عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Business

Saudi Arabia Saves $2.4 Bn from 2,500 Gov’t Reform Projects

Faisal Al-Khamisi announcing the Beem platform at the Digital Government Forum (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Faisal Al-Khamisi announcing the Beem platform at the Digital Government Forum (Asharq Al-Awsat)
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia Saves $2.4 Bn from 2,500 Gov’t Reform Projects

Faisal Al-Khamisi announcing the Beem platform at the Digital Government Forum (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Faisal Al-Khamisi announcing the Beem platform at the Digital Government Forum (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia unveiled significant advances in its digital transformation during the fourth edition of the Digital Government Forum 2025 in Riyadh, a high-profile event that brought together more than 400 government entities and 2,000 decision-makers and global and local experts.

The forum, far from being just a discussion platform, highlighted Saudi Arabia’s rapid progress in digital services, with the kingdom ranking first regionally and third globally in the Digital Government Services Maturity Index.

Ahmed Alsuwaiyan, Governor of the Saudi Digital Government Authority (DGA), announced that a review of 2,500 government reform projects had generated savings of $2.4 billion.

The forum also saw the launch of pioneering technological initiatives, including Saudi Arabia’s plan to become the first country to launch a government marketplace for artificial intelligence agents, the rollout of the national business instant messaging platform “Beem,” the launch of the “Smart Court,” and the automation of the civil registry.

These initiatives underscore the kingdom’s accelerating drive toward Vision 2030 targets in expenditure efficiency and digital leadership.

In his opening remarks, Alsuwaiyan said Saudi Arabia held the top spot in the region and third globally in digital government services maturity, reflecting the rapid development of digital infrastructure and the efficiency of technological transformation across government entities.

He added that total savings reached 8.87 billion riyals ($2.4 billion) in the third quarter of 2025, covering more than 2,500 reform projects across over 120 government entities, as part of ongoing efforts to improve financial and administrative performance and spending efficiency.

Alsuwaiyan also noted that small and medium enterprises contributed 9.16 billion riyals, accounting for about 24% of total government procurement in 2024, highlighting the government’s commitment to supporting the private sector and boosting its role in economic development.

Government cloud service adoption rose to 41%, up from 14% in 2021, with total spending exceeding 25 billion riyals across more than 156 government entities by the end of Q3 2025, demonstrating the readiness of digital infrastructure and a shift toward more efficient and secure solutions.

The authority continues to lead government digital transformation efforts according to global best practices, contributing to Vision 2030 goals by enhancing financial sustainability and improving service quality for citizens and beneficiaries, he said.

Government AI Marketplace

Tareq Amin, CEO of Saudi AI company Humain, said Saudi Arabia would become the first country to launch a centralized government marketplace for AI agents. He described the kingdom’s unprecedented technological transformation, positioning AI as an integral part of every government and private sector activity.

AI is the enabling technology that will permeate everything done, whether in government, the private sector, or even at the consumer level, Amin told attendees.

He added that Saudi Arabia had the opportunity to distinguish its services and products globally, noting that Huamain was established to develop massive infrastructure and data centers hosting advanced chips and processors with liquid cooling architecture.

According to Amin, the company plans to build computing capacity of 1.9 gigawatts by 2030, rising to 6 gigawatts by 2034, in strategic partnerships with global firms including Nvidia and Qualcomm. Currently, Humain serves 150 countries through its inference ecosystem at roughly 47% lower cost than major international competitors.

Abdulwahab Al-Baddah, a DGA spokesperson, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Saudi Arabia ranks among the world’s leading countries, securing first place regionally for the third consecutive year in the UN ESCWA index, third globally according to the World Bank, and fourth in the UN e-Government Development Index.

Boosting Productivity and Digital Services

The forum also launched several initiatives, including the Beem business platform, an integrated instant messaging and collaborative work system developed by the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones in partnership with the DGA.

Beem is a nationally owned platform, developed locally with all data hosted within Saudi Arabia, designed to increase efficiency and productivity in government, corporate, and private sector environments.

It consolidates work tools in a single digital ecosystem, offering instant messaging, high-quality video meetings, file and task management, shared calendars, bilingual support in Arabic and English, advanced team organization tools, local secure cloud storage, and multi-organization account management.

Faisal Al-Khamisi, chairman of the Saudi Federation for Cybersecurity, Programming, and Drones, said Beem represented a strategic step in building national digital solutions to global standards, reflecting local expertise in advanced technology development and enhancing productivity while ensuring compliance with national regulations.

