Saudi GDP contraction comes in (slightly) smaller than expected

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WHAT WE’RE TRACKING TODAY

THIS MORNING: GDP shrinks, but at a slower pace than initially thought

Good morning, wonderful people. It’s another oddly quiet morning in the Kingdom, with only a small handful of big stories moving things along.

THE BIG STORY TODAY is the latest data from Gastat indicating that the Kingdom’s economy shrank at a slightly slower pace than was initially forecasted during the first quarter of the year, with the non-oil economy continuing to grow as oil activity declines.

HAPPENING TODAY-

The Global EV and Mobility Tech Forum will get underway in a few hours at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center. The two-day event will bring together policymakers, NGOs, and startups.

ALSO- The Grand Hajj Symposium also kicks off today, hosting around 500 Islamic scholars.

WEATHER- Expect more of the same today, minus the thunderstorms: Riyadh will see a daytime high of 44°C which will drop towards 30°C at night. Dammam will experience some heat as well with a daytime high of 44°C and a low of 30°C during the night. AlUla is the cooler of the three, experiencing highs of 42°C and lows of 27°C.

HAPPENING TOMORROW-

Saudi will play against Jordan tomorrow in the AFC FIFA World Cup qualifiers at Al Awwal Stadium in Riyadh at 7pm. The Green Falcons have already secured their spot in the next round as they sit on top of their group with 13 points, followed by Jordan with 10.

PSAs-

#1- Today is the deadline to register for school bus services for the upcoming academic year. Parents can register for the services via the Education Ministry’s Noor e-platform for SAR 200 per year. Students with disabilities and children from social security families are exempt from transportation fees.

#2- Make sure your vaccinations are up to date before heading to Hajj: The Hajj Ministry is revoking Hajj permits from unvaccinated pilgrims and has issued a reminder for Hajj-goers to make sure they’ve received the meningococcal vaccine.

#3- The Saudi Authority for Accredited Valuers (Taqeem) issued a warning against scam websites impersonating its platform for estimating vehicle damage, Taqdeer, state news agency SPA reports. Taqeem stressed that its appointment booking service does not charge a fee.

What to do: The authority thinks it best for customers to rely on Taqeem’s hotline (920011244) or the Taqdeer website as official information and communication channels and to immediately report suspicious sites to the relevant authorities.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- A fresh tender for Madinah’s BRT infrastructure works + design: Al Madinah Region Development Authority has invited interested companies to submit qualification documents for the design and infrastructure works of the planned bus rapid transit (BRT) system in Madinah by no later than Wednesday, 26 June, it said in a post on X. It said it will start evaluating the qualification documents by bidders the day after.

We know a name or two from the list: Sources told Meed earlier this year that the authority issued requests for proposals for a contract to develop the network, with some of the prequalified bidders including European and local firms. Those include a consortium of French public transport operator Transdev and local firm Nesma and another between Spanish transport company Also and UK’s National Express. Other bidders include Saptco, Petromin, Hafil, France’s Keolis, and others.

What we know about the project: The Madinah BRT project is part of a plan to improve the city’s public transport system to help reduce traffic congestion during peak seasons and ensure access to safe transportation modes for residents and visitors. It aims to have up to 500 stations covering 80-90% of the city by 2030. Earlier this year, a consortium led by French engineering groups Egis and Systra was awarded the BRT network’s project management and construction management services contract.

#4- PIF-backed Jadwa Investment is launching its first regional blind-pool private equity fund this year, Argaam quotes Private and Institutional Client Investments Head Ghannam Suliman as saying. The fund will focus on high-growth companies in the region, Suliman said, without providing further details. The company has closed six fresh real estate funds and is on the verge of introducing another one, he added.

DATA POINT- Jadwa’s assets under management currently stand at SAR 85 bn, rising from SAR 79 bn at the end of 2023.

