Home GCC Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

Salesmen Banned From Saudi Perfumeries

Cosmetics and perfume shops in the Kingdom will only be allowed to employ women staff from June 30.

BAE Nears Signing $800m Saudi Hawk Deal

UK defence firm BAE is close to signing a deal to sell up to 30 Hawk aircraft to Saudi Arabia, according to reports.

MENA IPOs Raise $82.8 Million In Q1 2012

The capital raised in Q1 2012 was almost four times higher than Q1 2011, but 63 per cent lower than Q4 2011.

Qataris Spend $4,100 Per Day On Travel

Compared to the rest of the world, GCC nationals on average spend 260 per cent more on airfares.

Riyadh Airport Expansion To Start In Q4 2012

Saudi Arabia expects the project to be completed in 2015, the General Authority for Civil Aviation has said.

World’s Richest Arabs Revealed

Two Arabs made it onto the Sunday Times Global 50 rich list, with a combined fortune of $39 billion.

Saudi Firms Face Fines For Excess Expats

Private companies in Saudi who hire expatriates in excess over the number of Saudi employees will have to start paying penalties.

Saudi To Award New Airline Licences

The Kingdom will grant new airlines licences in September to operate both locally and internationally.

Top Arab Spenders At Heathrow

London’s Heathrow Airport found that Saudi visitors were the Middle East’s biggest spenders in 2011.

Saudi To Build 85,000 New Homes By 2015

The new units are being developed by Saudi’s housing ministry as part of a larger affordable housing strategy.

Kingdom Holding Records 11.3% Q1 Profit Rise

Prince Alwaleed’s Kingdom Holding Company said that net income during the first quarter of the year reached SR100.8 million.

Saudi Booms But Closing Deals Is Challenging

While experts say the Kingdom is the best performing market in the region, they also warn investors to be patient while doing deals.

Banque Saudi Fransi sets up $2bn Sukuk

The bank reported a ten per cent year-on-year rise in first quarter profit earlier this year.

SABIC Sees Drop In Q1 Profit

Saudi Basic Industries Corp recorded a five per cent year-on-year fall in net profit during the first quarter of the year.

SABIC Approves SR15bn Dividends

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation will be distributing a dividend of SR5 per share to shareholders for 2011.

Saudi’s Al-Tayyar Group Plans 30% IPO

The travel firm had to cancel a similar sale two years ago due to a lack of demand.

Saudi Denies Reports of Sweden Arms Plant

The Kingdom stressed that it has not signed any deal with Sweden to help build a weapons factory in Saudi.

Saudi GDP Grew 6.6% In Q4 2011

The Kingdom’s oil sector expanded 6.1 per cent during the fourth quarter of the year.

Saudi Banks Post Rise In Q1 Net Profit

Al Rajhi Bank, SABB, Saudi Hollandi Bank and Banque Saudi Fransi recorded a rise in net profit during the first quarter of the year.

Saudi Leads In Job Creation

Around 77 per cent of Saudi firms are planning to hire more staff this year, according to a new survey.

Arab Billionaires Worth $121.3bn

Saudi Prince Alwaleed topped the list of regional billionaires released by Forbes with a fortune of $18 billion.

Almarai Reports $64.5m Q1 Net Profit

The Saudi-based dairy company said that net profits for the first quarter of the year rose 2.9 per cent year-on-year.

SABIC Plans $100m Centre In China

The Saudi-based chemical producer is planning to build a technology research and development in Shanghai.

Saudi Trims May Oil Prices For Asia

The Kingdom also slashed its crude prices for Europe, as oil demand weakens.

BAE Signs Saudi-Eurofighter Deal

The British defence contractor said that it had signed a contract to build 48 Typhoon aircraft for the Saudi Arabian air force.

Foreign Access To Saudi Bourse Will Be Slow

The opening up of the Kingdom’s stock market to foreigners will be gradual, Saudi Arabia’s capital market regulator has said.

Saudi Rejects Expat Tax Proposal

A majority of the Shoura Council members agreed that imposing an income tax on expatriate workers would be “untenable.”

SEC Receives $1.4bn Loan

Saudi Electricity Company will use the amount, loaned by a group of international banks, to build a power plant in Rabigh.

OPEC Output Rises In March

The oil supply from the OPEC nations in March this year increased to its highest level since October 2008.

More Saudis Seek Unemployment Benefits

The number of beneficiaries has risen by 170 per cent from December 2011.