Latest news with #FIIInstitute
Zawya
05-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
FII Institute and Visa sign strategic partnership agreement to accelerate innovation for humanity
RIYADH – Visa has announced its strategic partnership with the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute. FII Institute is a global non-profit foundation with an investment arm and a single agenda: Impact on Humanity. Visa is joining the Institute's list of international partners ahead of the 9th edition of its flagship FII conference in Riyadh to be held October 27-30, 2025. Signing the partnership agreement at the ceremony were Ali Bailoun, Visa's Regional General Manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman, and Penny Richards, CEO of FII Institute. Visa facilitates transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. The payment technology company's mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable, and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive. FII Institute convenes global leaders from government, business, and investment sectors across more than 90 countries to explore critical topics in AI & Robotics, Education, Healthcare, and Sustainability. These high-level conversations spark real change. As a catalyst for real-world solutions, FII Institute backs innovations and ideas that are solving humanity's most pressing challenges. As part of this collaboration, Visa gains access to exclusive opportunities, including participation in high-impact conferences and summits globally, collaboration with influential stakeholders, and curated insights from FII Institute's world-class research and thought leadership platforms. 'Visa believes that economies that include everyone, everywhere, uplift everyone, everywhere. Our partnership with FII Institute will support continued conversations on how government and private sector can further extend access to new technologies, knowledge and skills for a digital economy both globally and in Saudi Arabia that is equitable and inclusive,' said Ali Bailoun, Visa's VP and Regional GM for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman. Penny Richards, CEO of FII Institute, remarked, 'This partnership marks a pivotal moment in our mission to drive inclusive economic growth through strategic collaboration. By joining forces with Visa, we are also ensuring that significant leaders behind investment and financial innovation will join others in contributing meaningfully to human progress.' FII Institute and Visa will also partner on strategic forums and executive roundtables that bring together influential voices from across sectors. These engagements will foster meaningful conversations on responsible investment and inclusive global growth. In addition, it represents a significant step toward mobilizing the power of investment and technology to create a more equitable and sustainable future for everyone, everywhere. About Visa Visa (NYSE: V) is a world leader in digital payments, facilitating transactions between consumers, merchants, financial institutions, and government entities across more than 200 countries and territories. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, convenient, reliable, and secure payments network, enabling individuals, businesses, and economies to thrive. We believe that economies that include everyone everywhere, uplift everyone everywhere, and see access as foundational to the future of money movement. About FII Institute The Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute is a global non-profit foundation driven by data with an investment arm and one agenda: Impact on Humanity. Global and inclusive, we foster great minds from around the world and turn ideas into real-world solutions in four critical areas: Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Robotics, Education, Healthcare, and Sustainability.
Business Insider
03-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
A 12-time delegate shares 7 tips to make the Milken Global Conference pay dividends
It's one of my favorite times of the year: The Milken Institute Global Conference. Why do I love it? First of all, it's the Lollapalooza of the financial world, which is the primary world in which my firm, Prosek Partners, operates. It's also one of the few conferences in the world, like the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting at Davos and the FII Institute's October conference, where founders and CEOs don't fly in and quickly fly out. They stay, mingle, speak, and do business for two and sometimes three full days. A single ticket costs $50,000, or $25,000 at the early bird rate, but with that price comes exposure to the world's financial, corporate, and political leaders all in the small Beverly Hilton hotel in Los Angeles. It's almost impossible not to walk away with a new contact or insight. And unlike the icy-cold schlep and subpar accommodations of Davos, Switzerland, or the jet lag that often comes with the FII Institute conference in Saudi Arabia, Milken is a nearly zero-friction event — no lines, no snow, no slips and falls. Instead, you get luxurious and ample hotels. If you're new to Milken-land, here