Saudi Arabia

The government is moving at pace to expand energy and water output to meet growing demand from businesses and individual consumers. Saudi Arabia’s ambitious plans to upgrade its utilities networks, while aligning more closely to market prices, make the Kingdom an increasingly attractive proposition for investors. There is an established framework for private participation and a track record of...

Saudi Arabia’s energy sector remains the backbone of the economy. As of March 2020 energy operations were facing the twin challenges of low oil prices and...

Located on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, Jeddah is the Kingdom’s second most-populous city after the capital Riyadh, and serves as a key commercial and logistics centre. Recently completed and ongoing developments to enhance Jeddah’s transport infrastructure will continue to strengthen the city’s position as a key thoroughfare for both cargo and visitors to the holy cities of Makkah and Medina...

The holy sites of Makkah & Medina attract millions of pilgrims each year, and religious tourism remains central to their local economies. The world’s largest mosque, the Masjid Al Haram, also known as the Grand Mosque, is in Makkah and is home to the Kaaba, a shrine that Muslims consider the most sacred place in the world. While uncertainty remains surrounding Covid-19’s impact on the 2020...

The ongoing process of privatisation...

The ongoing liberalisation of capital markets provides a positive long-term outlook for Saudi Arabia’s alternative investment segment. The Kingdom is a regional leader in mutual fund activity, with the deepest and most varied investment pool in the GCC. Nevertheless, some structural hurdles remain to fund expansion in Saudi Arabia. The lack of arrangements for the mutual recognition of fund...