Saudi to launch Future Investment Initiative event

Riyadh where the two-day event will be taking place (Shutterstock)
Updated 23 October 2017
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Saudi to launch Future Investment Initiative event

DUBAI: The Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (PIF) announced Monday the launch of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) under the patronage of King Salman.
Hosted and organized by PIF, the Kingdom’s main investment arm and one of the world’s leading sovereign wealth funds, the FII will take place from Oct. 24 to 26, 2017, in Riyadh.
The event has been billed as a game-changing platform exploring the new trends, opportunities, challenges and emerging industries that will shape the world economy and investment environment over the coming decades.

This inaugural FII will be held under the leadership Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who is also the chairman of the PIF.

The invitation-only event will bring together internationally-renowned business and investment leaders. There will also be a number of high profile speakers, covering major investors, global financial institutions and established and emerging businesses, including: Larry Fink, BlackRock chairman and CEO; Stuart Gulliver, HSBC group chief executive; Joe Kaeser, Siemens president and CEO; Tong Li, Bank of China CEO; Masayoshi Son, SoftBank Group chairman and CEO; George Whitesides, Virgin Galatic CEO.

Yasir bin Othman Al-Rumayyan, managing director of the PIF said: “The Future Investment Initiative will provide an unprecedented opportunity for many leaders and influencers around the world to better understand the future of the global investment landscape.
“It will also act as a platform to showcase the PIF’s redefined investment mandate and strategy, as it progresses toward becoming the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund.”
Through a highly collaborative and interactive program, over 2,000 attendees will discuss long-term investment and global trends across a broad range of topics. The event is designed around three key pillars: Shifting centers of power; the new investment paradigm and innovation for a better world.

The FII is being organized in the context of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a blueprint that is already charting the path for the Kingdom to harness its strategic location and strong investment capabilities.
The core principles of the event are aligned with the strategic objectives and targets of the Kingdom’s National Transformation Plan, which is key to achieving the targets set for Vision 2030.


Saudi industrial output rises 8.9% in December: GASTAT 

Updated 16 sec ago
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Saudi industrial output rises 8.9% in December: GASTAT 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s industrial production rose 8.9 percent in December from a year earlier, driven by stronger mining and manufacturing activity, signaling continued momentum in the Kingdom’s non-oil and energy sectors. 

The Industrial Production Index reached 113.6 in December, up from 104.3 a year earlier, the General Authority for Statistics said.  

The latest IPI figures underscore continued momentum in the Kingdom’s industrial sector as Saudi Arabia pursues economic diversification under its Vision 2030 agenda. 

In its latest report, GASTAT stated: “Preliminary results indicate an increase of 8.9 percent in the IPOI in December 2025 compared to the same month of the previous year, supported by the rise in mining and quarrying activity, manufacturing activity and water supply, sewerage and waste management and remediation activities.”  

Mining and quarrying activity — the largest component of the index — increased 13.2 percent year on year after Saudi Arabia raised oil production to 10.1 million barrels per day from 8.9 million bpd a year earlier. Manufacturing expanded 3.2 percent, supported by a 13.4 percent rise in chemicals output and a 7.3 percent increase in food production. 

The sub-index of electricity, gas, steam and air-conditioning supply activity recorded an annual decrease of 2.5 percent. 

The sub-index of water supply, sewerage and waste management and remediation activities increased 9.4 percent. 

Compared to November, Saudi Arabia’s IPI recorded a marginal decline of 0.1 percent. 

On a monthly basis, the sub-index of mining and quarrying activity increased 0.3 percent. 

Manufacturing activities also rose 0.3 percent in December compared to the previous month, driven by a 2.8 percent increase in the manufacture of chemicals and chemical products. 

Compared to November, the manufacture of food products increased 9.6 percent in December. 

Overall, the index of oil activities advanced 10.1 percent year on year in December, while non-oil activities increased 5.8 percent. 

Compared to November, oil activities decreased 0.3 percent, while non-oil activities increased 0.4 percent. 

The IPI measures changes in industrial output based on the International Standard Industrial Classification framework and covers mining, manufacturing, utilities and waste management sectors.