{"id":81933,"date":"2024-01-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-16T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2024\/01\/16\/the-first-real-day-of-davos-sees-the-middle-east-in-the-spotlight\/"},"modified":"2024-01-16T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-01-16T00:00:00","slug":"the-first-real-day-of-davos-sees-the-middle-east-in-the-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/enterpriseam.com\/ksa\/2024\/01\/16\/the-first-real-day-of-davos-sees-the-middle-east-in-the-spotlight\/","title":{"rendered":"The first \u201creal\u201d day of Davos sees the Middle East in the spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Good morning, friends. <\/strong>We have some welcome news on the inflation front for you this morning, with the latest from GSTAT showing prices rose at a slower pace in December. That makes it seven out of eight months that prices have gone up at a slower pace. <\/p>\n

Also this morning: <\/strong>Lots of mining news, as the Future Minerals Forum continues to pay dividends, and Abha\u2019s hospitality sector is in line for at least two upgrades with a new hotel and a contract that could see the over-capacity airport get a big upgrade. <\/p>\n

^^ We have more on all of these stories below, in this morning\u2019s news well. <\/p>\n

But first:<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a> The first \u201creal\u201d day of Davos is shaping up to be all about the region: <\/strong>World leaders, global banking and finance chiefs, the world\u2019s brightest economists, Gulf bn\u2019aires, and Wall Street giants have all descended upon Switzerland for the first full day of meetings at the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2024. Upcoming speeches by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky<\/strong> and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen<\/strong> are grabbing the attention of the global press, but there\u2019s some important speeches by regional heavyweights we think you should also be paying attention to. <\/p>\n

Follow closely this afternoon <\/strong>when Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan<\/strong>will take to the stage in a session entitled Securing and Insecure World<\/a> at 3pm KSA, followed shortly by Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jaadan<\/strong>, who will speak on how to regulate non-bank financial institutions<\/a> at 5pm KSA.Investment Minister Khalid Al Falih<\/strong> will take to the stage with several Gulf counterparts and private sector players to speak at a session entitled Gulf Economies: All In<\/a> at 5pm KSA.<\/p>\n

This evening:<\/strong> Communications Minister Abdullah Al Swaha<\/strong> will take to the stage to ask whether AI is the great equalizer<\/a> it was promised to be. Commerce Minister Majid Al Kasabi<\/strong> will be on stage at 8:30pm KSA to discuss regulation of the service sector<\/a>.<\/p>\n

** You can watch select live sessions <\/strong>here<\/a><\/strong> and check out the full programme here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

YESTERDAY IN DAVOS- The Saudi Delegation met with WEF founder Klaus Schwab <\/strong>and the organization\u2019s president, Borge Brende, the Foreign Ministry said on X<\/a> yesterday. \u201cThey reviewed ways to enhance cooperation between the Kingdom and the World Economic Forum to address current and future pressing issues,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n

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CLOSER TO HOME- <\/strong>Businesses no longer have to display their license + registration on <\/strong>the wall: <\/strong>The Saudi Business Center has unveiled a new service dubbed Unified Electronic Code, allowing businesses to take their legal certificates off the walls as they will now live on the web, the Saudi<\/a>Gazette<\/a> reported yesterday. <\/p>\n

What are you talking about, Enterprise? <\/strong>Think framed tax registration certificates commonly displayed at your local grocery shop. This includes commercial registration data, municipal licenses, tax certificates, and civil defense permits. Try yourself by heading to the Saudi Business Center website here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

WEATHER- <\/strong>Prepare for a cloudy day in Riyadh, a ray of sunlight in Makkah around noon, and some wind traveling across Jeddah today. No rain or fog are in the cards. <\/p>\n