Vision 2030

People attend the international esports gamers Next World Forum in Riyadh, Sept. 7, 2022.

Culture

Iran war hits Saudi gaming drive as Esports Nations Cup pushed to 2027

The postponement is a blow for the kingdom, which has made growing its esports sector one of the main priorities under its Vision 2030.

A student attends a training seminar at the Tourism Ministry Training center in the city of Riyadh on August 30, 2022.

Interview

Saudi labor localization will take ‘generation or two': Armada CEO

Around 70% of Saudi Arabia's population is 35 years old or younger, according to the kingdom’s General Authority for Statistics, providing ample opportunity for an educated and technology-savvy national workforce in the coming decades.

Olivier Badard

CEO of Armada Holding

The symbols of bitcoin and the stablecoin Tether (USDT) are displayed at a cryptocurrency store in Hong Kong on July 29, 2025.

Interview

Saudi Arabia eyes state-backed stablecoin amid digital finance push

Tokenization in Saudi Arabia has rapidly evolved from concept to early-stage execution since the early 2020s.

A person walks past the closed Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center on Jan. 7, 2021, in New York City.

Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years.

Latest News

What LIV Golf’s woes suggest about Saudi Arabia’s economic headwinds

Bryson DeChambeau of Crushers GC plays his shot from the 17th tee prior to LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec on April 15, 2026, in Mexico City.

Culture

Ancient wells, Abbasid coin: Saudi Arabia unveils archaeological finds

Archaeologists work at Ra’s Qurayyah Port in Al-Ahsa Governorate, Eastern province. (Saudi Heritage Commission)

Meet Fahad Al-Saif, PIF exec and Saudi Arabia's new investment minister

Fahad

Saudi Arabia names new investment minister as Vision 2030 funding lags

Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman looks on during a meeting with US President Donald Trump (not pictured) in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on November 18, 2025. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived at the White House to fanfare and a jet flyover Tuesday, in his first visit to the United States since the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Ima

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

YouTuber MrBeast brings pop-up theme park to Saudi Arabia

Beast Land, open from Nov. 13 to Dec. 27, features several obstacle-course challenges similar to those that appear in the influencer’s videos.

Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

Oil prices fall for 3rd straight month as Saudi-led OPEC+ weighs more cuts

The falling oil prices are being driven further down by China’s slowdown and are affecting Saudi Arabia’s diversification plans.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Billion-dollar AI, clean energy deals headline Saudi 'Davos in the Desert'

Humain, an AI firm backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, the PIF, signed a $3 billion deal with AirTrunk, a company backed by US asset manager Blackstone, to build a data center campus in the kingdom.

A Delta Air Lines Airbus A220 airplane prepares to takeoff at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on July 10, 2025.

Delta to launch first direct US-Saudi flight as business ties deepen

Beginning in October 2026, Delta will fly from its Atlanta hub to the Saudi capital three times a week on an Airbus A350-900 — a route that will span more than 7,000 miles.

Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick leaves the Phillip Burton Federal Building on day three of the trial between Waymo and Uber Technologies on February 7, 2018 in San Francisco, California.

Saudi Arabia grants citizenship to Uber co-founder, Red Sea Global CEO

Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick and Red Sea Global CEO John Pagano have been granted Saudi citizenship.

Ziad El Chaar, Dar Global's chief executive officer. — Dar Global

Interview

Dar Global hints at Trump real estate deals in Saudi Arabia’s gigaprojects

The Dubai-headquartered real estate company has worked with the Trump Organization on luxury property developments across the Gulf.

Ziad El Chaar

Chief Executive Officer, Dar Global

PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Blackstone, Abu Dhabi's Lunate set up $5B GCC logistics investment platform

The new platform will capitalize on the growing logistics sector in the Gulf.

United Arab Emirates

A Riyadh Metro train makes its way along a track in the middle of a road in Riyadh on December 3, 2024.

What’s next for Saudi Arabia’s budget balancing act as deficit doubles?

The Gulf state now expects a deficit of $65.3 billion in 2025 — more than double the initial forecast — as the kingdom continues heavy spending amid weak oil prices.

The Saudi delegation meets with Vietnamese officials in Hanoi, Sept. 29, 2025.

After China, Saudi industry minister visits Vietnam in eastward economic push

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef met with a number of Vietnamese officials on Monday as the oil-rich Gulf kingdom looks east to diversify its economic alliances.

EA office building in Austin, Texas, USA.

Gaming giant Electronic Arts taken private in $55B Saudi-backed buyout

The transaction represents a significant deal involving entities close to the Saudi Arabian and US governments.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia courts Chinese firms in mining investment drive

Mining and Industry Minister Bandar Alkhorayef met with executives from more than 20 mining firms in Beijing on Thursday.

Pictured is the entrance to King Abdullah Economic City in Jeddah, on Feb. 3, 2009.

Analysis

OECD forecasts 3.7% growth for Saudi Arabia, citing US tariff shield

The kingdom is projected to grow at 3.7% this year, 1.9 percentage points more than forecasted in June.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech