Good morning, wonderful people. We have a jam-packed issue for you today, including the latest industrial production index and updates on the Kingdom’s gigaprojects landscape and debt capital markets.

HAPPENING TODAY-

#1- EFG Hermes’ annual conference continues today in London, giving investors “unique and unparalleled access to leading equities in MENA and key frontier emerging markets.” The event will wrap this Thursday, 12 September.

What to watch out for today: Today’s session of the conference at London’s Emirates Stadium will feature Egyptian Financial Regulatory Authority head Mohamed Farid, who will be taking part in a fireside chat that will dive into the latest in capital markets, regulations and fintech, EFG Hermes said in a statement statement (pdf).

** EnterpriseAM Saudi will have exclusive coverage of the signature fireside chats from the conference in tomorrow morning’s edition.

#2- The Saudi junior handball team will face its Korean counterpart in the final round of the main stage of the Asian Championship in Jordan, state news agency (SPA) reported. The team that comes out on top will qualify for next year’s Junior World Championship in Slovenia.

WEATHER- Expect cloudy days in Riyadh and Jeddah today, with a high of 43°C today and a low of 30°C in the capital. Meanwhile, Jeddah will see a high of 39°C, and a low of 32°C.

PSAs-

#1- Businesses have until next Sunday, 15 September to submit excise tax returns for July and August, the Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority (Zatca) said in astatement. Excise tax applies to products associated with health risks or harming the environment, including soft and energy drinks, and tobacco products, Zatca notes.

#2- Businesses and online stores must obtain a license before organizing commercial contests, as required by the Anti-Commercial Fraud Law, according to state news agency SPA. Violations can result in up to three years in prison and / or fines of up to SAR 1 mn.

The fine print: Businesses are permitted to organize contests up to twice a year, with each lasting no more than 60 days. Contest rules, entry methods, and prizes must be clearly defined, with proof of prize ownership. The license must include the organizer’s name, contest dates, and the ministry’s license number in all advertisements. Purchases cannot be a requirement for entry, and organizers or their family members are barred from participating. Prizes must be distributed within seven days of final recipients being announced.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- Investment Minister Khalid Al Falih looked into potential economic and financial cooperation with Germany during his meeting yesterday with German Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck and German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, among other officials, Al Falih said on X.

IN CONTEXT- Al Falih said last week he planned to drum up support among customers and partners in Germany and other European countries for Saudi’s proposed move to export green products to Europe — which singles Italy out as our “partner of choice.”

#2- EFG Hermes is working on six IPOs in Saudi Arabia over the next few months, with four scheduled to take place before the end of the year and two others taking place during 1Q 2025, investment banking co-CEO Mohamed Ebeid told Asharq Business. Earlier this year, EFG Holding announced plans to increase its staff in Saudi Arabia by 30% to 47 people as its investment bank arm gears up to be involved in a number of IPOs in the Kingdom.

#3- Two Egyptian companies looking to expand to Saudi: SEKEM subsidiary Isis Organic plans to build a factory in Saudi Arabia with EGP 80 mn (SAR 6.2 mn) in investments, Al Borsa reported, citing General Manager Mohamed Anwer. Meanwhile, Egyptian food solutions provider startup Brotinni is looking to expand into the Saudi and UAE markets in 3Q 2025, Al Mal reports, citing co-founder and CEO Dalia Abou Omar.

#4- The Public Investment Fund is expected to open a Beijing office before the end of this year as it mulls launching offices in other Chinese cities, including Shanghai and Shenzhen, China’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chang Hua told Aleqtisadiah.

#5- Monks hops over from Dubai: Monks, the operating brand of Martin Sorrell’s advertising vehicle S4 Capital, is relocating its Middle East headquarters to Riyadh from Dubai, Bloomberg reported. Martin Sorell is the founder and executive chairman of S4 Capital, which merged with MediaMonks and MightyHive, to form Media.Monks, which later dropped “Media” from its name.

IN CONTEXT- The move comes amid a broader government initiative aimed at incentivizing foreign companies to relocate their regional headquarters to the Kingdom via tax exemptions among other benefits.

