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ECONOMY
The kingdom’s strategy powered up the non-oil sector, helping the economy maintain strong momentum.
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January 2026
GLOBAL OUTLOOK
Despite the myriad headwinds contributing to uncertainties, there appears to be strong grounds for optimism across the world, according to latest prediction.
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INVESTMENT
This year’s budget outlines the allocators’ growing e orts to align capital with industries that promote diversification, job creation, and private sector growth.
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OIL
Ongoing industrial expansion and sustained economic activity in emerging economies, particularly China and India, have pushed global consumption higher.
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SAUDI EXCHANGE
The country’s stock market will be open to the world e ective 1 February and is expected to support authorities’ goal to lure more international capital.
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IN THIS EDITION
The kingdom continues to be a magnet for foreign investors.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) data for the third quarter of 2025 showed net inflows of SAR 24.9 billion, a 34.5% increase compared with the same quarter of the previous year, when net inflows totalled SAR 18.5 billion. The figure also represents a 5.2% rise from the second quarter of 2025, which recorded SAR 23.7 billion, according to the FDI Statistics Bulletin issued by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT).
The value of FDI inflows reached approximately SAR 27.7 billion in the third quarter of 2025, up 4.4% from the same period in 2024, when inflows were about SAR 26.5 billion. This also marked a 3.3% increase from the previous quarter, which stood at SAR 26.8 billion.
In contrast, FDI outflows amounted to approximately SAR 2.7 billion in Q3 2025, representing a 65.7% decline from SAR 8 billion during the same period in 2024. Outflows also fell by 11.4% from the previous quarter, which stood at SAR 3.1 billion.
The latest slew of foreign investments reflects strong interest in fresh areas of the economy. In November, the Tourism Development Fund announced projects and partnerships worth a total of SAR 2.9 billion in foreign and private sector investments. The fund announced five integrated tourism projects totalling 1,211 hotel keys. These include the Jareed Aseer project, the Al-Hadaba park project, the Westin Resort, and The House Residences.
In late December, the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources awarded 24 private and international companies and consortia licenses in the ninth exploration licensing round, the largest in the kingdom’s history. The winning entities were awarded 172 mining sites, including 76 sites that advanced to a multi-round public auction, across three mineral belts in the regions of Riyadh, Madinah, and Qassim, with total committed exploration spend of over SAR 671 million during the first two years of their work programmes.
Meanwhile, American technology firms such as Nvidia recently committed to invest billions in building out the kingdom’s data centres, artificial intelligence, cloud and telecommunications.
The decision by the Saudi government to open up the new Saudi Exchange market to foreign investors should also add another stream to foreign investment flows into the country
