Nirmal Narayanan

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has an opportunity to turn retirement savings into a new source of long-term capital that could deepen financial markets and support economic diversification, according to a report by BlackRock. The world’s largest asset manager said expanding funded retirement schemes could help channel household savings into productive investments while improving retirement outcomes, supporting the Kingdom’s broader Vision 2030 agenda. The findings come as Saudi Arabia pushes ahead with pension reforms aimed at strengthening the long-term sustainability of its retirement system.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has called on global investors and developers to come and explore tourism and hospitality projects in the Kingdom, as the current window of competitive advantage will not remain open indefinitely.

RIYADH: Saudi women are driving one of the most striking transformations in the Kingdom’s modern history, with female labor force participation surging from around 23 percent in 2016 to over 34 percent today, and women now owning nearly 45 percent of small and medium-sized enterprises, experts told Arab News.

RIYADH: Large-scale concerts, scintillating theme parks, and a booming cinema industry are no longer novelties in Saudi Arabia, with them becoming powerful engines of economic diversification under Vision 2030, according to industry experts. Guided by the ambitious program, Saudi Arabia is affirming itself as a regional hub in the entertainment industry, attracting tourists from all over the world.

RIYADH: Reforms across logistics, governance and business environment could see trade more than double between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Caucasus and Central Asia regions. A report published by the International Monetary Fund, and supported by experts speaking to Arab News, set out that while while current trade and investment flows between the two regions remain limited, there are major complementarities in energy, capital, and diversification strategies. Substantial gains in trade, foreign direct investment, and resilience amid global fragmentation could be unlocked by reforms.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s largest lenders, including Saudi National Bank, Al Rajhi Bank and Riyad Bank, reported higher first-half earnings in 2026, driven by robust lending growth, resilient operating income and improving liquidity, bourse filings showed. SNB, the Kingdom’s largest bank, posted a net profit of SR13.02 billion ($3.47 billion) in the first half of 2026, up 7.15 percent from the same period a year earlier.

https://arab.news/nf5eh RIYADH: Uber Technologies' planned takeover of Delivery Hero is set to reshape Saudi Arabia's booming food delivery

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s holdings of US Treasury securities rose 1.56 percent in June to $142.5 billion, as the Kingdom bucked the global trend. The holdings by Saudi Arabia increased from $140.3 billion in May, although the latest figure is below the 2026 high of $160.4 billion seen in February, according to US Treasury Department data. On a year-on-year basis, Saudi Arabia’s holdings increased 9.19 percent in June, reflecting continued demand for US government debt despite changing market conditions.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s consumer spending stayed above $3.5 billion for a third straight week as education outlays surged ahead of the new academic year, official data showed. The Kingdom’s point-of-sale transactions totaled SR14.19 billion ($3.79 billion) in the week ended Aug. 15, according to data from the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA. The figure was down 2.8 percent from the previous week, while the number of transactions fell 1.5 percent to 249.68 million.

Ed tech and industry partnerships proving key to Saudi human capital transformation