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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)
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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%.

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Business

Gold Rallies as Dollar, Treasury Yields Soften after US Midterm Results

Gold chips displayed at a state-owned gold retail store in Surabaya, East Java (AFP)
Gold chips displayed at a state-owned gold retail store in Surabaya, East Java (AFP)
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Gold Rallies as Dollar, Treasury Yields Soften after US Midterm Results

Gold chips displayed at a state-owned gold retail store in Surabaya, East Java (AFP)
Gold chips displayed at a state-owned gold retail store in Surabaya, East Java (AFP)

Gold climbed to its highest level in over two weeks on Thursday as the fallout from the US midterm election results rippled through the global financial and oil markets.

Spot gold rose 1.6% to $4,124.89 per ounce by 0752 GMT. It touched $4,146.63 per ounce, its highest level since October 20, earlier in ‌the session.

Bullion ‌climbed about 3.4% on Wednesday, its biggest ‌daily gain ⁠since August 19.

US ⁠gold futures for December delivery climbed 1.5% to $4,135.40, Reuters said.

A weaker dollar and lower Treasury yields have helped gold recover above the key $4,000 level, though holding above that threshold remains crucial for the recovery outlook, said Linh Tran, market analyst at XS.com.

"If investment flows and yield movements continue to provide support, gold could stabilize ⁠above $4,000, also opening up an opportunity for a ‌recovery toward $4,200, followed by $4,400."

Oil prices ‌were slightly higher after earlier falling for a fourth day on ‌expectations that the losses US President Donald Trump's Republican Party ‌suffered in congressional elections this week may reduce the risk of further escalation of the US-Israeli war with Iran.

Lower energy prices ease inflationary pressures, reducing expectations that the central bank will keep interest rates higher ‌for longer, supporting the appeal of non-yielding bullion.

The dollar slid to its lowest in more ⁠than a ⁠month, and 10-year US Treasury yield fell to its lowest since September 10.

A weaker dollar makes greenback-priced bullion more affordable for holders of other currencies.

Market participants now await the US non-farm payrolls report on Friday to further gauge the Federal Reserve's monetary policy outlook.

Meanwhile, Citi has a 0-3 month price target of $4,500 per ounce for gold, the brokerage said on Wednesday, as it sees substantial upside potential if the Strait of Hormuz reopens and the Yemen/Saudi conflict de-escalates.

Among other metals, spot silver rose 0.8% to $52.63 per ounce, platinum gained 1.2% to $1,514.20 and palladium climbed 2.2% to $1,026.83.

Business

Tech Hit by New AI Worries on Positive Day for Most Markets

Hong Kong stocks rallied more than three percent on a broadly healthy day for Asian markets. Leung Man Hei / AFP
Hong Kong stocks rallied more than three percent on a broadly healthy day for Asian markets. Leung Man Hei / AFP
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Tech Hit by New AI Worries on Positive Day for Most Markets

Hong Kong stocks rallied more than three percent on a broadly healthy day for Asian markets. Leung Man Hei / AFP
Hong Kong stocks rallied more than three percent on a broadly healthy day for Asian markets. Leung Man Hei / AFP

Tech firms tumbled Thursday as investors contemplated the outlook for the AI boom after Democrats swept the US midterms, partly on the back of growing anger over the rapid building of data centers across the country.

However, broader markets mostly rallied and oil plunged after Donald Trump's Republicans were dealt a historic defeat that was blamed on high prices, tariffs and the Iran war.

The result stoked hopes he will look to wind down the Middle East conflict, which would help temper inflation and even soften his stance on trade.

But AI-linked firms came under the cosh amid fears for planned data center construction projects as well as renewed scrutiny from newly installed Democrats on Capitol Hill.

The sector had already been in the crosshairs of investors owing to questions about the vast sums pumped into new facilities, R&D and chip development, and when any companies would see a profit.

Charu Chanana at Saxo Markets said the vote was accelerating a reassessment of AI that was already under way.

"A Democratic Congress introduces another layer of uncertainty: regulatory scrutiny," she wrote, adding that the three main risks were more oversight, data center restrictions and capital spending uncertainty.

"The congressional scrutiny could accelerate demands for AI safety standards, independent model evaluations and greater accountability for data center developers," she added.

However, she also said: "This is not the same as an outright anti-AI policy agenda. AI is strategically important for US competitiveness, particularly against China, and there remains considerable bipartisan interest in maintaining American leadership."

Chip firms were hammered in Asia, with South Korea's SK hynix off more than seven percent and Samsung 5.5 percent down.

Tokyo-listed Kioxia dived more than 13 percent and Advantest tanked 14.7 percent, while Tokyo Electron lost more than nine percent and SoftBank 6.8 percent.

US Nasdaq futures fell more than one percent.

Broader markets performed better as investors rotated into other sectors including finance, auto, mining and manufacturing names.

Seoul, the poster child of the AI-led surge in the first half of the year, shed more than five percent, while Taipei lost more than three percent. Tokyo gave up 1.8 percent.

But there were healthy gains in Hong Kong, helped by hopes for an easing of trade tensions between the US and China, with tech titans including Alibaba, JD.com and Tencent leading the way amid a shift into beaten-down regional stocks.

Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Wellington, Mumbai, Jakarta and Manila also advanced.

Oil continued to fall after diving more than eight percent Wednesday on the US result amid optimism Trump will seek a deal to end the Iran war, which has been a key driver of the inflation spike that has hammered US consumers.