#5- Products sold by an unnamed Chinese e-commerce company were devoid of any toxic substances when tested by the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (Saso), Saso in a post on X. The announcement comes after the Seoul government said children’s goods sold by Chinese e-commerce giant Shein were found containing toxic substances exceeding those of acceptable limits. The Korean government sampled eight products which were found to contain high levels of the phthalates chemical, which has been linked to cause hormonal imbalance, some cancers, heart disease and other health issues.

#4- Aictec one step closer to main market transition: Advance International Company for Communication and Information Technology (Aictec) has submitted a request to move from parallel market Nomu to main market Tadawul, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul. The move comes months after Aictec’s board approved the transition in December last year. The upgrade is still subject to regulatory approvals.

DATA POINTS-

#1- The private sector accounted for a record 48.3% of GDP in 1Q 2024, equivalent to SAR 419.4 bn, Aleqtisadiah reports. This is 2.4 percentage points higher than its contribution during the same quarter last year, and marks a 1.5 percentage point increase on a quarterly basis. The government aims to increase the private sector’s share of total GDP to 65% under Vision 2030.

#2- Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) saw 8.09% y-o-y growth in cargo throughput in May, hitting 27.6 mn tons compared to 25.6 mn tons a year earlier, according to a press release. Exported containers boosted 13.61% to 255.3k TEU and imported containers gained 5.3% at 260k TEU. Meanwhile, transshipment container volumes dipped 46.77% at 132.5k TEUs.

#3- Saudi’s construction pipeline was valued at USD 1.5 tn, accounting for 39% of total unawarded projects pipeline value in the MENA region, according to a recent report (pdf) by real estate and investment management firm JLL.

#4- The total number of rooms in Makkah’s hospitality sector rose 38% y-o-y in 1Q 2024 to reach 227k rooms, Saudi Gazette reports. This includes 801 hotels, 12 serviced apartments, and 3 tourist inns.

SPORTS-

Tie-up between PIF-backed Liv Golf and the PGA Tour on track: Negotiations between the PIF-backed LIV Golf and PGA Tour enterprises “continue to progress,” most recently after a recent in-person meeting on Friday in New York with PIF boss Yasir Al Rumayyan and PGA’s negotiating committee, PGA Tour said in a statement. The statement said the two sides have been “meeting multiple times weekly to work through potential [agreement] terms…” without providing further details.

The PGA Tour wants to strike the perfect balance: “We want to get this right, and we are approaching discussions with careful consideration for our players, our fans, our partners and the game’s future,” the statement said.

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THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

With little to no business news in sight, the global business press is zeroing in on French President Emmanuel Macron’s call for a snap election to be held in the next 30 days, after the far-right National Rally swamped his centrist Renaissance party in the 2024 EU parliamentary elections and sent alarm bells running through the halls of the Élysée. “I have confidence in our democracy, in letting the sovereign people have their say. I’ve heard your message, your concerns, and I won’t leave them unanswered,” Macron said in a presidential address announcing the surprise election (watch, runtime: 5:05).

Also grabbing the headlines is news that “centrist” Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz and his party has left Netanyahu’s emergency government, leaving Netanyahu ever more reliant on far-right and ultranationalist parties to keep his slim coalition majority in the Knesset.

MEANWHILE IN TRADE WAR NEWS- Swedish auto giant Volvo is moving its EV manufacturing out of China to Belgium as the EU gears up to follow the US in imposing harsher tariffs on Chinese-made EVs.

AND IN TECH NEWS- Siri may soon finally be useful, with Apple rumored to announce a new and improved version of the virtual assistant next week at its annual WWDC conference this week, writes The Verge.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The G7 Summit in which the Crown Prince is expected to take part will begin on Thursday, 13 June to Saturday, 15 June in Italy’s Borgo Egnazia resort in Apulia. Talks are set to focus on AI, energy, and addressing opportunities and challenges in Africa, China, and the Mediterranean.

Saudi Film Nights by the Film Commission will land in Australia this month with screenings of four Saudi films, state news agency SPA reported. Movie enthusiasts in Sydney and Melbourne can watch adventure movie Hajjan, short film Me & Aydarous, comedy film Alhamour H.A and animated short movie Saleeg between Wednesday, 26 June to Friday, 28 June.

