Good morning, friends. It’s a very busy Wednesday for the Kingdom, with lots of news centered on two big areas: Mining and regulatory updates.

THE BIG STORY AT HOME is an update on the value and details of Acwa Power’s first foray into China’s renewable energy space, with the energy player announcing the value of its recently secured wind and solar power agreements in China.

^^ We have the full rundown on all of these stories in this morning’s news well, below.

WEATHER- Riyadh will see a high of 19°C and a low of 6°C today, while Jeddah’s mercury will go as high as 33°C before tapering off to 23°C. Makkah’s weather will see a 34°C high and 22°C low.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- PIF’s mining unit Ma’aden is gearing up to invest USD 1.3 bn in Brazil and open its first office in Sao Paulo, Brazilian Mining Minister Alexandre Silveira told Reuters. The investment is set to support geological mapping efforts in the country and to establish partnerships with Brazilian players to examine subsoil in a sustainable manner. No further details were provided on the investment plans.

#2- BSF, Al Rajhi Bank kick off sukuk offerings: Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF) opened the door for subscription to its USD-denominated sukuk issuance, which is part of its shariah-compliant trust certificate issuance program, according to a disclosure on Tadawul. The minimum subscription is USD 200k, with additional increments of USD 1k. Al Rajhi Bank also kicked off its USD-denominated additional tier 1 sustainable sukuk offering, which was announced earlier this week as part of its international borrowing program, the lender said in a filing to Tadawul. The offering is now open to both local and international investors, with the minimum subscription value set at USD 200k, with additional increments of USD 1k.

BSF ADVISORS- Our friends at HSBC were appointed as global coordinators for BSF’s issuance, while Mashreq, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Citigroup Global, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Emirates NBD, Goldman Sachs, the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector, Mizuho International, SMBC Bank International, and Saudi Fransi Capital were selected as joint lead managers.

AL RAJHI ADVISORS- Our friends at HSBC and Mashreq are joint lead managers and bookrunners on Al Rajhi’s transaction, along with JPMorgan Securities, Morgan Stanley, Al Rajhi Capital, Citigroup Global, Emirates NBD, Goldman Sachs, Dubai Islamic Bank, Credit Agricole, MUFG Securities EMEA, SMBC Bank International and Standard Chartered Bank.

#3- Some 29 new entertainment investment prospects in the Kingdom’s entertainment sector are now up on the Invest Saudi platform as the General Entertainment Authority and Investment Ministry seeks local and international bidders for the new projects, state news agency SPA reports. The proposed ventures include several entertainment offerings, including a mountain adventure park, a general amusement park, a water park, a virtual reality entertainment park, and e-gaming centers.

#4- Egypt-based financial services player CI Capital is planning to expand into the KSA with a Riyadh office before the end of 1H 2025, Managing Director and Head of Regional Markets Fahd Al Tarzi told EnterpriseAM. The more concrete target follows the financial services firm securing a service investment license from the kingdom’s Investment Ministry late last month.

What’s next? The firm is working on getting the necessary licenses from the Capital Market Authority ahead of its planned launch.

#5- Al Jouf Cement Company will incur an estimated 10.1% increase in production costs on the back of Aramco’s fuel and diesel price adjustment, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul. The adjustment is expected to impact the company’s financial results beginning 1Q 2025.

#6- Saudi nationals can visit Hong Kong without a visa for 90 days from 30 previously as of today, SCMP reports citing statements by Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu. Hong Kong passport holders will also have visa-on-arrival access to Saudi Arabia via six designated control points beginning today.

DATA POINTS-

#1- The Saudi Central Bank (Sama) saw its net foreign assets decline 0.6% y-o-y in December 2024 to SAR 1.55 tn, according to recent data from Sama.

#2- The Kingdom received over 18.5 mn international pilgrims for Hajj and Umrah in 2024, Hajj and Umrah Minister Tawfiq Al Rabiah said during the Hajj Conference and Exhibition, according to the Saudi Gazette.

#3- Consumer spending via point-of-sale transactions in the Kingdom fell 11.2% w-o-w for the week ending 11 January at SAR 13.4 bn, according to Sama’s weekly POS report (pdf). Meanwhile, the number of transactions was down 3.7% at 216.5 mn.

The breakdown: Restaurants and cafes saw the highest spending during the week, dipping 1% w-o-w at SAR 2.1 bn, followed by beverages and food at SAR 1.9 bn, down 11.6%. Meanwhile, Riyadh had the highest value of PoS transactions at SAR 4.6 bn, followed by Jeddah at SAR 2 bn.

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THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

As we inch closer to Trump once again taking office, US politics are dominating the international front pages.

Trump’s pick to run the Pentagon faces the Senate: Pete Hegseth — President-elect Donald Trump’s Secretary of Defense nominee — faced the Senate yesterday in a confirmation hearing that saw his lack of experience and controversial comments brought to light. Despite being grilled over his past actions, Hegseth appears to near Senate approval. (Reuters | CNBC | AP | FT)

The Los Angeles wildfires continued to make headlines, with strong winds expected to carry fire-sparking embers over the area, which has been enduring massive destructive fires over the past week. (AP | Reuters)

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

#1- The three-day Real Estate Future Forum kicks off on 27 January at the Four Seasons, Riyadh.

#2- LEAP 2025 will take place between 9-12 February at the Riyadh Exhibition & Convention Center in Malham. The tech event will bring together over 1.8k global tech brands, 1k experts and some 680 startups. LEAP 2025 will feature over 300 hours of content across 17 tracks, covering AI, fintech, edtech, smart cities, and more. Co-located with LEAP is DeepFest, a major AI-focused event bringing thought leaders and innovators under one roof.

#3- The eight-day Big 5 Construct Saudi will take place from 15-18 February and 24-27 February at the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center. The Kingdom’s largest construction event will feature over 2k exhibitors from more than 60 countries, showcasing innovations across the sector. The event is expected to attract over 75k participants.

#4- The UFC returns to the Kingdom on 1 February, kicking off its 2025 collaboration with Riyadh Season, according to Forbes. The main event will see former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya face Nassourdine Imavov. Adesanya, on a two-fight losing streak, needs a win to remain in title contention, while Imavov enters with a four-fight winning streak.The co-main event will see Shara Magomedov square off with Michael “Venom” Page. The card also includes several ranked fighters, with matchups spanning multiple divisions. Full card here.

#5- The Formula One 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix will kick off on 20 April, featuring 50 laps at the 6.174-km Jeddah Corniche Circuit. Tickets are available here.

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