Chaired by Saudi Crown Prince, PIF Board of Directors Approves PIF 2026-2030 Strategy

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - SPA
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - SPA
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Chaired by Saudi Crown Prince, PIF Board of Directors Approves PIF 2026-2030 Strategy

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - SPA
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - SPA

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) Board of Directors, chaired by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, has approved PIF’s 2026-2030 strategy, a continuation of the fund’s long-term strategy that will focus on delivering competitive domestic ecosystems to connect sectors, unlock the full potential of strategic assets, maximize long-term returns, and continue to drive the economic transformation of Saudi Arabia and further enhance the quality of life of its citizens.

The 2026-2030 strategy marks a natural evolution as PIF moves from a period of rapid growth and acceleration to a new phase of sustained value creation, with a strengthened focus on maximizing impact, raising the efficiency of investments, and applying the highest standards of governance, transparency and institutional excellence. In addition, PIF will further enable the role of the private sector as an effective partner for sustainable economic development, according to SPA.

Under the 2026-2030 strategy, PIF has structured its investments into three portfolios. The Vision Portfolio aims to leverage synergies across strategic sectors, maximize value for PIF portfolio companies, and continue to drive the growth of the local economy. It will contribute to national priorities through the delivery of six competitive domestic ecosystems and by further integrating PIF’s investments. The Vision Portfolio will unlock new opportunities for the domestic private sector as an investor, partner, and supplier, to further enable its role as an effective partner for sustainable economic development, while also attracting global partners and investors.

The six ecosystems include: Tourism, Travel, and Entertainment; Urban Development and Livability; Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation; Industrials and Logistics; Clean Energy, Water, and Renewables Infrastructure; and NEOM.

The Strategic Portfolio will actively manage key strategic assets to maximize financial returns and the economic impact of PIF’s companies, while supporting their efforts to attract capital and become global champions. Through the Strategic Portfolio, PIF will also continue to invest in opportunities arising from long-term global trends.

The Financial Portfolio will focus on delivering sustainable financial returns to further strengthen PIF’s financial position and continue to grow national wealth for future generations. It will manage PIF’s direct and indirect investments in global markets to maximize returns, while building a more diversified and resilient portfolio. It will further strengthen strategic international partnerships to help attract capital and increase access to global investment opportunities.

PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan said: "PIF’s strategy continues to deliver results as we grow domestically and internationally. In less than a decade, we have launched unprecedented projects, including giga-projects and major real estate developments, in addition to unique investments in strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence, gaming and esports, and renewable energy. PIF also grew assets under management six-fold and attracted global partners and capital to take part in Saudi Arabia’s transformation."

He added that PIF will continue to support Saudi Vision 2030 objectives by delivering competitive domestic ecosystems, investing in national champions that have the potential to scale globally, and forming global economic partnerships, building on what has been achieved under PIF’s 2021-2025 strategy.

"The 2026-2030 strategy is a natural next step in PIF’s growth journey. It offers our partners more opportunities to invest in high-quality assets and ecosystems, alongside PIF. In the next five years, we will continue to build on our great achievements and strengthen our global leadership to deliver success for PIF and Saudi Arabia," Al-Rumayyan said.

PIF will continue to invest with agility in both local and international markets and maintain its ability to respond to emerging opportunities that benefit the local economy and impact an ever-shifting global economy. It will maintain a disciplined focus on value realization, sustainable returns, enhanced capital efficiency and the highest institutional standards, as it drives innovation and advanced utilization of data and artificial intelligence.

PIF’s 2026-2030 strategy provides a clear strategic direction for the coming decades. It also strengthens PIF’s position as a local and global investor, with a diversified and resilient portfolio that contributes to Saudi Arabia’s long-term economic prosperity. PIF’s unique mandate will remain the same: to drive the economic transformation of Saudi Arabia and generate sustainable financial returns.

The strategy builds on the substantial progress and achievements delivered by PIF under its previous strategies, including increasing grown assets under management from $150 billion in 2015 to more than $900 billion; achieving an annualized total shareholder return of over 7% since 2017; investing more than $199 billion in new projects in Saudi Arabia from 2021 to 2025; contributing more than $243 billion to real non-oil GDP from 2021 to 2024, equivalent to around 10% of Saudi Arabia’s total non-oil GDP in 2024; spending together with its portfolio companies more than $157 billion with the local private sector from 2021 to 2024; expanding PIF’s global presence in priority markets with subsidiary company offices in North America, Europe, and Asia to deepen PIF’s ties in international markets and continue to invest in sectors, industries, and companies shaping the future of the global economy; and being one of the few sovereign wealth funds with strong credit ratings from each of the world’s top three rating agencies. Moody’s rated PIF Aa3 with a stable outlook, while Fitch rated PIF A+, also with a stable outlook



Spain's Repsol Reportedly Wins Back Control of Venezuelan Oil Operations

FILE PHOTO: Logo of the Spanish oil company Repsol at a gas station in Vecindario, on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Borja Suarez/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Logo of the Spanish oil company Repsol at a gas station in Vecindario, on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Borja Suarez/File Photo
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Spain's Repsol Reportedly Wins Back Control of Venezuelan Oil Operations

FILE PHOTO: Logo of the Spanish oil company Repsol at a gas station in Vecindario, on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Borja Suarez/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Logo of the Spanish oil company Repsol at a gas station in Vecindario, on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, January 9, 2026. REUTERS/Borja Suarez/File Photo

Spanish energy group Repsol is poised to take back operational control of its Venezuelan oil assets and boost production following a deal signed with the South American government, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

Repsol is expected to announce the agreement as early as Thursday, FT added, citing a person familiar with ⁠the matter.