The Global EV and Mobility Tech Forum will open its doors on Wednesday, 10 July to Thursday, 11 July at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center. The event will bring together policymakers, NGOs, and startups.

The Conference on Arbitration and Dispute Resolution in Energy, Oil, and Gas will be held in GCC countries for the first time in 2025, coming off the signing of a partnership between the GCC Commercial Arbitration Center, the Scottish Arbitration Center, and the International Conference on Law, according to state news agency SPA. The conference will bring together experts in international arbitration to discuss the legal, geopolitical, economic, and security aspects and challenges related to energy disputes in the GCC.

Saudi economy contracted 1.7% y-o-y in 1Q 2024

The Saudi economy contracted at a slightly slower pace in 1Q 2024 than initially reported, with GDP falling 1.7% y-o-y to SAR 1 bn, according to the latest Gastat data (pdf). The authority had initially forecasted a 1.8% y-o-y drop, driven largely by a decline in oil activity.

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

Non-oil activity rose 3.4% y-o-y during the quarter, up from Gastat’s previous estimate of 2.8%. This was driven by 5.9% y-o-y growth in wholesale and retail, followed by a 5% increase in transportation, storage and communication.

REMEMBER- Non-oil growth is central to the government’s diversification push, designed to reduce the economy's reliance on oil revenues. The latest PMI data showed that private sector activity grew at a slower pace in May, as local demand lost some steam, but remained firmly in growth territory.

So, why is GDP shrinking? Oil activity was down 11.2% y-o-y last quarter. Given the weight of oil on the overall domestic economy — which accounted for 23.4% of GDP in 1Q — the y-o-y downtick dragged down the entire aggregate figure for the quarter.

IN CONTEXT- The Kingdom has voluntarily cut oil production by 1 mn barrels per day to stabilize the global market, as per its ongoing agreement with OPEC+ to slash oil production by a combined 3.7 mn barrels per day until October of this year.

On a quarterly basis: GDP climbed 1.4% compared to 4Q 2023, driven primarily by a 1.7% q-o-q increase in oil activity as well as 0.9% growth in non-oil activity. Government activity slowed by 1.1% q-o-q.

The outlook: The government is gunning for GDP growth to hit 4.4-5.0% for the current fiscal year, Finance Minister Mohamed Al Jadaan said back in December. Meanwhile, the IMF revised its 2024 growth forecast for the Kingdom to 2.6% in April, pointing to the combined effects of lower oil prices and production cuts.

The non-oil outlook: The World Bank — and more recently Riyadh Bank — expect the local non-oil economy to grow a strong 4.8% this year, up from 4.4% in 2023.

Aramco shares rise after follow-on offering

Aramco’s shares closed up 1.1% yesterday in the first day of trading after its secondary share sale, closing at SAR 28.60, according to market data. The stock saw SAR 42.1 bn worth of trades yesterday, with 1.6 bn shares changing hands across 1.2k transactions at SAR 27.25 a piece, according to Argaam. These shares were deposited yesterday as confirmed by Tadawul.

Pricing: The secondary share sale’s final price was set below expectations at SAR 27.25 per share, pricing its stock in the lower half of its proposed range of SAR 26.7 to SAR 29.0 a share. The pricing indicates that Aramco raised c. USD 11.2 bn, according to our math. This falls just below the USD 12 bn mark that pundits had initially penciled in for the sale.

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Foreign investors were big buyers in the offering, with the majority of the institutional tranche — which accounts for 90% of the shares on offer — allocated to “investors located outside of the Kingdom,” it said in a statement. The follow-on offering saw foreign institutional ownership in the oil giant clock in at a 0.73% stake, the company said in a breakdown of shareholder structure post-allocation.

Meanwhile, local institutional investors own an 0.89% stake in the company, while retail investors’ ownership settles in at a 0.76% stake. Aramco continues to be largely state-owned, with the government and associated entities retaining the vast majority of ownership at a combined 97.62% stake.

