Latest news with #foreigninvestment
Asharq Al-Awsat
15 hours ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Five Benefits of the New Foreign Property Ownership Law in Saudi Arabia
A newly updated property ownership law approved by Saudi Arabia's cabinet earlier this month is expected to deliver five major benefits to the Kingdom's real estate sector, including attracting foreign capital and enhancing transparency, according to industry experts. Set to take effect in January 2026, the law enables non-Saudis to own property under a regulated framework aimed at modernizing the sector and supporting the country's broader economic transformation goals under Vision 2030. Real estate experts said the law will draw foreign investment through sovereign wealth funds and international developers, transfer global expertise in property management and development, expand the supply of residential and commercial units, unlock new financing channels for large-scale developments, and generate new job opportunities for Saudi citizens. 'This is a pivotal step toward creating a more transparent, professional, and investor-friendly real estate market,' said Khaled Al-Mobid, CEO of property firm Manassat. 'The new system regulates relationships between all market players, speeds up processes, protects rights, and raises the overall quality and diversity of real estate projects,' he told Asharq Al-Awsat. He said the streamlined regulations are expected to make the Saudi property market more appealing to both local and international investors, particularly with improved governance and legal clarity. The law is also anticipated to support price stability by reducing speculation and ensuring more equitable property valuations. With a more welcoming investment climate, Al-Mobid expects a wave of international developers to enter the market, especially in major cities and emerging economic zones. 'This framework reduces operational risks and facilitates licensing for major projects,' he said. Ahmed Al-Faqih, a real estate consultant and appraiser, told Asharq Al-Awsat the reform marks a shift in Saudi Arabia's investment landscape, offering promising returns to global funds and real estate entities. He highlighted the law's potential to attract capital from around the world while transferring expertise in property development, facility management, and project execution to the local market. 'It will enrich the supply across all real estate segments, from residential to industrial and tourism-related projects,' Al-Faqih said. One of the most notable features, he added, is the introduction of internationally recognized financial mechanisms such as profit-sharing structures to fund large-scale developments. These changes are also expected to create thousands of new jobs in the Kingdom's growing real estate sector. Al-Faqih pointed to the law's removal of the residency requirement for foreign ownership as a key draw. 'It adds much-needed flexibility and enhances the appeal of Saudi Arabia's real estate market,' he said, predicting it will boost the sector's contribution to non-oil GDP and ensure long-term sustainability. According to the Real Estate General Authority (REGA), the new law will come into force 180 days after its publication in the official gazette. The executive regulations outlining implementation procedures and conditions will be issued within the same period. Ownership will be permitted in specific areas of Riyadh and Jeddah under a structured geographic framework designed to protect market balance. However, property ownership in Makkah and Madinah will be restricted to Muslims under special conditions or regulated arrangements. The system permits full ownership, as well as other real rights, such as usufruct and easements, provided the property is recorded in the national real estate registry and all ownership data is fully disclosed as stipulated in the executive regulations. The Kingdom's real estate sector has witnessed robust growth in recent years, contributing about 14% to GDP by the end of 2024, according to REGA CEO, Abdullah Al-Hammad. The updated law, experts say, is expected to further strengthen that trajectory by fostering a more competitive, transparent, and globally integrated market.
NHK
20 hours ago
- Business
- NHK
Foreign net buying of Japanese stock continues for 16th week
Foreign investors have been pouring money into Japanese stocks. It's their longest net buying streak for 16 straight weeks in the past 12 years. The trend began in late March, and continued even after a sharp drop in Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei 225 index on April 3, triggered by US President Donald Trump announcing what he called "reciprocal tariffs." While domestic investors pulled back, overseas investors kept buying. From July 14 to 18, they were again net buyers on the Tokyo and Nagoya exchanges, picking up about 187 billion yen, or nearly 1.3 billion dollars, more in shares than they sold. Tokyo markets continued their rally the following week as Japan reached a tariff deal with the United States. The Nikkei index briefly broke the 42,000 mark for the first time since last July when it set its all-time high. Market analysts say Japan is drawing in foreign money as domestic firms pay closer attention to share prices and capital. They say the progress in tariff talks with the US could add to the momentum.
