Good morning, ladies and gents. It’s a calm morning in the Kingdom as we’re (almost) saying goodbye to the second workweek of Ramadan. In this morning’s newswell, we have S&P Global’s latest forecasts for growth in 2025, an overview of our real estate market in 2024, and a guide to cultural events and night markets we think you’ll enjoy in the holy month.
We also sat down with Sherif Desouky, CEO of GI Aqua Tech, to discuss the latest funding round of its Saudi-based subsidiary GI Water as a Service, which saw it reach unicorn status. Let’s dive in.
When do we eat? Maghrib is at 6:01pm today in Riyadh. You’ll have until fajr prayers at 4:46am tomorrow to wrap up suhoor.
PSA-
We’re getting four days off for Eid: The four-day Eid Al Fitr holiday for private and nonprofit sectors in the Kingdom will start on the evening of Saturday, 29 March and run through to Wednesday, 2 April, the Saudi Gazette reports, citing an announcement from the HR and Social Development Ministry.
WATCH THIS SPACE-
Aramco chief wants a new global energy strategy: The world should replace the current ineffective energy strategy with a more balanced and sustainable one to meet the increasing demand, Aramco’s CEO and President Amin Nasser was quoted as saying at the CERAWeek in Houston, Texas by state news agency SPA.
The rationale: The current strategy of prioritizing renewable and alternative energies while restricting regulations on traditional energy — requiring USD 6-8 tn investments annually — could lead to a bleak future, Nasser said. Traditional energy sources still supply over 80% of the energy in the US, 90% in China, and over 70% in the EU, which means that new energy sources complement traditional ones rather than replace them, Nasser added.
The solution? Regulatory restrictions should be eased to provide greater incentives for financial institutions to accelerate growth across all energy sources in a balanced manner, taking into account the needs of developed and developing countries alike and focusing on the results on the ground, Asharq Business quoted Nasser as saying.
OIL WATCH-
Saudi, Russia vie for Asia’s oil market: Saudi Arabia is looking to boost its crude exports to Asia — particularly China and India — as it races against Russia to uptake a large share of the region’s market, Reuters reports. China is slated to import 1.64 mn bbl / d of Saudi crude oil this month, surging up from 1.21 mn bbl / d in February.
Waiting for April: The Kingdom’s oil exports to Asia are also expected to see even more increases starting next month, as Opec+ agreed to gradually increase output. Saudi Aramco also lowered its crude oil prices for Asian buyers in April for the first time in three months, cutting Arab Light by USD 0.40 cents to USD 3.50 / bbl above the Oman and Dubai average.
Bridging Russia’s supply gap: Russia was China’s top supplier last year, surpassing Saudi Arabia with its discounted crude due to Western sanctions. Russia’s seaborne shipments to China have stalled in the first two months of 2025, however, with imports dropping to 969k bbl / d last month, down from 1.01 mn bbl / d in January amid new US sanctions. India also recorded a dip in imports from Russia, which fell to 1.43 mn bbl / d in February, down from 1.63 mn bbl / d the month prior.
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THE BIG STORY ABROAD-
It’s another morning with Trump tariffs dominating the front pages: US President Donald Trump backed down from plans to hike US tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum to 50%, just hours after he first announced the plans. The reversal followed Canada’s decision to halt a planned 25% surcharge on electricity exports to the US — one of Trump’s key justifications for the tariff escalation. (FT | Reuters | CNBC | AP)
ALSO FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION- The US decided to resume military aid to Ukraine after Kyiv agreed to accept a US-backed 30-day ceasefire — the proposal is yet to be presented to the Russian side. (Reuters | AP)