are 7 tips from a 12-time veteran. Know thy audience - who goes to Milken Attendees at Milken include CEOs of major financial firms and asset managers, CEOs of tech firms, some Fortune 500s and professional services firms, founders of private equity and private credit firms, institutional investors at the CIO level of pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, family offices. And then there are those who serve them. That could be chief marketing officers and chief communications officers or heads of investor relations who are supporting their CEOs or founders at the conference. Policy makers and politicians who care deeply about the economy and the central banking systems globally will be in tow too. This is high-level crowd geared around investing, deal-making, and the global economy. Don't miss the health panels A cancer survivor and major health philanthropist, Michael Milken surrounds himself with the best minds in finance, and also in healthcare. If you want to know what is possible today with genetics, cancer care, Alzheimer's treatments, GLP-1s, preventative medicine, healthy aging, or the positive effects of psychedelics, the health content sessions are a must. I owe Michael Milken the healthiest version of myself because I attended the "How to Live to a Healthy 100" panel almost ten years ago. Take the private party circuit very seriously Sometimes, the most valuable part of the conference is what is not on the agenda. There is a healthy party circuit around the Milken conference, and some of the best events are at private homes in Beverly Hills during the evenings. These events are not publicized, and you have to be a longtime attendee to know what's happening when and where. My advice is to buddy up with a conference vet and ask for help to figure out the private event circuit. Or hire a firm that is in the know to "concierge" your experience. Some of my favorite private events have been Goldman Sachs's women's lunch, the "Wheelhouse" event at Bette Davis's former party house, and dinner at Dan Loeb's home, founder and CEO of Third Point. If you don't maximize this aspect of the conference, you get only half the value. Don't be afraid to approach people in the hallway Every inch of the Milken conference is filled with someone you should get to know. For the most part, people are easy to approach. One of my favorite memories at Milken happened 10 years ago when my business was still relatively small. I ran into David Rubenstein, the co-founder and co-chairman of Carlyle Group, in the hallway and had a ten-minute conversation, during which he spent most of the time asking about my business. What a generous man and a magic moment! Little did I know I would represent his firm a few years later. Prepare to struggle for meeting space Meeting space at the Beverly Hilton is reserved for those who pay $250,000 at minimum to be sponsors of Milken. If that isn't you, you'll struggle to find a place for a meeting on the hotel grounds. There is a restaurant and a café on-site, but lines are long and there's no guarantee they'll have space when you need it. The trick is to reserve a room and/or meeting space at the hotels within walking distance from the Hilton like The Peninsula and the Waldorf Astoria — but you have to do so a year in advance. If you are planning for Milken 2026, book those rooms right at the end of this conference season. Most hotels will move their beds out if you want to transform the space into a meeting room. Remember that Milken is a nonprofit The Milken conference can be so commercially productive that many people forget what the Milken Institute actually is — a nonprofit that supports several important educational and health causes. This year, Michael Milken will open his Center for Advancing the American Dream in Washington, DC to help make sure the American Dream stays alive. Take a moment to study what the Milken Institute does and take advantage of the purpose-driven aspects of being part of the Milken world. Arrive with a game plan Make sure you have a "monetizing the mingle" strategy before you go to Milken. Whether you are a single-ticket holder or a sponsor, you are spending a truckload of time and money to attend, so you need goals, a strategy, and a plan to maximize your time on the ground. Are you trying to meet investors? What kind? Where do they go at the conference? Are you trying to increase your profile? If so, what reporters can you meet on the ground? Can you break news there and secure a coveted slot on CNBC or Bloomberg at the conference? Too many people I know show up with no plan and waste precious time and money. Don't be one of them. If you're doing it right, your return on time and money should be in the green. See you in LA! Jennifer Prosek is managing partner of Prosek Partners
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Starmer out in the cold as Trump seals new special relationship