France 24
2 days ago
- Business
- France 24
Ireland's 'economic miracle' at risk from tariffs
Attracted primarily by low corporate taxes, huge pharmaceutical firms like Pfizer, Eli Lilly, and Johnson & Johnson, and tech giants like Apple, Google, and Meta have based their European headquarters there. The US investor influx has boosted Irish tax coffers and fuelled record budget surpluses in recent years. But Trump's tariffs -- a baseline rate of 15 percent on EU exports will apply across the board -- present a stress test for the Irish economic model. Once one of western Europe's economic laggards, Ireland became known as the "Celtic Tiger" thanks to a remarkable turnaround in the 1990s. A model built on low corporate tax and an English-speaking workforce in an EU country proved seductive to foreign investors, particularly from the US. Their presence drove rampant economic growth and would later help Ireland rebound from the financial crash of 2008. The transition was an "Irish economic miracle," said Louis Brennan, professor of business studies at Trinity College Dublin. "Ireland has advanced in a matter of decades from being one of the poorest countries of northwestern Europe to being one of the most prosperous," he told AFP. Last year Ireland hiked its corporate tax rate from 12.5 to 15 percent after pressure from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), but still anticipates a budget surplus of 9.7 billion euros for 2025. Ireland's "spectacular" transformation "may have been too successful because we are very dependent in many ways on American companies," says Dan O'Brien, director of the IIEA think tank in Dublin. Pharma in frontline Spared from the first round of Trump's tariffs, pharmaceutical companies are now being targeted by the American administration, keen to repatriate production to home soil. Earlier this month the US president threatened a 200 percent levy on the sector. Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin expressed mixed feelings at Sunday's 15 percent deal, welcoming that "punitively high tariffs" were avoided. But "higher tariffs than there have been" will make transatlantic trade "more expensive and more challenging," he added. The new 15 percent levy sealed will be "particularly unwelcome in Ireland," O'Brien told AFP. "The pharmaceutical industry is very large relative to the size of the economy, and in recent times around half of its exports have gone to the United States," he said. Pharma employs about 50,000 people and accounted for nearly half of Irish exports last year, reaching 100 billion euros, up by 30 percent year-on-year. "Ireland's problem is that it is uniquely integrated into the United States economy," said O'Brien. "There's no other European country like this. So Ireland is caught in the middle," he said. Large pharmaceutical companies, particularly American ones, also host certain patents in the country to reduce their tax burden, which then boosts the Irish tax take. Tariffs "risk strongly discouraging American companies from setting up their future factories in Ireland," said Brennan. The US could still decide to impose further tariffs on the sector following an ongoing probe into whether pharmaceutical imports pose a national security problem, he said. Tech firms with EU bases in Dublin who have also transferred part of their intellectual property rights will not be directly impacted by the imposition of tariffs on physical goods. The sector is also a "significant area of investment and employment for Ireland, but at least from a US perspective, it seems outside the scope of the tariffs," said Seamus Coffey, an economics professor at University College Cork.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
InvestHK at 25: powering growth for global firms in Hong Kong and beyond
When InvestHK was established in July 2000, its mission was clear: attract overseas and mainland Chinese companies to establish or expand in Hong Kong, reinforcing its position as 'Asia's world city'. Twenty-five years on, that mission remains unchanged, but the tools and the scale of support have evolved significantly. Advertisement This year, both InvestHK and Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) marked their silver jubilees with notable results. In 2024, InvestHK assisted a record 539 mainland Chinese and overseas companies in setting up operations in Hong Kong. Since its establishment in 2000, 145 of InvestHK's clients have listed on HKEX. Between January 2023 and June 2025, InvestHK helped more than 1,300 companies set up or expand in Hong Kong, bringing in over HK$160 billion (US$20 billion) in foreign direct investment. These companies created more than 19,000 jobs in their first year of operation, exceeding the government's 2022 Policy Address targets ahead of schedule. Hong Kong's initial public offering (IPO) market has maintained steady momentum in 2025, with HKEX recording more than 50 listings between January and mid-July, a year-on-year increase of 30 per cent. The exchange ranked first globally in IPO fundraising during the period, with more than 200 companies actively preparing for a public offering in the second half of the year. Support from InvestHK for overseas and mainland Chinese companies and institutions includes planning, setting up and expanding their operations in Hong Kong. The agency provides strategic advice on market entry, practical guidance during the establishment and launch phases, and continued support as businesses grow and scale across international markets via Hong Kong. When an IPO is on the horizon, InvestHK offers pre-listing workshops covering disclosure, environmental, social and governance (ESG), and investor-relations requirements, enabling founders to scale up without needing to shift jurisdictions, a stability that is increasingly valued in an era of geopolitical uncertainty. Advertisement Beyond projects: building ecosystems
Arab News
3 days ago
- Business
- Arab News
Jordan signs near-$200m foreign investment agreements in health sector
AMMAN: Jordan has signed two major foreign investment agreements in the health sector, worth a combined $187 million, in a move hailed as a significant step toward modernizing healthcare infrastructure and digital services. Prime Minister Jafar Hassan witnessed the signing ceremony on Saturday alongside Saudi Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, chairman of KBW Investments, and Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Jordan News Agency reported. The first agreement, between the Jordanian government and KBW Investments, will see the construction of the new Madaba Government Hospital. The second, a digital transformation project in Royal Medical Services hospitals, was signed between the Jordanian Armed Forces and Farah Jordan Smart Cities Company, in which KBW holds a 49 percent stake. The agreements represent the first wave of new foreign investment in the sector, with the government indicating plans to expand similar partnerships into areas such as transportation, infrastructure, and additional hospitals. 'This is the first government hospital built in partnership with the private sector after a delay of about 10 years. It is absolutely essential for the people of Madaba Governorate,' said Hassan. He confirmed that the hospital would be fully government-run, with an initial capacity of 260 beds, expandable to 360, and is scheduled to open within three years. The agreement to build the hospital was signed by Minister of Investment Muthanna Gharaibeh, Minister of Health Firas Hawari, and KBW's CEO Ahmad Sallakh. It falls under the Jordan Investment Fund Law and marks the first partnership of its kind in the country between the government and private sector in this domain. The 13-story hospital will span 54,000 sq. meters and include a wide range of medical facilities such as eight main operating rooms, 60 outpatient clinics, and 18 dialysis units. It will also house emergency and intensive care departments, lithotripsy and endoscopy units, medical laboratories, catheterization laboratories, and offer 830 parking spaces for visitors and staff. Construction will begin this year, with KBW handling all building works. The government will take on full operational responsibilities, including staffing and equipping the facility. Payment to the company will begin only after the project is completed, in installments over a 10-year period. The second agreement focuses on the digitization of RMS facilities, including hospitals, health centers, warehouses, and other medical sites. It aims to enhance efficiency in drug inventory, reduce waste, and modernize the management of medical assets and supplies. It also targets improved performance in laboratories and radiology services. The deal was signed by the Assistant Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for Planning, Organization and Defense Resources Brig. Gen. Ammar Al-Sarayrah, and KBW's CEO Sallakh. Prince Khaled reaffirmed KBW's commitment to investing in Jordan, calling it 'our second home,' and added that KBW had been investing in the kingdom for over 10 years and was keen to expand across multiple sectors.
