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Saudi Arabia

Apollo is said to lead buyout group for $10bn Aramco deal

The buyout firm’s consortium will include US and Chinese investors

Islamic Development Bank sukuk Nasdaq Dubai

Saudi’s Islamic Development Bank lists $2.5bn sustainability sukuk on Nasdaq Dubai

The total value of the bank’s sukuk listed on Nasdaq Dubai stands at $17.14bn

Saudi Arabia

Saudi non-oil private sector growth slowed slightly in March – PMI

Saudi PMI Index fell from 53.9 in February to 53.3 in March

Saudis hike oil prices for key Asia market in sign of confidence

Aramco will increase its grades for Asia in May by between 20 and 50 cents a barrel

Prince Khaled named in advisory board of $15m global food tech challenge

Competition backers include Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council

Saudi Prince reportedly sells English country estate to Bahrain’s King

The sale price was more than $165m, according to sources

Home security

Cyber threats frustrate banks’ digital efforts

How A10 Networks encryption, decryption technologies can help protect banks from attacks

Armed man arrested in Makkah’s Grand Mosque

The man was chanting slogans in support of terrorist groups

Saudi’s Haramain Railway begins operations after a year, ahead of Ramadan

The railway line’s services were suspended in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic

Saudi unemployment falls in fourth quarter as virus slows

Unemployment among Saudi nationals hit a record high of 15.4 per cent last year

GCC’s consulting market shrinks 12.4% in 2020

The GCC consulting market is now worth around $2.7bn

Saudi firms will cut dividends to fund $1.3 trillion investments

The new plan comes after the coronavirus pandemic and oil market turmoil created a double crisis for Saudi Arabia

Dubai’s Emirates operates inaugural flight to Terminal 1 at Jeddah airport

Terminal 1 at King Abdulaziz International Airport has the capacity of handling 30 million passengers a year

Saudi’s NEOM signs partnership deal with Asian Football Confederation

Four-year agreement covers all major AFC national team competitions

Hajj 2020 Saudi 5

Ramadan plans announced for Grand Mosque in Saudi Arabia

The Grand Mosque will be cleaned and sterilised up to 10 times a day

Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman

Saudi Crown Prince announces two massive green initiatives to combat climate change

The overall regional tree planting programme (with 50 billion trees) is claimed to be the largest reforestation programme in the world

Banque Saudi Fransi picks Finastra to automate treasury and trading ops

Bank can connect to Finastra’s open platform which is in line with SAMA’s Open Banking initiative

Saudi Arabia proposes Yemen peace plan amid oil attacks

The move follows an escalation in drone and missile attacks by the Houthis on the energy infrastructure and airports of the world’s largest oil exporter

Philips to set up sleep disorder management centres at Saudi German hospitals

The centres will cater to Saudi patients suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Saudi’s Nazaha arrests several people on corruption, embezzlement charges

Legal procedures against the accused are currently underway

Qatar, Saudi deny immediate Israel normalisation plans

The UAE became the first Gulf Arab nation to agree to normalise ties with Israel

Aramco aims to partner with China on blue hydrogen, CEO says

Aramco is looking to work with China on blue hydrogen and ammonia, synthetic fuels and carbon capture utilization and storage

Saudi-led jets strike Houthi targets in Yemen after Aramco hit

These strikes came after Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked an Aramco refinery in the Saudi capital on Friday

Amazon to add 11 new buildings to its Saudi fulfillment, delivery network

Investment to create over 1,500 additional jobs across Saudi Arabia

Saudi’s AlUla airport receives inaugural flynas flight from Riyadh

Flynas will operate two weekly flights between Riyadh and AlUla on Wednesdays and Saturdays

SAUDI-HEALTH-VIRUS

Saudi says no cases of blood clots recorded among those who have been vaccinated

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority confirmed that over 2.3 million doses of the vaccine have been administered in the kingdom

Saudi economy contracted 3.9% in fourth quarter as oil drags

The non-oil economy shrank an annual 0.8 per cent in the fourth quarter

Citigroup names key banker on Aramco IPO as Saudi CEO

Wassim Al Khatib will lead Citigroup’s investment banking and markets business in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia’s Almarai acquires Bakemart in UAE, Bahrain

The acquisition is fully financed from Almarai’s operating cash flow

Dubai-based Kitch to expand Lebanon’s restaurant Barbar across GCC

Hybrid cloud kitchen/store front operator to offer Barbar menu at dine-in and delivery