BANKING-

Mastercard has launched its first Middle East Cyber Resilience Center in the Kingdom, Mastercard’s General Manager for Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, and the Levant Saud Swar told Asharq Al Awsat on Thursday. Riyad Bank is the center’s first partner, collaborating on training, risk assessment, and adopting global standards. The center is also intended to support national programs like FinTech Saudi and the National Cybersecurity Authority.

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The center’s operations focus on three areas, including training personnel through Arabic certifications and university partnerships, defining performance benchmarks for organizations, and testing readiness with simulated cyberattack workshops. Mastercard plans to eventually expand the center’s services beyond finance into sectors like health, transportation, and critical infrastructure.

AVIATION-

Riyadh Air partners with Amadeus: PIF-owned Riyadh Air signed a global distribution agreement with Spain-based travel technology firm Amadeus, giving it access to a network of travel agents in over 190 countries, Amadeus said in a press release on Thursday. Amadeus will also distribute Riyadh Air’s future New Distribution Capability content to offer more customized packages and manage indirect sales. Financial details remain undisclosed.

REFRESHER- Saudi’s newest airline delayed its takeoff from earlier this year to 3Q 2025, citing Boeing delivery setbacks. The airline voiced plans in June to serve 100 cities by 2030, aiming to add a destination every two months once it’s operational. The carrier has already secured landing slots for its debut routes and will unveil its first destination and ticketing plans in the upcoming months.

SPORTS-

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Golf Saudi have launched 3D mapping platform PIF Future Fairways, offering golf enthusiasts an immersive experience, according to a statement released last Wednesday. The platform will be accessible to the public at PIF Global Series tournaments throughout 2025 and into the 2026 season, including the PIF Championship in London (8-10 August), Aramco Houston Championship (5-7 September), Aramco Shenzhen Championship in China (6-8 November).

The platform was also used to unveil three new golf courses within the PIF’s giga-projects on the Red Sea coast, including Shura Links on Shura Island, Laheq Golf Course on the Red Sea coast, and Trojena Northern Golf Course in the Neom Highlands. The initiative is part of a broader plan to more than triple the number of golf courses in Saudi Arabia by 2030.

DEBT WATCH-

PIF-owned Saudi Real Estate Refinance Company (SRC) signed an agreement to acquire a real estate finance portfolio from Arab National Bank (ANB), it saidon X on Thursday. Extending their existing partnership, the acquisition aims to increase liquidity for primary lenders like ANB, allowing them to expand home financing options to citizens. No financial details were disclosed.

ICYMI- SRC had also agreed to buy a mortgage portfolio of undisclosed value from Bank Albilad last month for the same reasons and had also acquired a SAR 3.4 bn real estate financing portfolio from the Saudi National Bank in March.

FINANCIAL SERVICES-

The Saudi Central Bank (Sama) licensed AL-AN Alkhaligia to offer consumer microfinance services through financial technology, bringing the total number of licensed finance companies in the Kingdom to 67, it said in a statement on Thursday.

REMEMBER- The Saudi Central Bank launched last month a new e-commerce payments interface to integrate the mada payment system into the global payment networks, offering additional payment options to users and allowing banks to offer financing solutions to e-commerce businesses.

REAL ESTATE-

First Avenue awarded development contract for Al Shati project in Jeddah: First Avenuefor Real Estate Development, in partnership with La Perle Real Estate Fund, will develop a 7.8k sqm mixed-use project in Jeddah’s Al Shati District, featuring commercial, residential, and hospitality units, it said in a filling to the bourse last Wednesday.

More details: Under a 36-month contract, First Avenue — holding a 38.6% stake in the fund — will oversee design, permitting, construction, and marketing, earning 12% of final project costs. The total project value is yet to be determined in a later stage.

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