Trade & Investment

With its sound government finances and trade-friendly policies, Saudi Arabia presents an attractive option for investors. The Kingdom currently benefits from high levels of macroeconomic stability, combined with low debt and a budget that until 2015 had been consistently in comfortable surplus. In June 2015 the country’s stock exchange, Tadawul, was opened to qualified foreign investors for the first time, driving increased participation by institutional investors that is expected to help reduce the exchange’s recent volatility. Meanwhile, the Kingdom is investing heavily in education and vocational training to further enhance its attractiveness to foreign business, and the drive for economic diversification continues apace, with non-oil exports growing faster than oil exports in recent years. This chapter contains interviews with Abdullatif Al Othman, Governor, Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA); and Yoon Sang-Jick, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, Republic of Korea.