Good morning. Calm and anticipation still dominate business activity in the Kingdom, with almost everyone taking a wait-and-see approach to how things will unfold on the global and regional landscape.

In today’s issue: Riyadh launched 28 new healthcare projects, worth over SAR 7 bn. Dkhoun, the fragrance retailer, is also planning to list a 20% stake on Nomu, with subscriptions opening 4 May.

ALSO- Expect mixed 1Q results for listed energy stocks, though Saudi Electricity Company should see big gains. Plus, KKR brought on David Petraeus as their Middle East chair. Let’s dive in.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The IMF and World Bank’s spring meet up will kick off in six days time, amid the global economy grappling with mounting trade tensions and tariff escalations. The six-day 2025 Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank Group will bring together policy makers, central bankers, economists, private sector leaders, and more to discuss what the year ahead holds.

We’re yet to hear who will be representing Saudi at the meetup. Last year saw Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan, Sama Governor Ayman Al Sayari and Saudi Fund for Development CEO Sultan Al Marshad attend the meetings, among others.

You can check out the full schedule on the event’s official website.

The Future Hospitality Summit will take place between 11-13 May 2025 at the Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah hotel in Riyadh. The forum will bring together top executives and decision-makers in the hospitality sector to probe potential investments and partnerships.

CORRECTION- We incorrectly reported dates for the Future Hospitality Summit in yesterday’s issue.

HAPPENING TODAY-

It’s day two of the Middle East Poultry Expo at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center. The 15k sqm venue is hosting more than 320 exhibitors from over 40 countries, marking a significant growth compared to last year ’s 207 exhibitors from 37 countries. The event wraps up tomorrow.

WEATHER- Expect windy and cloudy conditions in both Riyadh and Makkah, while Madinah will see breezy skies.

• Riyadh: 31°C daytime / 19°C overnight
• Makkah: 34°C daytime / 19°C overnight
• Madinah: 31°C daytime / 17°C overnight

HAPPENING THIS WEEK-

The Saudi FilmFestival will take place from 17 to 23 April in Dhahran, showcasing 68 films, including feature films, shorts, and documentaries from Saudi Arabia, the Gulf, and beyond. The 11th edition of this year honors actor Ibrahim Al Hasawi and introduces new sections like screenings at the Energy Exhibit, picks from Japanese cinema, and curated films from Clermont-Ferrand and Japan’s Short Shorts Film Festival. The festival includes masterclasses, discussion panels, and a production market, and it will be streaming selected content online.

The F1 stc Saudi Arabian Grand Prix revs up this Friday, 18 April at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and wraps up on Sunday. A friendly reminder that schools will be off on 20-21 April in Jeddah, Makkah, and Taif as the race takes over the streets. You can grab your tickets here.

Support races and entertainment: The race weekend will also feature support races like the FIA Formula 2 Championship and the all-female F1 Academy Series, according to a schedule from F1. Off track, expect performances from Egyptian rapper Marwan Pablo in addition to Usher, Major Lazer Soundsystem, and Jennifer Lopez.

PSAs-

Residents have until Friday, 18 April to benefit from the 50% discount on traffic fines, the General Department of Traffic said in a post on X. The discount applies to violations before 18 April 2024, and payments can be made in full or per violation.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

MAF Properties is expanding in Riyadh: Majid Al Futtaim Holdings’s (MAF) Majid Al Futtaim Properties is preparing to launch projects in Saudi Arabia in 2025 and 2026, CEO Ahmed El Shamy told EnterpriseAM. The company owns land in Riyadh worth some SAR 3 bn and is looking to develop it, having already entered the Saudi market through its sister companies in retail and entertainment.

The expansion comes as MAF is investing some EGP 15 bn in a new mixed-use project next to Mall of Egypt in West Cairo.

Despite the company’s expansions abroad, the UAE still remains one of its top investment priorities. Some 80% of MAF’s total investments are concentrated in the UAE — and that’s not changing any time soon, El Shamy added.

Incoming Saudi projects to Egypt will get the golden license treatment, Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly told Saudi investors yesterday, according to a cabinet statement. “Any new Saudi project will be immediately presented to cabinet for golden license approval,” Madbouly said, promising fast-tracked procedures to bring projects online swiftly.

Madbouly’s pledge comes hot on the heels of the Egyptian-Saudi Investment Forum, where some 100 Saudi investors were in town this week exploring potential investments and hearing our investment case. Saudi-Egyptian Joint Business Council Chairman Bandar Al Ameri suggested investments in Egypt could rise by as much as USD 15 bn to hit USD 50 bn in the coming four years.

Olam to pay debt with proceeds from Salic stake acquisition: Singapore-listed food conglomerate Olam Group allocate USD 2 bn to repay debt across its businesses, aiming to become “debt-free and self-sustaining,” Bloomberg reports, citing an emailed statement from the company. Olam will also invest USD 500 mn in its Olam Food Ingredients unit.

IN CONTEXT- The move is part of a broader restructuring strategy funded by up to USD 2.58 bn in proceeds from the sale of a 44.6% stake in Olam Agri to PIF-backed Saudi Agricultural & Livestock Investment Co. (Salic) — who now holds 80% of the outfit — amid ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty driven by tariffs.