Aramco did not provide a breakdown on foreign investors’ nationalities, but media reports have suggested multiple orders for the additional 0.64% stake came in from the US, UK, Hong Kong and Japan.

Background: The transaction comes as the government looks to unlock non-oil sources of income to plug its budget deficit and push bns of USD worth of gigaprojects out of the pipeline. Think massive investments in sports, AI, tourism, and infrastructure. Proceeds from the sale will likely be “funneled to the Public Investment Fund” — which owns a further 16% stake, analysts told Reuters.

Royal Commission for Riyadh awards SAR 4 bn contract for improvements to Wadi Laban cable bridge

Royal Commission for Riyadh lines up upgrades for Wadi Laban cable bridge: The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) has awarded an estimated SAR 4 bn (USD 1 bn) design-and-build contract to a JV formed by Turkish contractor IC Ictas and local contractor Al Rashid Trading & Contracting Company for upgrades to Riyadh’s Wadi Laban cable bridge, MEED reported last week. RCRC received bids from contractors in early January. No timeline for upgrades was disclosed in MEED’s report.

What’s the plan? The project looks to ease traffic congestion around the western ring road in the area extending from Ibn-Hazm Road to Jeddah Road, and includes construction of an intersection at Jeddah Road.

About the bridge: The 763 meters span, 35 meters wide bridge was completed in 1997 and has two 14-meter wide carriageways.

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

PIF AI subsidiary SCAI names George Nazi as its CEO

The Saudi Company for Artificial Intelligence — a unit of the Public Investment Fund — has appointed George Nazi (LinkedIn) as its acting CEO, according to a LinkedIn post. Nazi serves on the advisory boards of SandboxAQ and Quantum Metric. He also previously held positions at Google and McKinsey & Company.

It’s still everything Aramco

Surprising no one, Aramco continued to take center stage in the conversation on Saudi in the foreign press, with the first trading day following its secondary share offering getting coverage from Reuters, AFP, and CNBC, among others. Meanwhile, progress on merger talks between PIF-backed Liv Golf and the PGA Tour is getting ink from Reuters and the Associated Press.

Separately, The Wall Street Journal is the latest to look into the prospects of a landmark bilateral defense pact between Saudi and the US amid stalling ceasefire efforts between Israel and Hamas. While the pact is within arm’s reach, it still remains dependent on Israel’s approval of a two-state solution with Palestine as a precondition for the agreement, the WSJ says. The agreement would make Saudi the only Arab country with a formal US defense treaty.

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

Al Moammar Information Systems pushes forward with data centers plan with an agreement with Microsoft. Plus: healthcare, telecom and real estate

TECH-

#1- Al Moammar Information Systems signs agreement for data center lease with Microsoft: Tadawul-listed Al Moammar Information Systems (MIS) is set to provide colocation and data center services for one of six data centers owned by Saudi Data Center Fund 1 under a 10-year agreement with the fund and Microsoft Arabia, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul. The contract is valued at over 50% of MIS’ revenues in 2023 which came in at SAR 1.5 bn. The contract includes two optional five-year extensions, the disclosure read. Microsoft also has the option to expand the reserved data center capacity by up to 300%, it added.

What we know about the fund: MIS and Saudi Fransi Capital inked an SAR 1.2 bn agreement back in 2021 to develop, design, and manage facilities for data centers through a private investment fund dubbed The Saudi Data Centers Fund 1. Under the agreement, MIS and Saudi Fransi Capital will establish, execute, and operate six data centers with an initial capacity of 4 MW each across the kingdom as a first phase. MIS recently purchased 6.6 mn units at a value of SAR 66 mn for data centers it is setting up under the plan.

Also from MIS- The IT solutions provider landed a SAR 78.7 mn project to operate the computer system at the Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, it said in a separate disclosure to Tadawul. Under the contract, MIS will provide services related to data centers management and operation, network and internet management and information security systems management and development among others.

