
Deal making and debates, investor opportunities and insight: Invest Saudi takes centre stage at MIPIM 2025
RELATED TOPICS
INVESTMENT
RELATED COMPANIES
Retal Urban Dev New Murabba Development Company AETA Audio Systems Evnts Inv Fnd Saudi Ewaa Compa
Saudi in spotlight at MIPIM conference, with dedicated KSA sessions, a GCC focus and more
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Invest Saudi will host three days of high-level discussions, announcements, presentations and networking at MIPIM 2025 with Saudi Talks, taking place at the Hall Mediterranee, Palais des Festivals, Cannes from 11 to 13 November.
Following its successful debut at MIPIM 2024, Saudi Talks is back with an impressive, expanded line up of speakers and subjects to highlight KSA's unprecedented real estate transformation – and the endless investment opportunities it is creating.
Led by the Ministry of Investment, Saudi Talks comprises nearly 20 sessions from government entities and leaders from KSA's giga and mega projects, including Ministry of Culture/Architecture & Design Commission; Events Investment Fund, NEOM, Diriyah, New Murabba, King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD), Sports Boulevard Foundation SBF); Smart Accommodation for Residential Complexes Company (sarcc), Premium Residency, and Retal Urban Development Company.
KSA real estate is also under the spotlight at the MIPIM conference, with two sessions dedicated to Saudi Arabia, a focus on Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and a presentation from global programme sponsor, Diriyah.
2 pm, Tuesday 11 March, Salon Croisette: How Saudi real estate projects are contributing to Vision 30.
11.30 am, Thursday 13 March, Audi A: The road to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 – a perspective from Diriyah, City of Earth.
2 pm, Thursday, 13 March, Geo Focus Stage: Cities of the Future - How Gulf Economies are Reshaping Tomorrow's Cities
3 pm, Thursday 13 March, Geo Focus Stage: How changing regulations, giga projects and mega events are transforming the Saudi real estate landscape.
Fahad Al Hashem, Assistant Deputy Minister of Investment Development, Ministry of Investment and Dr Manar Al Moneef, Chief Investment Officer, NEOM, are taking part in Thursday's GCC focus, while KSA session speakers include:
Mark Taylor, CEO, sarcc
Abdulaziz Al Othman, Executive Vice President Investment, SBF
Michael Dyke, CEO, New Murabba
Milan Mirjanic, Chief Strategy & Portfolio Management Officer, KAFD
Jonathan Robinson, Chief Investment Officer, Diriyah
Carl Schibrowski, Chief Development Officer, New Murabba
Nawaf Rajeh, Development & Innovation Marketing Senior Director, Diriyah
Saudi Arabia has a total construction spending plan of US$1.7 trillion as the country delivers up to 2.5 million new homes and a wide range of tourism, hospitality and commercial developments in line with Vision 2030. Global events like Riyadh Expo 2030 and the FIFA World Cup 2034 are further boosting demand for real estate in the Kingdom, where the construction market is set to grow to more than US$200 billion over the next five years.
Invest Saudi's spectacular display of developments is on show at pavilions C20, C14b and at Hall Mediterranee at MIPIM 2025.
About Invest Saudi
Overseen by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment (MISA), Invest Saudi is the Kingdom's investment attraction and promotion entity charged with communicating and facilitating investment opportunities.
Invest Saudi is the primary point of contact for foreign investors seeking information and assistance before, during and after their entry into Saudi Arabia. It is committed to working in partnership with potential and current investors to make their investment journey a seamless experience.
About the Ministry of Investment
The ongoing transformation of Saudi Arabia under the Vision 2030 economic development and diversification plan is unlocking new investment opportunities at an unprecedented pace. The Ministry of Investment of Saudi Arabia (MISA) is facilitating access to these opportunities by developing a vibrant cross-government investment ecosystem, facilitated by Saudi Arabia's National Investment Strategy.
Through a network of representative offices across the world, MISA partners with businesses of all scales and sizes—from start-ups to blue-chip multinationals—to help make investing in Saudi Arabia as simple as possible. MISA also plays a leading role in improving Saudi Arabia's overall business environment by facilitating investment data across regions and sectors, creating investment incentives, spearheading business reforms and opening up investment opportunities.