Trumpworld's show of support at Saudi Arabia's investment summit in Miami last week could not have been more explicit. Traffic in Miami Beach on Wednesday was gridlocked for the entire afternoon in anticipation of the presidential motorcade, as Donald Trump arrived to speak for more than an hour at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Priority conference – a smaller spin-off of Saudi Arabia's so-called Davos in the Desert. Trump became the first US president to address the FII Institute – and he was sure to trot out the big guns. He was joined by Susie Wiles, his chief of staff; Jared Kushner, his son-in law; Steve Witkoff, his Middle East envoy; Michael Waltz, his national security adviser; and none other than Elon Musk, his 'first buddy', who was sat in the audience next to Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the US. Even a US president needs an entourage to court vast sums of cash – and what seems to be his most highly prized foreign ally. Trump's return to the White House has kickstarted a new era in US-Saudi relations, which look poised to quickly outstrip Britain's 'special relationship' with America. Saudi Arabia is the relationship that Trump has prioritised the most, says Urban Coningham, of the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi). 'Much more than Europe or poor old Keir Starmer.' It might seem surprising, considering the two nations' major disagreements over Gaza, oil prices and relations with China. But the message from the FII conference in Miami was clear: for both Trump and Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler, what matters more right now is money. 'Their interests are really aligning,' says Coningham. 'They're both transactionalists. And they're both able to disregard what other leaders wouldn't disregard.' Trump wants opportunities for US businesses, while the crown prince is pushing to diversify the Saudi Arabian economy in line with his Vision 2030 goals to move away from oil. The Saudis are keen to invest in energy, technology and above all, artificial intelligence, while US investors are chasing Saudi Arabian growth. On a phone call with the president in January – Trump's first with a foreign leader following his inauguration – Bin Salman said he wanted to invest $600bn (£480bn) in the US over the next four years. Trump later said he would ask the crown prince to push it to $1 trillion. The Saudis seem willing. Their delegation at FII included Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Public Investment Fund (Pif), and Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, the investment minister, who described the US as Saudi Arabia's top investment destination. The US makes up a quarter of all foreign direct investment into Saudi Arabia, which in turn has made than $750bn investments in the US, he said. 'So expect a great relationship between America and Saudi Arabia to get stronger.' Richard Haass, a veteran diplomat and now senior counsellor at Centerview Partners, says: 'Both sides are very bullish on the relationship. They both want an emphasis on economics. That suits them both. 'The foundation of the relationship will be growing trade and investment.' The previous Trump administration fostered close ties with Saudi Arabia, with Trump making Riyadh his first foreign visit as president in 2017. The US also sponsored talks between Arab nations and Israel, which led to the signing of the Abraham Accords to normalise diplomatic relations. Saudi Arabia was close to signing in 2023, until the war between Israel and Hamas broke out. Trump in January said that he thought Saudi Arabia would sign 'soon'. There are close economic ties between the two countries. Perhaps even more importantly, there are strong ties between Trump's circle and Saudi businessmen. Neil Quilliam, associate fellow at Chatham House, says: 'There's a strong personal dimension to this as well.' Kushner's Affinity Partners fund received $2bn from Saudi's sovereign wealth fund. Other FII attendees included Steve Mnuchin, the former treasury secretary whose fund has received $1bn from Saudi Arabia, and Donald Trump Jnr, the president's eldest son. Eric, Trump's middle son, announced plans in December to build Trump Tower Jeddah. 'Trump is clearly looking to build a dynasty and a legacy in US politics. So if he can get his family important investments in the Gulf, that is a major win for him,' says Coningham. Just as importantly, US business royalty have bought in – big time. Robert Kapito, president of BlackRock, told delegates at the FII: 'If KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] was a company and I was looking to invest, I would be all in. 'There is the opportunity, the growth, the scale – check, check, check.' The world's largest asset manager last year announced that it will launch an investment platform in Riyadh with a $5bn PIF investment. 'I assure you, the one thing that'll make you an investor is visiting,' Kapito said. 'The excitement, that can-do attitude of those people like the deputy governor and others who are running things, is so incredible.' Also speaking at the FII, Lisa McGeough, the chief executive and head of banking at HSBC US, said Saudi Arabia was 'our number one' region the bank is most interested in. It will soon move 6,000 staff into a new office in Riyadh's financial district. 