#2- The General Transport Authority has rolled out a new and improved version of its smart inspection glasses for Hajj season, it said in a post on X. The move boosts the remote inspection time of vehicles by 6x, as the entire check-up and documentation process can now be done in six seconds, according to the authority.

#3- Nomu-listed Naseej Tech was awarded a SAR 11.8 mn project from Advanced Electronics for the management of services and license renewals, according to a disclosure on Tadawul. No further details were provided.

CAPITAL MARKETS-

The region’s top 100 listed companies saw their combined net income fall 13.5% y-o-y to USD 240 bn in the first four months 2024, reflecting a 5.1% decline in total sales to USD 1 tn last year, according to a Forbes Middle East ranking. Total market value slipped by 4.4% to USD 3.6 tn as of April 2024. Meanwhile, the total value of their assets was up 5.4% to USD 4.9 tn in 2023.

Aramco topped the list, with USD 660.8 bn in assets and a market cap of USD 1.9 tn. Out of the total 100 listed companies, 31 are Saudi, including Saudi National Bank, Al Rajhi Bank, and Saudi Electricity.

HEALTHCARE-

#1- Tadawul-listed Scientific & Medical Equipment House has secured a SAR 92.1 mn project from the Health Ministry which will see it maintain and repair medical devices and equipment for healthcare facilities in the Taif region, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul. The project runs for five years.

#2- Nomu-listed Tibbiyah subsidiary International Medical Supplies landed a SAR 23.8 mn contract worth from PIF unit Nupco to supply orthopedic and spine products, the parent company said in a disclosure to Tadawul.

#3- Nomu-listed healthcare supplier Lana Medical has landed a SAR 21.2 mn project from the Madinah health cluster to supply supplies for hazardous healthcare waste, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul.

PHARMA-

Jeddah-based pharma player Al Mujtama has inked a one-year MoU with Meem Alif Investment that will see them collaborate on supplying and distributing pharma products, medical equipment, and cosmetic products across the Kingdom, according to a filing to Tadawul. No further information was provided.

TELECOM-

Aramco unit set to obtain specialized radio network license: The Global Digital Integrated Solutions Company (Aramco Digital) — a unit of state-owned oil giant Aramco — was qualified to obtain a specialized radio network license aimed to cater to the industrial and business sectors, the Communications, Space & Technology Commission (CST) said in a post on X. The CST said Aramco Digital completed regulatory requirements for the license, with the qualification coming weeks after the commission said it has qualified the unit and Stc to compete for the license.

About the network: The dedicated network — which operates independently from mobile networks — aims to serve industrial and business sectors through utilizing modern global wireless technologies. The CST had held a public competition for this type of license in March 2024.

REAL ESTATE-

Nomu-listed National Building and Marketing signed a three-year SAR 300 mn agreement with Al Fayziyya Real Estate Development which will see it build residential and office towers in Riyadh, it said in a disclosure to Tadawul.

PRIVATE EQUITY-

Nomu-listed Knowledge Net has inked an MoU with Bayt Alnomow to set up a private equity investment fund, it said in a filing to Tadawul . The new fund, which is set to be managed by Bayt Alnomow, will see Knowledge Net invest in its fintech subsidiaries. Details on the fund’s size will be released upon the completion of due diligence processes.

Central banks are leaning heavier on the USD amid higher interest rates

Central banks are boosting USD reserves: The number of central banks increasing their exposure to the USD is increasing this year as a move towards de-dollarization stalls amid a need for liquidity and higher interest rates in the US, according to an annual survey by the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF). A net 18% of global central banks plan to increase their USD allocation over the next one to two years to combat heightened US interest rates, up from just 6% last year.

The increase marks a break from a gradual decline in USD reserves, after changes in global trade and geopolitical tensions — including sanctions on Russia — had prompted some economies to reduce their reliance on the greenback. Now, demand for the CNY has stalled in favor of the USD, driven by “expected higher returns from the US, where rates are forecast to remain higher than in China.”