The agreement ⁠will include plans to triple production from its Venezuelan oil operations within three years and establish a "guaranteed" payment system that will avoid previous pitfalls under which the capital city ⁠of Caracas failed to pay up, according to the report.

Reuters could not immediately verify the report. Repsol did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment.

Venezuela holds one of the largest oil reserves in the world but has dilapidated energy infrastructure.

In 2023, Repsol reached an agreement with Venezuela to continue operating its ⁠facilities ⁠there. The deal later lapsed after US President Donald Trump revoked licenses granted to Repsol and other Western companies to operate in the country.

After the US captured President Nicolas Maduro in January, Washington eased sanctions on Venezuela's energy sector, issuing general licenses that allow global energy companies to operate oil and gas projects in the OPEC member.


China's Economy Beats Forecasts, but War Darkens Outlook

China's exports have helped support the economy but there are concerns about the impact on trade from the Middle East crisis. CN-STR/AFP
China's exports have helped support the economy but there are concerns about the impact on trade from the Middle East crisis. CN-STR/AFP
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China's Economy Beats Forecasts, but War Darkens Outlook

China's exports have helped support the economy but there are concerns about the impact on trade from the Middle East crisis. CN-STR/AFP
China's exports have helped support the economy but there are concerns about the impact on trade from the Middle East crisis. CN-STR/AFP

China's economy expanded more than expected in the first three months of the year, with official data Thursday indicating resilience in the face of a Middle East crisis that threatens to hit global growth.

The figures came despite a surge in world energy prices caused by the US-Israel war on Iran, which has stymied shipping through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas passes.

Analysts say China's diversified energy supply shields it from immediate shocks, though a potential global downturn caused by the war could weaken demand for its exports, which have been propping up the country's economy.

Gross domestic product in the world's second-largest economy expanded 5.0 percent year-on-year in January-March, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The reading was slightly higher than an AFP forecast of 4.8 percent based on a survey of economists.

During the first quarter, China's economy "achieved a strong start to the year, further demonstrating its resilience and vitality", the NBS said in a statement announcing the data.

The reading came days after the International Monetary Fund cut its 2026 global growth projection, warning that the world economy could be "thrown off course" by the Middle East war.

It also reduced its forecast for China to 4.4 percent growth, from a previous estimate of 4.5 percent.

"The global economy is facing this next test of resilience as signs of unevenness lie beneath the surface," it said, noting that China's "domestic activity -- especially in the housing sector -- lags behind exports".

Beijing has set a 2026 target of 4.5-5.0 percent growth -- the lowest in decades.

A years-long crisis in the property sector and a persistent slump in domestic spending have left leaders reliant on exports to meet growth targets.

- Trade headwinds -

Outbound shipments have boomed, exemplified by the country's whopping $1.2 trillion trade surplus last year.

But data this week showed export growth slowed sharply in March, indicating that war in the Middle East was already taking a toll.

Thursday's NBS data also showed retail sales grew 1.7 percent on-year in March, well short of a Bloomberg forecast of 2.4 percent.

Industrial production rose 5.7 percent, the NBS said, beating a Bloomberg estimate of 5.3 percent but well down from the 6.3 percent seen in January and February combined.

The first-quarter acceleration in growth was fueled by exports, Zichun Huang of Capital Economics wrote in a note.

"We think growth will soften a bit over the rest of the year," she said.

"While the Chinese economy is holding up well, it is becoming ever more dependent on external demand," she said, noting that the Iran war "is likely to add to this trend".

A major international trade fair kicked off this week in Guangzhou -- a metropolis in China's southern manufacturing heartland -- where attendees told AFP the war is impacting their business.

Chinese exporters and Middle Eastern buyers at the opening day of the Canton Fair on Wednesday gloomily told AFP the Iran war had pummeled orders and led to price hikes.

Wang Jun, the deputy head of China's customs administration, this week acknowledged "many uncertainties and instabilities in the external environment".

"The impact of international geopolitical conflicts on global industrial and supply chains is still evolving in a complex manner," he said.


Saudi Arabia, US Sign Tax Information Exchange Agreement

Al-Jadaan and Bessent shake hands after signing the Tax Information Exchange Agreement in Washington. (X)
Al-Jadaan and Bessent shake hands after signing the Tax Information Exchange Agreement in Washington. (X)
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Saudi Arabia, US Sign Tax Information Exchange Agreement

Al-Jadaan and Bessent shake hands after signing the Tax Information Exchange Agreement in Washington. (X)
Al-Jadaan and Bessent shake hands after signing the Tax Information Exchange Agreement in Washington. (X)

Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Al-Jadaan has held a series of meetings in Washington, D.C. to discuss strengthening bilateral economic cooperation and addressing challenges facing the global economy.

Al-Jadaan began his meetings on Wednesday by holding talks with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. They discussed the latest developments in the global economy and financial issues of common interest.

They signed a Tax Information Exchange Agreement to enhance tax cooperation, as well as facilitate the exchange of knowledge and technical expertise between the two sides.

As part of strengthening European economic relations, Al-Jadaan met with French Minister of the Economy, Finance, and Industrial, Energy, and Digital Sovereignty Roland Lescure.

The two sides discussed economic developments in the world, focusing on exploring new ways to deepen financial and industrial cooperation between the Kingdom and France, in a way that serves common interests.

Regarding relations with Pakistan, the Minister of Finance discussed with both his Pakistani counterpart, Muhammad Aurangzeb, and the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, Jameel Ahmad, prospects for financial and economic cooperation.

The discussions addressed ways to support financial stability and enhance joint work between financial institutions in both countries.