'Definitely the relationship is not going to deteriorate. There are too many ties and too much mutual interest,' says Rusi's Coningham. For now, investors seem to be ignoring tensions between the US and Arab states over Trump's statement this month that he wanted to take over Gaza and turn it into the 'Riviera of the Middle East'. 'Gaza is obviously very difficult,' Coningham adds. 'Saudi Arabia has to cater to its own people who are understandably frustrated about Gaza and are still horrified by thousands of pictures which have flooded Saudi since Oct 7. 'MBS [Mohammed bin Salman] has to cater to his internal demographics, but he won't have a problem compartmentalising that alongside US relations and deals.' If Trump doubles down on this proposal, it will become problematic for US-Saudi relations. But if Trump's threats push the Arab world to respond with an alternative plan then relations can move forward, says Centerview Partners' Haass. Bin Salman invited Gulf leaders to meet in Riyadh on Friday to discuss how they will counter the proposals. Saudi Arabia is increasingly becoming a power broker, and is also playing an important geopolitical role, hosting talks between the US and Russia. Meanwhile, the UK is falling by the sidelines. 'If the Saudis do invest $1 trillion or even $600bn to the US then there is an opportunity cost to how much they can invest in the UK,' says Coningham. In financial circles, there are already warnings that Middle East money is bypassing the UK and Europe for the US. And Britain can no longer bank on its old 'special relationship' with the US. 'I think one of the elements of the Trump foreign policy which has already become clear is that traditional allies certainly don't get special treatment because they have traditionally been special allies. It doesn't count for much. Certainly in Europe,' says Haass of Centerview Partners. The US-Saudi relationship will never be as 'automatic' as relations between Britain and the US, which are based on similarities in cultures and systems, says Haass. But then Britain's special relationship with the US may simply be an illusion now. Haass says: 'I'm not sure in this day and age we have any special relationship.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
23-02-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Trump's special relationship will be with Saudi Arabia
Trumpworld's show of support at Saudi Arabia's investment summit in Miami last week could not have been more explicit. Traffic in Miami Beach on Wednesday was gridlocked for the entire afternoon in anticipation of the presidential motorcade, as Donald Trump arrived to speak for more than an hour at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Priority conference – a smaller spin-off of Saudi Arabia's so-called Davos in the Desert. Trump became the first US president to address the FII Institute – and he was sure to trot out the big guns. He was joined by Susie Wiles, his chief of staff; Jared Kushner, his son-in law; Steve Witkoff, his Middle East envoy; Michael Waltz, his national security adviser; and none other than Elon Musk, his 'first buddy', who was sat in the audience next to Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the US. Even a US president needs an entourage to court vast sums of cash – and what seems to be his most highly prized foreign ally. Trump's return to the White House has kickstarted a new era in US-Saudi relations, which look poised to quickly outstrip Britain's 'special relationship' with America. Saudi Arabia is the relationship that Trump has prioritised the most, says Urban Coningham, of the Royal United Services Institute (Rusi). 'Much more than Europe or poor old Keir Starmer.' It might seem surprising, considering the two nations' major disagreements over Gaza, oil prices and relations with China. But the message from the FII conference in Miami was clear: for both Trump and Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince and de facto ruler, what matters more right now is money. 'Their interests are really aligning,' says Coningham. 'They're both transactionalists. And they're both able to disregard what other leaders wouldn't disregard.' Trump wants opportunities for US businesses, while the crown prince is pushing to diversify the Saudi Arabian economy in line with his Vision 2030 goals to move away from oil. The Saudis are keen to invest in energy, technology and above all, artificial intelligence, while US investors are chasing Saudi Arabian growth. On a phone call with the president in January – Trump's first with a foreign leader following his inauguration – Bin Salman said he wanted to invest $600bn (£480bn) in the US over the next four years. Trump later said he would ask the crown prince to push it to $1 trillion. The Saudis seem willing. Their delegation at FII included Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the Public Investment Fund (Pif), and Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, the investment minister, who described the US as Saudi Arabia's top investment destination. The US makes up a quarter of all foreign direct investment into Saudi Arabia, which in turn has made than $750bn investments in the US, he said. 