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


Arabian Post
2 hours ago
- Arabian Post
Debswana Scales Back Diamond Output Amid Global Market Slump
Debswana Diamond Company, Botswana's premier diamond producer, has initiated a significant reduction in its mining operations, citing sustained global demand weakness and mounting economic pressures. The company, a 50-50 joint venture between the Botswana government and De Beers, announced a temporary halt in production at key sites, including the Jwaneng Cut-9 and Orapa mines, aligning output with the subdued market conditions. This strategic move follows a challenging fiscal year for Debswana, which experienced a 46% decline in sales revenue in 2024 compared to the previous year. Production volumes also saw a downturn, with output dropping by 27% to 17.93 million carats. Looking ahead, the company has set a reduced production target of 15 million carats for 2025, marking a 16% decrease from the previous year's figures. The global diamond industry has been grappling with a confluence of adverse factors since mid-2023. Persistent low demand across the diamond pipeline, exacerbated by US-imposed tariffs, has created additional market pressures. An oversupply of certain diamond categories, particularly smaller and lower-quality stones, coupled with shifting consumer preferences towards lab-grown alternatives, has further disrupted traditional demand dynamics. Economic uncertainties in key markets, including inflationary pressures and changing luxury spending patterns, have compounded these challenges. ADVERTISEMENT In response to these market conditions, Debswana has implemented cost-saving measures, including the suspension of operations at the Letlhakane tailings and Jwaneng Modular plants. The company has emphasized its commitment to avoiding involuntary job cuts, offering voluntary separation packages to employees as part of its cost-control strategy. The downturn in the diamond market has had significant repercussions for Botswana's economy, which is heavily reliant on diamond revenues. Diamonds account for approximately 30% of the nation's revenue and 75% of its foreign exchange earnings. The economic contraction in 2024 was recorded at 3%, with the International Monetary Fund projecting a further 0.4% decline in 2025. The government has revised its 2025 economic growth forecast to near zero, a stark contrast to the 3.3% growth anticipated in its February budget presentation. Debswana's decision to scale back production is part of a broader effort to stabilize the market and manage operational costs. While some capital projects have been slowed down, long-term initiatives like the Jwaneng underground conversion will continue. The company aims to achieve significant cost savings across areas such as fuel and electricity consumption during this period of reduced activity. As Botswana navigates these economic challenges, the government continues to explore avenues for economic diversification. Efforts to boost sectors such as tourism, finance, and the mining of other minerals like copper are ongoing. However, the country's heavy dependence on diamond sales underscores the urgency of these diversification initiatives to mitigate the impact of future market downturns.


Arabian Post
4 hours ago
- Arabian Post
From petrostate to deal state: Gulf IPO markets mature
Maein Khalid Since the pandemic, IPO activity across GCC capital markets has surged – offering a sharp contrast to the stop-start pace on New York's Nasdaq and the near standstill on London's LSE. Nearly 300 IPOs have raised around $50 billion across the Gulf since 2021. ADVERTISEMENT Below I outline six key macro themes shaping this post-Covid IPO boom in the GCC. First, contrary to expectations, the number, size and aftermarket performance of IPOs in the GCC have shown little correlation with oil prices. Since 2021 Brent crude has swung wildly, yet IPO momentum has remained resilient, even in hydrocarbons-heavy markets like Saudi Arabia. Second, the sheer variety of sectors that contributed to regional IPO deals demonstrates that non-oil growth, industry deregulation, private sector entrepreneurship and e-commerce are powerful macro themes in the Gulf. The two largest IPOs in the GCC last year were the $2 billion food delivery app Talabat's IPO, listed in Dubai's DFM, and the $1.8 billion Lulu hypermarket, a 50-year-old family-owned grocery chain listed on Abu Dhabi's ADX. ADVERTISEMENT Last year saw 48 IPOs from sectors as varied as grocery chains, software and IT services, e-commerce, education, healthcare, financial services, remittance solutions, leisure, transportation and real estate. Third, Saudi Arabian deal flow both dominated the IPO pipeline and dramatically outperformed its GCC peers in aftermarket trading. For instance, 38 out of the 48 deals in the GCC that raised $12.06 billion in 2024 originated from the kingdom, and the average aftermarket performance in the week following the IPO was a spectacular 45 percent. The kingdom's first three IPOs on the main market this year all went 'limit up', surging on their first day of trading by the maximum 30 percent allowed. It is no mistake that the first aviation IPO in the region in almost two decades – Flynas is seeking to raise $1.1 billion – is taking place in the kingdom. This is a testament to both the vast liquidity available in the Saudi new issue market and the magnetic power of the kingdom's junior exchange, Nomu, which saw 27 companies listed in 2024 alone. New listings on Nomu are typically domestic Saudi firms operating in high-growth sectors tied to the kingdom's digital transformation – highlighting a clear link between rising tech literacy among its youthful population and a growing appetite for high-risk, high-reward IPOs. Fourth, the GCC IPO constellation is dominated by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with Oman a distant third. Saudi Arabia's 38 IPOs in 2024 dwarfed seven from the UAE, two from Oman and a solitary flotation in Kuwait. This spectacular asymmetry in the national