INVESTMENT WATCH-

The Kingdom signed an MoU with the Belt and Road Office of Hong Kong to strengthen ties, work on new collaboration areas, and draw investments in key sectors, Investment Minister Khalid Al Falih said on X yesterday. The agreement was signed during a visit by Al Falih to Beijing that saw him meet with Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao to discuss scaling bilateral trade, capital markets cooperation, and joint ventures in new energy and industrial supply chains.

DATA POINT- Saudi attracted USD 35.5 bn in energy-related investments and USD 7.2 bn in construction investments under the Belt and Road Initiative in 1H 2025.

(** Tap or click the headline above to read this story with all of the links to our background and outside sources.)

TECH-

HPE + AMD roll out new Saudi-made servers: US-based server maker Hewlett PackardEnterprise (HPE) expanded its locally-manufactured Saudi-made server with two new models — the ProLiant DL365 and DL385 Gen11 — powered by AMD’s latest EPYC processors, it said in a press release on Wednesday.

More details: The servers are being assembled at the Alfanar facility in Riyadh and are the first AMD-powered machines to roll off the Saudi production line. They will be sold in the Kingdom, Jordan, Egypt, and Gulf markets, expanding on the company’s initial launch of locally-made servers in February 2024. The move will also be paired with launching training programs to develop local talent, including a majority female workforce.

M&A WATCH-

DHL eCommerce finalized its acquisition of a minority stake in Saudi Arabia-based AJEX Logistics Services, it said in a press release. Information about the size and value of the transaction wasn’t made public. The partnership gives DHL a direct foothold in the Kingdom’s parcel delivery market, while Ajlan & Bros Holding Group-owned AJEX gains access to DHL’s global e-commerce network. The agreement also grants DHL representation on the management board, while giving it the option to lift its holding to a majority stake further down the line.

ICYMI- DHL first disclosed plans for the investment earlier this year, without revealing financial terms. AJEX has been busy expanding its regional footprint, clinching storage space in nearby Bahrain last year, as well as partnering with Turkish Airlines subsidiary logistics firm Widect to cooperate on e-commerce shipping and last-mile solutions.

MANUFACTURING-

Indian pharma manufacturer Shilpa Medicare set up a joint venture in the Kingdom with local firm Pharma Industries and Biological Products (PPI), combining PPI’s knowledge of the Saudi market with Shilpa’s experience in research, development, and manufacturing, Al Arabiya reported on Thursday. PPI will hold a 70% stake in the new company, while Shilpa’s UAE arm Koanna will own the remaining 30%.

DEBT WATCH-

ArabiaIns.Cooperative reached a SAR 250 mn final settlement with Cenomi Centers for the ins. claim related to the Dhahran Mall fire incident back in May 2022, it said in a Tadawul disclosure on Thursday.

Tags: