Saudi economy grows 1.15% in the first quarter on rising oil prices
Saudi economy grows 1.15% in the first quarter on rising oil prices/node/1331341/business-economy
Saudi economy grows 1.15% in the first quarter on rising oil prices
The growth report comes as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pushes a package of sweeping economic and social reforms in the kingdom. Above, the spectators in Jeddah prior to the 2018 FISE World Series tour last March. (AFP)
Saudi economy grows 1.15% in the first quarter on rising oil prices
Oil sector grows by 0.6 percent in the first quarter of 2018
Non-oil sector - the focus of economic reforms - grows by 1.6 percent
Updated 01 July 2018
Frank Kane
DUBAI: The Saudi Arabian economy bounced back into growth mode in the first quarter of this year, according to National Accounts figures from the General Authority for Statistics.
Gross domestic product (GDP) saw a 1.2 percent rise in the three months to the end of March, compared with the same period last year. This improvement follows four consecutive quarters of falling GDP, or recession, the Authority said.
“This indicates a recovery in the Saudi economy following the slowdown in 2017. Moreover, it is evidence of the resilience of the Saudi economy and its ability to recover from both the reduction in oil prices and the structural reforms,” it added.
The recovery came as a result of the accelerated growth both in the oil and non-oil sectors. The oil sector grew by 0.6 percent in the first quarter of 2018, as global oil prices continued to recover from the declines that began four years ago. The comparable figure in 2017 was a decline of 4.3 percent in oil GDP.
The non-oil sector, which has been the focus of policymaker’s initiatives at stimulus and expansionary budgeting, grew by 1.6 percent in the first quarter of 2018 compared to 1.3 percent in 2017.
“The main drivers behind the recovery was growth in the non-oil manufacturing and mining sectors by 4.6 percent and 6.3 percent, respectively. Moreover, pursuant to Vision 2030, these sectors are expected to lead the Kingdom’s future economic growth,” the Authority said.
Government services and financial services sectors also played a role in the non-oil sector growth. The government services sector grew by 3.4 percent, compared to 3.2 percent last year, while the financial services sector grew by 2.1 percent compared to 0.8 percent.
“The growth in both sectors is expected to continue rising due to listing the Saudi stock market in the MSCI as well as implementation of financial sector program initiatives,” the Authority added.
The Tadawul All Share Index ended the day 0.31 percent ahead at 8339.86 points, near its high for the year. Brent crude, the other crucial indicator for the Kingdom, is just short of $80 a barrel.
Activity in the construction sector continued to decline, but at a slower pace than last year — 2.4 percent compared to 3.5 percent, reflecting the completion of several major projects.
The retail and hospitality sectors contracted by 0.5 percent in the first quarter, compared to a growth by 1.4 percent in the final quarter in 2017. “This is expected behavior which came as a result of more rationalized spending for households due to implementation of value added tax,” the Authority said.
Monica Malik, chef economist at Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, told Reuters: “To some degree we’re likely to return to Saudi Arabia’s old model of growth this year, with rising oil exports feeding through into the rest of the economy. Structural reforms to create other sources of growth may have an impact in coming years, but don’t look like they will be in time to have an effect this year.”
Fresh funding flows in even as broader market data points to a slowdown
Updated 20 December 2025
Nour El-Shaeri
RIYADH: Startup funding activity across the Middle East and North Africa delivered a mixed picture over the past week, with fresh capital flowing into gaming, fintech, deep tech, and travel, even as broader market data pointed to a slowdown in overall investment momentum.
Saudi Arabia’s Impact46 led a $1 million investment round in Hypemasters, an international game development studio focused on competitive strategy experiences for mobile. The round included participation from GEM Capital.
Hypemasters develops strategy titles designed for competitive depth and precise game mechanics and has attracted more than 7 million players globally.
The studio is currently advancing several new projects, including a title in soft launch, as it looks to expand its reach in markets with sustained demand for strategy games.