Olam also plans to gradually divest and return proceeds to shareholders via special dividends. A concurrent listing of Olam Food Ingredients in Europe and Singapore is under consideration, depending on market and geopolitical conditions.

The story also got ink from Reuters.

Sabic-backed Clariant is exploring options to revive its share price: Swiss chemical producer Clariant AG — in which Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (Sabic) owns a 31.5% stake — is working with investment banks and consulting shareholders to align business performance and share price, after losing half its market value over the past three years, Bloomberg reports, citing people it says are in the know.

What’s on the table: Strategic options include operational changes, earnings guidance, and potential acquisitions or divestments, while keeping distance from a sale or privatization, said the unnamed sources, adding that discussions are ongoing, and the implementation of major strategic changes remains uncertain.

Struggles and pivots: Hit by high energy costs and sector-wide pressures, Clariant’s shares have been down 18% in 2025, reaching their lowest since 2011, with a market value of CHF 2.8 bn (c. SAR 12.91 bn). Clariant also faces a lawsuit related to ethylene price-fixing — a charge it has denied — while its catalyst division continues to underperform.

Nomu-listed United Mining Industries is planning to transition to the main market Tadawul, according to a disclosure. Alkhair Capital will quarterback the transaction — which is pending regulatory approvals. The company’s share prices rose 4.75% to SAR 41.90 apiece on yesterday’s close, according to market data.

OIL WATCH-

[wwtt4] Opec cuts oil demand forecasts for 2025, 2026: The oil group dropped its global oil demand forecasts by c. 100k barrels per day for 2025, now projecting a 1.3 mn bbl/d y-o-y increase in each year, according to Opec’s monthly oil market report (pdf). The revised forecasts came after after reviewing 1Q data and US tariffs weigh-in on global consumption.

Opec’s projections remain more bullish than peers despite downgrades, with the US Energy Information Administration cutting down its estimate for 2025 by 30% to 900k bbl/d, while Goldman Sachs predicts a 500k bbl/d rise in demand, Bloomberg reported.

FROM THE RUMOR MILL-

Saudi Arabia is rumored to be planning to pay off Syria’s USD 15 mn arrears to the World Bank, Reuters reports, citing three people it says are familiar with the matter. The Finance Ministry dismissed the report as speculation, while Damascus and the World Bank did not confirm the plans. The rumored payment would mark Riyadh’s first official financial backing of Syria since a change in government in December, unlocking the flow of much-needed grants and financial aid to the Syrian economy.

Talks are ongoing between World Bank officials and Syria on future financing, with Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Yosr Bernieh meeting with a World Bank delegation on Monday to address deepening financial and economic relations. In addition, a high-level Syrian delegation is expected to attend the World Bank and IMF spring meeting in Washington next week.

DATA POINTS-

Saudi Arabia’s total cement sales declined 2% y-o-y to 3.61 mn tons in March 2025, according to data from Yamama Cement, pulled down by a 4% decline to 3.45 mn tons in domestic sales. Meanwhile, cement exports saw a 36% rise to 158 mn tons.

By the numbers: Umm Al-Qura Cement experienced the steepest decline in sales at 36%, followed by Tabuk Cement at 34%, outweighing growing sales by Arabian Cement (26%) and Al Safwa Cement (22%). Meanwhile, Saudi Cement led the surge in exports with 139k tons, followed by an additional 17k tons shipped by Najran Cement.

ALSO- Clinker production decreased by 6% y-o-y to 5.1 mn tons, while inventories increased by 5% to 44.3 mn tons. Saudi Cement led in clinker production with 726k tons and remains the largest exporter, while Yamama Cement reported the largest inventory at 3.7k tons.

Saudi Arabia is the only country where women list more AI skills than men on LinkedIn, according to the AI Index 2025 (pdf). The Kingdom also ranks second globally — after India — for female AI talent and eighth in net AI talent migration. The Kingdom also came in third place in y-o-y growth in AI hiring and landed in the sixth spot for computer science PhD students.

About the index: The AI Index is an annual report produced by the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI). Founded in 2017, it offers data-driven insights into the global state of AI across research, development, ethics, policy, and public sentiment for the public, policymakers, researchers, and business leaders.

The Real Estate General Authority (Rega) granted 71 FAL licenses to electronic real estate platforms since the program started, according to a statement. The licensed platforms allow Samah, Property Finder and Dar, among others, to offer online real estate brokerage and marketing services.

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THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

What else could it be? Tariffs are still top of mind for the global press — with US President Donald Trump laying down the foundation for a levy on chips and pharma, after launching a probe into the industries. The probes began at the start of the month and could take months to conclude, though Trump and other officials have said it could end quickly, with Trump even suggesting tariffs on imported chips could come as soon as next week. (Bloomberg | FT | Reuters | NYT)

PLUS- Trump also signaled he could modify the 25% tax on foreign auto parts, saying he’s a “flexible guy” and that automakers need some time. (AP)

Market reax: Auto shares rose on the news, with General Motors closing 3.5% higher and Ford closing 4.1% higher. Big Tech also seems to still be cheering the temporary reprieve from the tariffs, with Apple now up 2.2% after losing more than 9% over the past two weeks.

ALSO GETTING ATTENTION- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stand yesterday in an antitrust trial that accuses it of building a social media monopoly and could force the company to sell off Instagram and WhatsApp. (AP | WSJ | NYT)