all major staple foods except cereals showing a decline, the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization said on Friday.

The FAO Food Price Index, which tracks a basket of globally traded food commodities, averaged 125.1 points in November, down from a revised 126.6 in October and the lowest since January, Reuters reported.

The November average was also 2.1% below the year-earlier level and 21.9% down from a peak in March 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the FAO said.

The agency's sugar price reference fell 5.9% from October to its lowest since December 2020, pressured by ample global supply expectations, while the dairy price index dropped 3.1% in a fifth consecutive monthly decline, reflecting increased milk production and export supplies.

Vegetable oil prices fell 2.6% to a five-month low, as declines for most products including palm oil outweighed strength in soy oil.

Meat prices declined 0.8%, with pork and poultry leading the decrease, while beef quotations stabilized as the removal of US tariffs on beef imports tempered recent strength, the FAO said.

In contrast, the FAO's cereal price benchmark rose 1.8% month-on-month. Wheat prices increased due to potential demand from China and geopolitical tensions in the Black Sea region, while maize prices were supported by demand for Brazilian exports and reports of weather disruption to field work in South America.

In a separate cereal supply and demand report, the FAO raised its global cereal production forecast for 2025 to a record 3.003 billion metric tons, compared with 2.990 billion tons projected last month, mainly due to increased wheat output estimates.

Forecast world cereal stocks at the end of the 2025/26 season were also revised up to a record 925.5 million tons, reflecting expectations of expanded wheat stocks in China and India as well as higher coarse grain stocks in exporting countries, the FAO said.

Business

World Bank Forecasts 4.3% Growth for Saudi Economy, Supported by Non-Oil Activities

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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World Bank Forecasts 4.3% Growth for Saudi Economy, Supported by Non-Oil Activities

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

The World Bank affirmed on Thursday that Saudi Arabia's economy has gained significant momentum for 2026-2027, driven by robust non-oil sector expansion under Vision 2030.

In a report titled “The Gulf’s Digital Transformation: A Powerful Engine for Economic Diversification,” the World Bank said growth is expected to persist in the Kingdom with non-oil activities expanding by 4% on average.

The report lifted its forecast for Saudi Arabia’s real GDP growth to 3.8% in 2025 compared to a 3.2% last October.

The forecast represents a major upward revision affirming the resilience of the Saudi economy and its ability to absorb external volatility. It also indicates growing confidence in the effectiveness of ongoing structural reforms within Vision 2030.

On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia approved its state budget for 2026, projecting real GDP growth of 4.6% in 2026.

The report showed that in the Kingdom, economic momentum is strengthening across oil and non-oil sectors with non-oil activities expanding by 4% on average and oil activities expanding by 5.4%, bringing overall real growth to an average of 4.3%.

It said oil activities grew by 1.7% y/y in the first half of 2025, benefiting from the phase-out of OPEC+ voluntary production cuts starting in April 2025.

At the financial level, the fiscal deficit between 2025 and 2027 is projected to remain at an average of 3.8% of GDP.

Meanwhile, the current account balance slightly recovered, settling at 0.5% of GDP in the first quarter of 2025 against -2.6% in the second half of 2024.

The report said real GDP growth remained stable at 3.6% y/y in the first half of 2025, thanks to the stabilization of the oil sector and sustained non-oil growth.

Non-oil activities expanded by 4.8% over the period, in line with the performance of 2024 while non-oil growth was driven by the wholesale, retail trade, restaurants, and hotels sector (+7.5% y/y in the first half of 2025), consolidating the role of hospitality and tourism as engines of economic diversification.

The report also indicated that oil activities grew by 1.7% y/y in the first half of 2025, benefiting from the phase-out of OPEC+ voluntary production cuts starting in April 2025.

These trends are expected to persist in 2026-2027, with non-oil activities expanding by 4% on average and oil activities expanding by 5.4%, bringing overall real growth to an average of 4.3%.

Job Market and Inflation
The report said the labor market mirrors the stabilization of the real economy and is rapidly becoming more inclusive to women.

Overall unemployment decreased by 0.7 point between the first quarter of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025, with the female unemployment rate dropping from 11.8% to 8.1% over the same period.

Also, inflation remained low and stable in Saudi Arabia, settling at an average of 2.2% in the first half of 2025.

However, price increases have been concentrated in the housing and utilities sector as rental prices have become a key issue, largely because rental supply has failed to match demographic growth, especially in Riyadh.

While this reflects the government’s efforts to dynamize the Kingdom’s urban centers, the price increases prompted the government to freeze rental prices in Riyadh for the next five years, as anticipated increases in housing supply should help control rental prices.

Finally, the report said Saudi Arabia’s external position stabilized in the second half of 2024 and the first quarter of 2025.

Although net foreign direct investment has remained relatively stable, the World Bank has emphasized that recent changes in foreign ownership regulations in Saudi Arabia, coupled with continued structural reforms, are positive steps to attract greater flows of foreign direct investment (FDI).

Business

Visa Relocates European Headquarters to London's Canary Wharf

FILE PHOTO: A drone view of London's Canary Wharf financial district, two days before the government presents its critical pre-election budget, in London, Britain March 3, 2024. REUTERS/Yann Tessier/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A drone view of London's Canary Wharf financial district, two days before the government presents its critical pre-election budget, in London, Britain March 3, 2024. REUTERS/Yann Tessier/File Photo
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Visa Relocates European Headquarters to London's Canary Wharf

FILE PHOTO: A drone view of London's Canary Wharf financial district, two days before the government presents its critical pre-election budget, in London, Britain March 3, 2024. REUTERS/Yann Tessier/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A drone view of London's Canary Wharf financial district, two days before the government presents its critical pre-election budget, in London, Britain March 3, 2024. REUTERS/Yann Tessier/File Photo

Visa is relocating its European headquarters to London's Canary Wharf financial district, the Canary Wharf Group said on Friday.

The firm is leasing 300,000 square feet on a 15-year term at One Canada Square, and is set to relocate from Paddington in the summer of 2028, the group added.

Canary Wharf Group, which runs the wider financial district and is co-owned by QIA and Canada's Brookfield, was hit hard by the pandemic-induced fall in office demand.

The area is now enjoying a rebound as more firms push staff to return to office, Reuters reported.

"Canary Wharf continues to attract a diverse range of global businesses. We are delighted to welcome Visa who have chosen the Wharf for their European headquarters as the best location to support their business growth," Shobi Khan, Canary Wharf Group CEO, said.

JPMorgan Chase last week unveiled a plan to build a tower in the Canary Wharf financial district that will contribute 9.9 billion pounds ($13.2 billion) over six years to the local economy - including the cost of construction - and create 7,800 jobs.

Qatar's sovereign wealth fund is revising plans for a revamp of its HSBC skyscraper in the east London district to retain more office space, Reuters reported in November.