'So expect a great relationship between America and Saudi Arabia to get stronger.' Richard Haass, a veteran diplomat and now senior counsellor at Centerview Partners, says: 'Both sides are very bullish on the relationship. They both want an emphasis on economics. That suits them both. 'The foundation of the relationship will be growing trade and investment.' The previous Trump administration fostered close ties with Saudi Arabia, with Trump making Riyadh his first foreign visit as president in 2017. The US also sponsored talks between Arab nations and Israel, which led to the signing of the Abraham Accords to normalise diplomatic relations. Saudi Arabia was close to signing in 2023, until the war between Israel and Hamas broke out. Trump in January said that he thought Saudi Arabia would sign 'soon'. There are close economic ties between the two countries. Perhaps even more importantly, there are strong ties between Trump's circle and Saudi businessmen. Neil Quilliam, associate fellow at Chatham House, says: 'There's a strong personal dimension to this as well.' Kushner's Affinity Partners fund received $2bn from Saudi's sovereign wealth fund. Other FII attendees included Steve Mnuchin, the former treasury secretary whose fund has received $1bn from Saudi Arabia, and Donald Trump Jnr, the president's eldest son. Eric, Trump's middle son, announced plans in December to build Trump Tower Jeddah. 'Trump is clearly looking to build a dynasty and a legacy in US politics. So if he can get his family important investments in the Gulf, that is a major win for him,' says Coningham. Just as importantly, US business royalty have bought in – big time. Robert Kapito, president of BlackRock, told delegates at the FII: 'If KSA [Kingdom of Saudi Arabia] was a company and I was looking to invest, I would be all in. 'There is the opportunity, the growth, the scale – check, check, check.' The world's largest asset manager last year announced that it will launch an investment platform in Riyadh with a $5bn PIF investment. 'I assure you, the one thing that'll make you an investor is visiting,' Kapito said. 'The excitement, that can-do attitude of those people like the deputy governor and others who are running things, is so incredible.' Also speaking at the FII, Lisa McGeough, the chief executive and head of banking at HSBC US, said Saudi Arabia was 'our number one' region the bank is most interested in. It will soon move 6,000 staff into a new office in Riyadh's financial district. 'Definitely the relationship is not going to deteriorate. There are too many ties and too much mutual interest,' says Rusi's Coningham. For now, investors seem to be ignoring tensions between the US and Arab states over Trump's statement this month that he wanted to take over Gaza and turn it into the 'Riviera of the Middle East'. 'Gaza is obviously very difficult,' Coningham adds. 'Saudi Arabia has to cater to its own people who are understandably frustrated about Gaza and are still horrified by thousands of pictures which have flooded Saudi since Oct 7. 'MBS [Mohammed bin Salman] has to cater to his internal demographics, but he won't have a problem compartmentalising that alongside US relations and deals.' If Trump doubles down on this proposal, it will become problematic for US-Saudi relations. But if Trump's threats push the Arab world to respond with an alternative plan then relations can move forward, says Centerview Partners' Haass. Bin Salman invited Gulf leaders to meet in Riyadh on Friday to discuss how they will counter the proposals. Saudi Arabia is increasingly becoming a power broker, and is also playing an important geopolitical role, hosting talks between the US and Russia. Meanwhile, the UK is falling by the sidelines. 'If the Saudis do invest $1 trillion or even $600bn to the US then there is an opportunity cost to how much they can invest in the UK,' says Coningham. In financial circles, there are already warnings that Middle East money is bypassing the UK and Europe for the US. And Britain can no longer bank on its old 'special relationship' with the US. 'I think one of the elements of the Trump foreign policy which has already become clear is that traditional allies certainly don't get special treatment because they have traditionally been special allies. It doesn't count for much. Certainly in Europe,' says Haass of Centerview Partners. The US-Saudi relationship will never be as 'automatic' as relations between Britain and the US, which are based on similarities in cultures and systems, says Haass. But then Britain's special relationship with the US may simply be an illusion now. Haass says: 'I'm not sure in this day and age we have any special relationship.'
Bloomberg
21-02-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
SoftBank's Son Says He Hasn't Given Saudi Prince Enough Return
SoftBank Group Corp. Chief Executive Officer Masayoshi Son acknowledged that his company's partnership with Mohammed Bin Salman's Public Investment Fund has failed to fully deliver for the Saudi prince. 'He already had his own vision,' Son said Friday in a panel discussion at an FII Institute conference in Miami Beach, Florida. 'We just met at the right time. But I haven't still given him enough return. I still owe him.'