origin of IPOs reflects the vast differences in the capital markets milieu, investor ecosystems and liquidity preferences among the six GCC states. Fifth, the recent IPO boom has attracted global investor interest in the Gulf's emerging capital markets, as sovereign wealth funds from the region have become a significant force in Wall Street and Silicon Valley deal-making. This trend will both broaden and deepen the GCC capital markets, evidencing that they are no longer an illiquid sideshow in the emerging markets universe. Historically the GCC IPO landscape was dominated by state-led privatisations and secondary offerings, with governments selling minority stakes in national champions. The most iconic example remains the 2019 Saudi Aramco listing – still the largest IPO in history – which raised $25.6 billion by selling just 1.5 percent of the company on Riyadh's Tadawul exchange. But the market has since evolved, moving beyond oil giants and into broader, more diversified territory. Saudi Aramco subsequently raised $12 billion in a secondary offering last year. These mega deals played a crucial role in the development of the kingdom's capital markets infrastructure and set the stage for the current bullish IPO environment. The UAE's role as the most diversified, cosmopolitan and networked economy in the Arab world can be gauged by the fact that it contributed to the two largest IPOs of 2024 – both private sector businesses with no connection to oil and gas or the government. The 2025 IPO of Bahrain-based Investcorp Capital marked a milestone for the region – positioning Abu Dhabi where it listed not just as an oil-rich emirate, but as a rising power in global finance. By listing a world-class alternative investment manager on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, the UAE has shown it is no longer just deploying capital abroad – it's building the infrastructure to manage it at home. As a growing nexus for hedge funds and private capital, Abu Dhabi is fast becoming a noodle point in the global alternatives ecosystem. Mixed IPO outlook I predict the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund PIF will midwife the next generation of privatisation IPOs in the kingdom, as it did with Saudi Aramco in 2019. But while the IPO market outperformance and the sheer scale of domestic liquidity flows make mega privatisation listings viable, the same cannot be said for smaller GCC states like Oman and Bahrain. Facing tighter fiscal constraints, their private investor base tends to favour quasi-debt, high-yield instruments issued by state-owned blue-chips over equity exposure. The sale of a 25 percent stake in OQ Gas Networks by Oman's state energy company suggests that it is problematic to engineer an IPO or even a state-owned energy colossus when oil prices are mired in a bearish downtrend. While the IPO marked a milestone for the Muscat bourse, it also revealed the limitations of investor appetite when crude prices are under pressure. Unlike Saudi Arabia's liquidity-fuelled listings, Oman's experience shows that timing – and broader market sentiment – can still make or break even the most strategic flotations. Also published on Medium. Notice an issue? Arabian Post strives to deliver the most accurate and reliable information to its readers. If you believe you have identified an error or inconsistency in this article, please don't hesitate to contact our editorial team at editor[at]thearabianpost[dot]com. We are committed to promptly addressing any concerns and ensuring the highest level of journalistic integrity.


Middle East Eye
14 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Israel has sold record amount of debt in US since war on Gaza erupted: Report
Israel has sold a record amount of debt in the US since its war on Gaza erupted on 7 October 2023, according to a report by Bloomberg on Friday. The government of Israel's US-based bond broker, Israel Bonds, says it has sold $5bn worth of debt in the last twenty months. The level of bond issuance is more than double that raised by Israel Bonds, in similar time periods previously. Israel's war on Gaza started after the 7 October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel killed around 1,200 people. Israel responded by pummelling the Gaza Strip and invading it. More than 54,000 people, mainly women and children, have been killed in the Israeli attacks, and the population is facing "imminent famine", the United Nations says. Israel Bonds is affiliated with Israel's finance ministry and sells bonds inside the US to both retail and institutional investors. The starting price for non-tradable retail Israeli bonds is as low as $36. A five-year Israeli bond has a yield between 4.86 percent and 5.44 percent, according to the Bloomberg report. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Along with its war on Gaza, Israel fought a devastating war with Hezbollah in Lebanon and launched widespread strikes on Syria. In 2024, it engaged in two rounds of direct missile and drone attacks with Iran. Israel's financing needs have soared as it looks to fund its military. Local Israeli creditors, including deep-pocketed institutional ones, account for about 80 percent of the government's lending overall. That leaves just twenty percent to come from international debt sales and what Israel Bonds sells in the US. According to the group, local US governments at the state and county level are big buyers in places like New York, Texas, Ohio, and Illinois. Palm Beach County in Florida became one of the world's largest investors in Israeli Bonds in 2024, with about $700m of its $4.67bn portfolio invested there. Israel has faced widespread criticism for its war on Gaza. The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes. Meanwhile, public opinion on Israel has turned sharply negative from France to Japan. However, in March 2024, Israel saw strong demand for its debt among international investors. It sold $8bn in international bonds. Israel enjoys investment-grade ratings from major credit ratings agencies.