Hopes were given a boost when Vice President JD Vance said in a social media post that the Republican defeat was due to the unpopularity of the eight-month-old conflict.

The drop in crude prices -- both main contracts are now below $100 for the first time since the start of October -- has also tempered inflation worries and, in turn, Treasury yields, which dipped again Thursday.

The lower cost of borrowing has also been helped by the prospect that gridlock on Capitol Hill would lead to less spending.

That also weighed on the dollar, which held losses against its peers in Asian trade.

Business

Türkiye Showcases Renewables Surge, but Leaves Coal Intact

Türkiye is rapidly expanding its renewable energy capacity. But as host of COP31, the country faces growing pressure to match its clean energy ambitions with a clear commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Yasin AKGUL / AFP
Türkiye is rapidly expanding its renewable energy capacity. But as host of COP31, the country faces growing pressure to match its clean energy ambitions with a clear commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Yasin AKGUL / AFP
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Türkiye Showcases Renewables Surge, but Leaves Coal Intact

Türkiye is rapidly expanding its renewable energy capacity. But as host of COP31, the country faces growing pressure to match its clean energy ambitions with a clear commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Yasin AKGUL / AFP
Türkiye is rapidly expanding its renewable energy capacity. But as host of COP31, the country faces growing pressure to match its clean energy ambitions with a clear commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Yasin AKGUL / AFP

On a windy hillside about an hour's drive northwest of Istanbul, the Catalca power plant was one of Türkiye's first large-scale wind farms and has been feeding electricity into the grid for 18 years.

With an installed capacity of 93 megawatts, it generates 287 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year, enough for around 115,000 households, said AFP.

"By replacing electricity that would otherwise come from fossil fuel-fired power plants, this output avoids 185,936 tons of carbon emissions each year," operator Sanko Enerji says.

Nearly two decades on, Catalca is one of nearly 300 wind farms, its giant turbines a symbol of the rapidly expanding capacity for renewable energy in Türkiye which is hosting the COP31 UN climate summit that opens in Antalya on Monday.

Last year, 43 percent of Türkiye's electricity came from clean energy sources, of which wind and solar accounted for 22 percent, according to energy think tank Ember.

With electrification emerging as one of the central themes of COP31, Türkiye has been pushing hard for it to be an implementation-focused summit that turns existing climate pledges into action.

Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar has outlined plans to triple Türkiye's installed solar and wind capacity from around 40 gigawatts to 120 gigawatts by 2035.

But with coal still the leading source of power generation, Türkiye is under pressure to pair its impressive renewables growth with a definitive shift away from fossil fuels.

Not only is it still building coal-fired power plants, it has yet to set a date to phase out fossil fuels.

- Coal still dominant -

"Türkiye's continued reliance on coal, alongside plans for further expansion, highlights the contradiction at the heart of its current trajectory," Duygu Kutluay of Beyond Fossil Fuels told AFP.

Embracing an electrification agenda alone did not amount to a genuine energy transition because "coal remains the country's largest source of electricity generation", she said.

Coal-fired power plants accounted for 33.5 percent of Türkiye's electricity production in 2025, energy ministry figures show, with Ember saying almost two-thirds of its coal was imported.

Plans to expand coal capacity "risk locking in further fossil-fuel dependence", she warned.

"As Türkiye increases renewable capacity, it must ensure clean electricity replaces fossil-fuel generation rather than simply meeting additional demand," Kutluay said.

The challenge is not only expanding renewables but establishing "a clear pathway to phase out coal".

Asked about Türkiye's continuing reliance on coal, Bayraktar told AFP in February that Ankara prioritized securing affordable energy supplies and reducing dependence on imports.

"Coal can initially be replaced with gas, but in the medium and long term it can be substituted with nuclear," he said.

Ibrahim Erden, president of the Turkish Wind Energy Association, said every country's transition was different with "no single path that suits everyone".

- Need for investment -

Emin Emrah Danis, chief executive of MOBEN consultancy, said Türkiye's energy policy was shaped by rising electricity demand and the need for "baseload" generation to deliver constant power around the clock.

"This is why Türkiye has invested heavily in gas- and coal-fired power plants over the past 30 years," he told AFP.

"For coal's share of power generation to fall to meaningful levels, Türkiye needs substantial investment in electricity storage and nuclear power," he said, referring to battery storage for renewable power.

Türkiye is currently putting the finishing touches on the first reactor of its Akkuyu nuclear power plant, which should be online by the start of 2027, Bayraktar told an energy summit last week.

But Türkiye's nuclear expansion, with two more plants in the pipeline, was unlikely to add enough baseload capacity to replace coal-fired electricity generation before around 2040, Danis said.

And coal would likely remain part of the energy mix for decades, with the need for baseload power and dependence on imports making a full phase-out infeasible before "the mid-2050s".

Türkiye relies heavily on imports of oil, natural gas and coal from countries like Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan.

Erden said infrastructure updates were essential to give greater place to renewables.

"We cannot simply shut down coal-fired power plants today and rely solely on wind and solar energy ... The technological and physical infrastructure is not yet capable of supporting that."

Beyond the climate argument, geopolitical tensions have also strengthened the case for domestic renewables.

"Renewables ... are not only one of the most effective tools for tackling climate change, but also an important means of strengthening energy security and reducing dependence on foreign supplies," he said.