
NADEC CEO says dividend policy tied to strategy, operations
He explained in an interview with Argaam that since NADEC is undergoing an expansion phase, financial resources are currently directed toward executing its growth plans.
Altwaijri added that the company's outlook for the remainder of 2025 remains aligned with its strategic and operational roadmap and that no major developments are anticipated.
He said Q2 2025 net profit rose on the back of a 5.1% year-on-year (YoY) increase in net revenue, driven by growth in new business segments, and although operating costs rose due to higher fuel expenses, this was offset by a 23% YoY increase in treasury income.
Commenting on the protein segment, Altwaijri stated that the red meat business, a recent addition, generated SAR 59 million in net revenue during Q2, marking a 35% YoY growth, while profitability indicators remained stable.
He noted that the dairy and food segment remained the top revenue contributor at 89%, followed by the protein segment at 7% and agriculture at 4%.
Altwaijri also pointed out that the Central and Eastern Provinces recorded the strongest demand during Q2, with both seeing significant sales growth.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Hackathon to drive innovation in AlUla tourism
RIYADH: Vibes AlUla, an entrepreneurship and innovation hub launched in partnership with the Royal Commission for AlUla, has opened registration for a sustainable tourism hackathon, set for Aug. 10 to 12. The hackathon is aimed at empowering national talent and fostering innovative solutions to support AlUla's tourism sector, according to a Saudi Press Agency report. Participants will benefit from a comprehensive training program, including specialized workshops, mentoring sessions, and expert guidance in innovation, tourism, and entrepreneurship. AlUla residents are invited to contribute projects that showcase the region's environmental and cultural richness while promoting a more sustainable and resilient tourism ecosystem. Vibes AlUla recently hosted the closing event of the AlUla Entrepreneurs Incubator Program, attended by public and private sector representatives, as well as entrepreneurs and innovators. Participants showcased a range of startup projects developed by local entrepreneurs, focusing mainly on the film and tourism industries. These projects contribute to economic diversification and align with AlUla's vision for a sustainable creative economy, the SPA reported. As one of the Kingdom's leading tourism destinations, AlUla offers unique natural and historical assets, making it an ideal hub for entrepreneurial ventures and high-quality investment in tourism and creative sectors, the report added.


Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
MENA IT spending to reach $169bn in 2026
RIYADH: Information technology spending in the Middle East and North Africa region is forecast to reach $169 billion in 2026, marking an 8.9 percent increase from 2025, according to the latest projections from Gartner. The surge is driven by accelerated adoption of artificial intelligence, intelligent automation, and AI-optimized infrastructure upgrades, as organizations across the region prioritize digital transformation amid global economic and geopolitical uncertainties. Gartner's forecast is already taking shape in Saudi Arabia, where AI adoption is surging, as seen with the launch of Humain, a state-backed AI company unveiled in May by the Public Investment Fund. Positioned at the forefront of the Kingdom's ambition to become a global AI hub, Humain focuses on deploying advanced AI infrastructure, developing Arabic multimodal large language models, and forging strategic partnerships with global technology leaders such as Nvidia, AMD, and Amazon Web Services. 'The MENA region is rapidly emerging as a global tech powerhouse, with the Gulf Cooperation Council leveraging its stability, infrastructure and forward-looking policies to attract global partners and build digital skills that empower innovation and support resilient AI-driven economies,' said Mim Burt, practice vice president at Gartner. 'Even amid global economic and geopolitical uncertainty, chief information officers in MENA are making strategic investments in AI, intelligent automation and multi-cloud strategies, while strengthening cyber defenses and advancing talent upskilling,' Burt added. Data center systems will remain the highest-growth segment in 2026, with spending projected to increase by 37.3 percent to $13 billion. However, Gartner noted that the pace will moderate compared to 2025's 69.3 percent growth, as the market transitions from rapid buildouts to more incremental and sustained investments. 'Data center system spending is expected to accelerate as MENA CIOs and technology leaders invest in AI-enabled software and AI-optimized infrastructure,' said Eyad Tachwali, vice president, advisory at Gartner. 'This surge is largely fueled by pent-up demand for generative AI and advanced machine learning, which depend on robust computing power for large-scale data processing,' Tachwali added. 'Most of this demand is being driven by governments, hyperscalers, technology providers and organizations focused on developing and deploying AI models, rather than traditional enterprises or consumers,' he noted. Software spending is also expected to see significant growth, rising 13.9 percent to $20.4 billion in 2026, as organizations across MENA integrate GenAI capabilities into their operations. Gartner projects that by 2028, 75 percent of global software spending will be directed toward solutions embedded with GenAI functionality. 'CIOs will increasingly be offered embedded GenAI capabilities in enterprise applications, productivity and developer tools, more advanced large language models as well as AI-optimized servers to support AI-as-a-service,' said Burt. 'Providers are also exploring new pricing models across software and hardware to drive revenue.' IT services spending in the region is projected to grow 8.3 percent in 2026, reflecting the shifting priorities as AI becomes a central component of enterprise strategies. 'With the rapid acceleration of AI infrastructure and adoption in MENA, CIOs must move beyond GenAI as a productivity tool and embed it into the heart of their business strategy,' said Tachwali. 'The real competitive edge will come from building strong data foundations, composable technology platforms and cultivating AI-fluent talent — core enablers for unlocking differentiated value from AI,' he added. Initiatives in this field across the region include those contained in Saudi Arabia's broader Vision 2030 strategy, under which the Saudi Data and AI Authority is spearheading nationwide efforts to embed AI across economic sectors and elevate the country's competitiveness. Similarly, the UAE continues to reinforce its leadership in the sector with its UAE AI Strategy 2031, which aims to position the nation among the top AI-driven economies worldwide. The UAE's partnership with OpenAI under the Stargate UAE initiative will establish a 5-gigawatt AI campus in Abu Dhabi, providing nationwide ChatGPT access and positioning the country as a regional AI hub with global-scale compute infrastructure.


Argaam
3 hours ago
- Argaam
Consumer spending in Saudi Arabia rises 9% to SAR 122.6B in June
Consumer spending in Saudi Arabia rose by 9% to SAR 122.62 billion in June 2025, from nearly SAR 112.7 billion in the same month a year earlier. Consumer spending represents total cash withdrawals, point-of-sale (POS) transactions, and e-commerce via Mada cards. POS transactions saw a 2% year-on-year (YoY) increase to around SAR 53.98 billion in June. Data showed that 919.31 million transactions were processed through more than 2.1 million POS terminals during the same month. POS transactions represent the expenditures made by consumers using their ATM cards and credit cards at shopping malls, retail stores, pharmacies, and other retail outlets. Meanwhile, cash withdrawals from ATMs fell by nearly 5% YoY to about SAR 42.67 billion in June. These withdrawals were processed through 15,000 ATMs in 112.92 million transactions, while the number of credit cards issued reached 57.83 million. E-commerce sales through Mada cards jumped 72% YoY to SAR 25.97 billion in June. According to monthly data issued by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), these sales were made through 141.55 million transactions. Online sales include transactions processed through Mada cards for payments and purchases made via online shopping and applications. However, these do not include transactions conducted using Visa, Mastercard, or other credit cards.