Mining gets a new investment roadmap + target
Happy Thursday, everyone
Thursday, 15 January 2026
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen
As we close in on the weekend — and the halfway mark for January — we’re continuing to see debt taking a leading role in the news cycle as SEC secured a USD 1.5 bn loan and SAL Saudi Logistics and Waja are the latest to take sukuk issuances to market.
Maaden is in the spotlight this morning as it announced adding some 7.8 mn ounces of gold to its mineral resources, led by the Kingdom’s largest gold mine, Mansourah Massarah, in Makkah Province and the new Wadi Al Jaww discovery in the Arabian Shield.

Today at a glance
News
M&A Watch
IPO WATCH
TASI’s correction year
The telecom sector was the only gainer of the year
Almasar Education bucks a bruising year for Saudi IPOs
Around 21.4 mn shares changed hands across 41k trades worth SAR 450.4 mn
Gigaprojects
Gigaproject spending slows as focus shifts to Riyadh, real estate financing -Meed
Government budget strain spurs growth of private sector financing in mega-projects
Newsmakers
Coffee With: Yusef Alyusef, managing director at Alvarez & Marsal Saudi Arabia
Yusef Alyusef is a managing director and partner at Alvarez & Marsal in Riyadh, where he leads work in tax policy,…
My morning routine
Folk Maritime’s Poul Hestbaek unpacks growth plans for 2026 amid volatile global trade
We spoke with Hestbaek about their ongoing projects in the Kingdom and their regional expansions
Regulation
Legislation Watch
New Statistics Law centralizes authority, strengthens data confidentiality
The legislation introduces fines up to SAR 500k for data…
Regulation Watch
Beneficial ownership rules get an overhaul
Subsidiaries of listed companies are exempt from the updated disclosure…
Cabinet Watch
Gov’t to adopt flexibility in pursuing goals, Crown Prince says in Shura speech
PLUS: Financing for Blackrock’s Jafurah investment locked in?
Royal Court
New governors, deputy ministers appointed in latest royal decrees
Jazan gets a new governor — Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz…
Startup Watch
Marriott to develop five new hotels + Governata raises USD 4 mn in seed round
The Marriott projects will add more than 2.7k rooms to the market
Cybersecurity startup Cognna closes series A funding
The funds will be utilized to accelerate Cognna’s global expansion
Geothermal tech Strataphyn bags USD 6 mn in seed funding
Strataphyn will channel the funding into advancing its technology
Lifestyle
MrBeast brings his challenges to life in Riyadh + Six Flags Qiddiya City to open on 31 December
The zone will be open through 27 December, operating from 4 pm to midnight on weekdays and until 1 am on weekends.
EVIQ to roll out EV charging solutions for Lotus owners. PLUS: Riyadh Season signs up top Youtuber MrBeast
ALSO: Al Etihad Cooperative Ins. maintains Moody’s rating
Your guide to Ramadan cultural events and night markets
Five events and night markets to visit during the holy month