The platform relies on locally compliant infrastructure with secure data management, precise access control, and collaboration tools suitable for office, hybrid, and remote work environments, aligning with Vision 2030 digital transformation objectives.

Smart Court and Civil Registry Automation

The forum also introduced the “Smart Court,” a comprehensive digital system from the Board of Grievances that redesigns litigation processes using a realistic, simplified, and technology-integrated approach, improving service quality and supporting an advanced administrative judiciary.

Additionally, the “Education and Training Situation Room” was launched to analyze evaluation data, turning large datasets into actionable insights for education and training policy, contributing to national development.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched the Unified Embassy Portal, consolidating all Saudi embassies’ websites under a single digital platform with consistent branding and improved user experience.

The civil registry system was also automated through the Absher Individual platform, allowing citizens, residents, and visitors to manage civil records electronically, covering over 61 services, including data updates, birth and death certificates, and marriage and divorce documentation.

Government Website Performance

The DGA announced that the 2025 Government Websites and Digital Content Efficiency Index scored 76.24%, classified as “proficient,” up from 71.40% in 2024, based on assessments of 250 government websites. This improvement reflects growing government commitment to updating content and enhancing digital presence in line with Vision 2030.

Top performers included the Human Resources Development Fund at 92.43%, followed by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development at 92.41%, King Khalid University at 92.37%, and Qassim University at 92.31%.

Other notable rankings were the Saudi Water Authority at 92.02%, the Saudi Energy Efficiency Center at 90.71%, the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources at 90.02%, the Technical and Vocational Training Corporation at 89.52%, and the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority at 89.39%.

Most Viewed

 
 
Business

IEA, IMF and World Bank to Coordinate Response to Middle East War's Impact

A displaced man prepares his shisha, at a temporary encampment for displaced people, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, in Beirut, Lebanon, April 1, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked
A displaced man prepares his shisha, at a temporary encampment for displaced people, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, in Beirut, Lebanon, April 1, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked
TT
TT

IEA, IMF and World Bank to Coordinate Response to Middle East War's Impact

A displaced man prepares his shisha, at a temporary encampment for displaced people, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, in Beirut, Lebanon, April 1, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked
A displaced man prepares his shisha, at a temporary encampment for displaced people, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, in Beirut, Lebanon, April 1, 2026. REUTERS/Raghed Waked

The heads of the International Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, and World Bank on Wednesday said they will form a coordination group to maximize their response to the significant economic and energy impacts of the war in the Middle East.

In a joint statement, the three global bodies noted that the war had caused major disruptions in the region and triggered one of the largest supply shortages in global energy market history.

"At these times of high uncertainty, it is paramount that our institutions join forces to monitor developments, ⁠align analysis, and coordinate ⁠support to policymakers to navigate this crisis," the heads of the IMF, IEA and World Bank said.

The new coordination group will assess the severity of impacts across countries, coordinate a response mechanism, and mobilize stakeholders to deliver support to countries in need, the international bodies said.

The response mechanism could include targeted policy advice, assessment of potential financing needs ⁠and related provision of financial support, including through low or zero-percent financing, as well as unspecified risk mitigation tools, they said.

Thousands of people have been killed across the Middle East in the war, which began when the US and Israel struck Iran on February 28, triggering Iranian attacks on Israel, US bases and the Gulf states, while opening a new front in Lebanon.

Now in its second month, the conflict has spread across the region, disrupting energy supplies and threatening to send the global economy into a tailspin.

"The impact is substantial, global, and highly asymmetric, disproportionately ⁠affecting energy ⁠importers, in particular low-income countries," Reuters quoted the IMF, IEA and World Bank as saying.

They noted that the war was already resulting in higher oil, gas and fertilizer prices, while triggering concerns about food prices and affecting global supply chains of helium, phosphate, aluminum, and other commodities. Tourism had also been hit.

"The resulting market volatility, weakening of currencies in emerging economies, and concerns about inflation expectations raise the prospect of tighter monetary stances and weaker growth," the organizations said.

"We are committed to working together to safeguard global economic and financial stability, strengthen energy security, and support affected countries and people on their path to sustained recovery, growth, and job creation through reforms," they said.

Business

Saudi Arabia: Mawani Announces Commencement of Container Terminal Operations at Jubail Port

Jubail Commercial Port. SPA
Jubail Commercial Port. SPA
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia: Mawani Announces Commencement of Container Terminal Operations at Jubail Port

Jubail Commercial Port. SPA
Jubail Commercial Port. SPA

The Saudi Ports Authority “Mawani” has announced the commencement of container terminal operations at Jubail Commercial Port under a privatization contract with Saudi Global Ports (SGP), backed by private sector investments exceeding SAR2 billion ($533 million).

The new move is in line with the objectives of the National Transport and Logistics Strategy under Saudi Vision 2030, Mawani said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The commencement of operations comes as part of the implementation of the privatization contract signed between the two parties, which includes the development of infrastructure and the modernization of operational equipment,” it said.

“This includes increasing berth length from 1,000 m to 1,400 m, deepening berths from 14 m to 18 m, increasing the number of STS cranes from 6 to 10, and raising the number of RTG cranes from 13 to 29 automated, environmentally friendly cranes,” the statement added.

According to Mawani, the launch will increase the container terminal’s handling capacity from 1.5 million TEUs to 2.4 million TEUs annually, across an area of 460,000 square meters.

This will enable the terminal to accommodate large next-generation vessels, enhance operational efficiency, and reinforce Jubail Commercial Port’s position as a key logistics gateway supporting the Kingdom’s sustainable growth.

It will also strengthen operational integration with the Group’s terminals across the Eastern Coast ports.

Business

Germany Growth Forecasts Slashed as Mideast War Hits Economy

Germany's economy is struggling with fierce Chinese competition in sectors from cars to chemicals © Ronny HARTMANN / AFP/File
Germany's economy is struggling with fierce Chinese competition in sectors from cars to chemicals © Ronny HARTMANN / AFP/File
TT
TT

Germany Growth Forecasts Slashed as Mideast War Hits Economy

Germany's economy is struggling with fierce Chinese competition in sectors from cars to chemicals © Ronny HARTMANN / AFP/File
Germany's economy is struggling with fierce Chinese competition in sectors from cars to chemicals © Ronny HARTMANN / AFP/File

Leading economic institutes more than halved their growth forecast for Germany on Wednesday, warning that the energy shock caused by the Middle East war would hit Europe's top economy hard.

A group of leading institutes slashed their joint GDP growth forecast for 2026 to 0.6 percent, down from a September prediction of 1.3 percent.

Inflation is now forecast to rise to 2.8 percent, up from 2.0 percent, "weighing on household purchasing power".

"The energy price shock triggered by the Iran war is hitting the recovery hard," said economist Timo Wollmershaeuser of the Ifo institute, adding that increased government spending was nevertheless "preventing a stronger slide", AFP reported.

Oil and natural gas prices have surged since the end of February, when the United States and Israel attacked Iran, killed its supreme leader and plunged the Middle East into war.

Iran has since closed the Strait of Hormuz to ships of countries it considers allied with the US and Israel, effectively blocking a sea lane that normally transports about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas.

Higher inflation in Germany would hit consumer spending, the institutes said, weighing on an already weak economy that has barely grown since a burst of pent-up demand after the Covid pandemic in 2022.

The government on Wednesday introduced rules allowing petrol stations to only raise prices once a day, at noon.

But motorist Sebastian, a 49-year-old estate agent who did not want to give his surname, told AFP at a Frankfurt petrol station that this was not enough to protect his spending power.

"Whether the price of petrol changes once a day or 10 times a day doesn't really matter," he said, adding it was "certainly not enough" to lower his costs.

Germany's economy, struggling with fierce Chinese competition in sectors from cars to chemicals, was in the doldrums even before US President Donald Trump last year imposed sweeping new tariffs before starting the Mideast war in late February.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who took office last May, vowed to borrow and spend hundreds of billions through a special infrastructure fund over coming years in what was dubbed a spending "bazooka" aimed at getting the economy back on its feet.

But the economists said that much of the money was simply paying for day-to-day spending.

"Government expenditure on consumption is rising much more sharply than investment," economist Oliver Holtemoeller of the Halle Institute for Economic Research said. "That was not the idea behind changing the financing rules."

The outlook for the longer term was also dire.

Citing low productivity, industrial decline and an ageing population, the institutes warned that Germany's economy would soon be unable to grow sustainably.

"We have also reassessed the structural changes in the German economy and, in particular, revised our forecast for industrial growth downwards," Wollmershaeuser said.

In an era when "demographic change is hitting with full force", he said, "potential growth will come to a standstill by the end of the decade, and we will have to get used to average GDP growth rates of zero percent".

Speaking to broadcaster Welt TV, Economy Minister Katherina Reiche said the government was working on reducing labour taxes and energy costs but that Germans would have to get used to working more over the course of their lives.

"We need to make this country vigorous again," she said. "Germany needs to get its will to win back."