#6- The Kingdom’s domestic events industry is projected to grow to USD 3.45 bn in 2029, up from USD 2.38 bn this year, backed by events such as MDL Beat, LEAP, and F1, according to a Mordor Intelligence report seen by AETOSWire. Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam are becoming hotspots for the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions sector, creating competition in the sector with traditional hubs like Dubai and Doha.

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THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

The much-anticipated Harris-Trump debate ended with a bang, not a whimper, as the two presidential hopefuls repeatedly accused each other of lying and clashed on the economy, January 6, abortion rights, Gaza, migration, and of course crowd sizes throughout the night.

Trump remained firm on his insistence that he won the 2020 election against Biden, going on to say that there was “so much proof” — conveniently without providing any. Doubling down, Trump alleged that Democrats were ferrying in undocumented migrants across the border to “get them to vote.”

Harris was keen to present Trump as a danger to democracy, telling the camera that the former president “incited a violent mob to attack our nation’s Capitol, to desecrate our nation’s Capitol” after being “fired by 81 mn people.”

“She hates Israel. If she is president I believe that Israel will not exist in two years from now,” Trump argued, adding in Trumpian fashion that the war would have “never started” if he were still in the White House.

The economy was also an important point of contention, with Harris accusing Trump of leaving the country with the “worst unemployment since the Great Depression.” Trump hit back with how she and Biden had handled inflation that has “been a disaster for people, for the middle class, for every class.”

At points the debate got personal and verged on name-calling, with Harris telling Trump that world leaders described him as a “disgrace” and Trump calling Harris “the worst vice-president in history.”

Let the polls roll in: Prior to the debate, the two candidates appeared to be neck and neck for the US government’s top job. In the coming days, we’ll get more of a sense of how each candidate’s performance played with potential voters, as the US presidential elections, only 54 days away, inch closer.

MEANWHILE IN FINANCE NEWS- The US Federal Reserve has halved its proposed increase in capital requirements for the US’ biggest banks to 9% from 19%, the central bank’s top regulator Michael Barr said yesterday. The lower increase represents a big W for the banking lobby, which has decried the capital requirement hike as damaging for the economy and potentially crimping lending since it was first proposed last year.

The “reproposal,” as Barr has called it, will still introduce capital requirements related to operational risk for banks with USD 250 bn in assets — one of the key targets of banking sector lobbying efforts. Assessments of operational risk, however, will now exclude asset management and other of banks’ biggest non-lending businesses. The new proposal has also nixed provisions that adjust capital requirements based on past operational losses, and has reduced risk weighting on certain kinds of financing deals.

AND ON THE OIL MARKETS- Oil futures reached near three-year lows yesterday after OPEC’s downward revision of its demand forecasts for 2024 and 2025, Reuters reports. Brent crude futures were down USD 2.65 or 3.69% yesterday to USD 69.19 at market’s close.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

SRMG Academy’s technology journalism course will kick off in Riyadh next Sunday, 15 September. The five-day, TikTok-backed program will run until 19 September.

Fenaa Alawwal cultural center will kick off the contemporary art forum Muntada FAA next Sunday, 15 September at the Diplomatic Quarters in Riyadh. The forum runs until Thursday, 19 September.

The Federation of Saudi Chambers will hold its first iron and steel meeting in Riyadh next Monday, 16 September, the federation said on X. The meeting will feature discussion on boosting the Kingdom’s strategic iron and steel industry as well as developments in low-emission steel production in the GCC and across the global steel sector.

Smart Cities Saudi Expo 2024 runs 24-26 September at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center.

The two-day Kingdom Business and Luxury Travel Congress will kick off on Wednesday, 25 September, at the Crowne Plaza Riyadh RDC Hotel and Convention.

The first-ever Billboard Arabia Music Awards will be hosted in Riyadh on 11 December. Taking place at the King Abdullah Financial District, this event is set to celebrate top Arab artists featuring live performances and surprise collaborations during Riyadh Music Week.

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