Fast facts: The USD currently accounts for nearly 58% of global reserves, according to IMF data picked up by the Financial Times.

Gold reserves are also seeing an uptick in demand, with the proportion of central banks' reserves held in gold rising from 9% to 11% over the past year, and a net 15% eyeing further increases to their gold holdings in the next one to two years.

A 10-year view still sees a “very gradual decline in the USD’s share of global reserves” to an average allocation of 55% USD compared with 5.5% for the CNY, in line with trends over the past decade, according to OMFIF Managing Director Nikhil Sanghani.

TASI	11,855	+2.6% (YTD: -0.9%)
MSCI Tadawul 30	1,492	+2.9% (YTD: -.3.8%)
NomuC	26,318	+0.3% (YTD: +7.3%)
USD : SAR (SAMA)	USD 3.75 Sell	USD 3.75 Buy
Interest rates	6% repo	5.5% reverse repo
EGX30	25,659	-2.9% (YTD: +3.1%)
ADX	8,957	+0.2% (YTD: -4.9%)
DFM	3,982	+0.1% (YTD: +3.2%)
S&P 500	5,347	-0.1% (YTD: +12.1%)
FTSE 100	8,245	-0.5% (YTD: +9.0%)
Euro Stoxx 50	5,051	-0.4% (YTD: +11.7%)
Brent crude	USD 79.62	-0.3%
Natural gas (Nymex)	USD 2.92	+3.4%
Gold	USD 2,325	-2.8%
BTC	USD 67,719.60	+0.5% (YTD: +64.8%)

THE CLOSING BELL: TADAWUL-

The TASI rose 2.6% yesterday on turnover of SAR 54 bn. The index is down 0.9% YTD.

In the green: Miahona (+18.2%), Wataniya (+10.0%) and Awpt (+8.3%).

In the red: Atheeb (-10.0%), Thimar (-9.7%) and Fakeeh Care (-2.3%).

THE CLOSING BELL: NOMU-

The NomuC rose 0.3% yesterday on turnover of SAR 34.1 mn. The index is up 7.3% YTD.

In the green: Miral (+14.8%), Naba AlSaha (+8.9%) and Al Modawat (+7.8%).

In the red: Lana (-11.7%), Mayar (-9.7%) and Edarat (-7.8%)

CORPORATE ACTIONS-

#1- Sumou Real Estate will increase its capital by SAR 125 mn to SAR 500 mn via a bonus share issuance, to bolster its financial position and support future expansions, it said in a filing to the exchange. The issuance will be financed from the company’s retained earnings.

#2- Tadawul-listed Baazeem Trading approved a SAR 11.1 mn dividend for 2H 2023 at SAR 1.1 per share, it said in a statement (pdf). Dividends will be distributed on Tuesday, 25 June, it added.

#3- Etihad Atheeb Telecommunication’s board of directors recommended dividends worth SAR 10.2 mn at SAR 0.3 per share for the year ended on 31 March 2024, according to a disclosure to Tadawul.

#4- Bupa Arabia is planning a 860k share buyback for its employee stock ownership program, it said in a filing to the exchange. The transaction will be financed by the company’s own resources.

Foreign Minister Bin Farhan participates in Gaza-focused GCC ministerial council meeting in Doha

#1- Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan took part in the GCC ministerial council meeting in Doha yesterday with focus on the crisis in Gaza, state news agency SPA reported. GCC ministers stressed the importance of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and safe humanitarian corridors to deliver aid to the war-torn strip, according to a joint communique. They held Israel responsible for ongoing aggressions and violations that led to the killing of thousands of Palestinians in the besieged strip. They urged the international community to take a firm and resolute stance to provide protection to civilians in Gaza.

And joint Gulf action: The ministers affirmed the continuation of efforts to bolster cooperation and integration between member countries to finalize requirements for a customs union by the end of 2024 and enforce the equality between GCC citizens in areas included in the Gulf common market.

Bin Farhan also participated in two separate meetings between the GCC ministerial council and Turkey and Yemen, according to SPA (here and here).

#2- Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Al Khuraiji discussed bilateral ties and regional developments during a meeting with US Senator French Hill in Riyadh, SPA reported.

#3- Saudi + Ethiopia to set up joint business council: The Federation of Saudi Chambers has inked an agreement with the Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce to establish the Saudi-Ethiopian Business Council to bolster economic cooperation, SPA reported last week. The council will work to establish commercial partnerships and promote business activities between the two countries.

CALENDAR

JUNE

1-30 June (Saturday- Sunday): Monsha’at’s support meetings, Riyadh, Jeddah, Alkhobar, and Madinah.

10 June (Monday): The Grand Hajj Symposium, Makkah.

10 June (Monday): #teamLabBorderless, Jeddah.

10 June (Monday): Deadline to register for school bus services for the upcoming academic year.

13-15 June (Thursday-Saturday): G7 Summit, Italy.

14-22 June (Friday-Saturday): Banks and capital markets closed for Eid Al Adha holiday.

20 June (Thursday): Norah premiers in theaters.

28 June (Friday): Start of Jeddah Season 2024, Jeddah.

JULY

4 July-25 August: (Thursday-Sunday): Esports World Cup, Boulevard Riyadh City, Riyadh.

12 July (Friday): PFL MENA 2, The Green Halls, Riyadh.

10-11 July: (Wednesday-Thursday): Global EV & Mobility Tech Forum, Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center, Riyadh.

AUGUST

12-15 August (Monday-Thursday): The Saudi Food Expo, Riyadh

SEPTEMBER

10-12 September (Tuesday-Thursday): Saudi Sports Show, Riyadh.

10-12 September (Tuesday-Thursday): Global AI Summit, Riyadh.

11-12 September (Wednesday-Thursday): The Saudi Event Show, Riyadh.

17-19 September (Tuesday-Thursday): EV Auto Show, Riyadh.

18-19 September (Wednesday-Thursday): Saudi Maritime & Logistics Congress, Dammam.

18-19 September (Wednesday-Thursday): IDC Saudi Arabia CIO Summit 2024, Riyadh.

24-26 September (Tuesday-Thursday) Saudi Infrastructure Expo, Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center, Riyadh.

23 September (Monday): National Day (national holiday).

OCTOBER

1-3 October ( Tuesday-Thursday): Intersec Saudi Arabia 2024, Riyadh.

21-22 October (Monday-Tuesday): Smart Ports & Logistics Transformation Summit, Riyadh.

29-31 October (Tuesday-Thursday): Future Investment Initiative Conference, Riyadh.

31 October (Thursday): No-visa travel for Saudis to Montenegro on charter flights expires.

NOVEMBER

2-9 November (Saturday- Saturday): WTA Finals, Riyadh.

26-28 November (Tuesday-Thursday): Saudi Electricity Expo, Riyadh.

11-14 November (Monday-Thursday): Cityscape Global, Riyadh.

18-20 November (Monday-Wednesday): The Heavy Equipment and Truck Show, Dammam.

25-27 November (Monday-Wednesday): World Investment Conference, Riyadh.

26-28 November (Tuesday-Thursday): Saudi Electricity Expo, Riyadh.

DECEMBER

1 December (Sunday): Opec+ to meet

2-13 December (Monday-Friday): Conference of the Parties (COP16) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, Riyadh.

11 December (Wednesday): FIFA Congress, which will decide the hosting countries for the FIFA World Cup 2030 and 2034

23-26 December (Monday-Thursday): Aqarat Expo, Riyadh.

Signposted to happen sometime in 2024:

The AFC Champions League Elite

2025

FEBRUARY 2024

10-13 February (Monday-Thursday): Leap 2025, the Kingdom’s premier tech investment conference.

2026

UN Trade and Development Global Supply Chain Forum to take place in Saudi Arabia.

2027

The World Water Forum takes place in Riyadh.

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