“Strategy is one of the most demanding categories in game development, and Hypemasters approaches it with uncommon discipline. Their work shows a clear understanding of what committed players expect from this genre, and we believe their upcoming titles can serve a global audience with genuine depth,” said Basmah Al-Sinaidi, managing partner at Impact46.
“We are pleased to support a team that builds with intention and long-term ambition,” she added.
Boris Kalmykov, CEO and co-founder of Hypemasters, said: “We’re focused on deepening our presence across the region and pushing forward with the next generation of strategy games, including a major new title already in soft launch. Partnering with Impact46 marks an important step for Hypemasters.”
The CEO added that Impact46 shares his company’s long-term vision for building “world-class strategy games” from the MENA region, and the support reinforces his firm’s commitment to expanding its portfolio with high-quality releases.
The investment reflects Impact46’s continued interest in game development and interactive entertainment and aligns with its broader strategy of backing studios building globally oriented titles.
Premialab raises $220m
UAE-headquartered Premialab, a provider of data, analytics, and risk management solutions for quantitative investing, has raised $220 million in a growth investment led by KKR, with participation from existing investor Balderton.
Founded in Hong Kong in 2016 by Adrien Geliot and Pierre Trecourt, Premialab operates a global platform serving the $800 billion quantitative investment strategies market.
Counterfeits don’t just impact economies; they erase identity, creativity and truth. Along with our investors, we’re building a movement to make the world’s stories verifiable again.
Walid Tarabih, founder and CEO of Relik
The company provides benchmarking, performance analysis, and risk analytics tools for institutional investors.
The funding will be used to support global expansion, strengthen core operational systems, and scale Premialab’s execution product, which was developed in partnership with Eurex, to broaden access to quantitative investment strategies.
“Quantitative investment strategies have grown rapidly in scale and importance, yet the market has lacked a truly independent standard for data, analytics and risk. Premialab was built to fill that gap,” said Adrien Geliot, CEO of Premialab.
Relik closes seed round
UAE-based Relik has closed a seed funding round with participation from KBW Ventures, Naatt Holding, Fort Holding, and Ayman Sejiny.
Founded in 2023 by Walid Tarabih and later joined by John Tsioris, Relik is an artificial intelligence-powered authentication platform designed to help collectors, brands, and marketplaces.
The company plans to use the funding to roll out additional products and expand across sectors including sports, luxury, and heritage markets.
“We are ensuring authenticity in a fakeable world,” said Walid Tarabih, founder and CEO of Relik, adding: “Counterfeits don’t just impact economies; they erase identity, creativity and truth. Along with our investors, we’re building a movement to make the world’s stories verifiable again.”
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al-Saud, founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, said: “Relik is creating a new global standard for truth and trust. At a time when counterfeiting and AI-generated content are rising, Relik’s mission to protect authenticity carries both cultural and commercial value.”
Nawah raises $23m
Egypt-based deep tech startup Nawah Scientific has raised $23 million in a series A round comprising a mix of equity and debt, marking a decade since the company’s founding.
The round was led by Life Ventures Holding, with participation from Den Ventures, Empire M, AfricInvest, Elsewedy, as well as banks and angel investors.
Founded in 2015 by Omar Saqr, Nawah operates a cloud laboratory model that enables remote access to advanced testing services. (Supplied)
Founded in 2015 by Omar Saqr, Nawah operates a cloud laboratory model that enables remote access to advanced testing services. Its operations span four business units covering life sciences, food and agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and certified reference materials.
The company plans to use the funding to build a global research and development center in Rwanda, double laboratory capacity in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and expand into North Africa and Europe.
Algeria’s VOLZ raises $5m
Algeria-based travel tech startup VOLZ has raised $5 million in a series A funding round led by a consortium of private investors under Tell Group, with participation from Groupe GIBA.
Founded in 2023 by Mohamed Abdelhadi and Hacene Seghier, VOLZ enables travelers to book flights in Algerian dinars using online payments or cash on delivery, while comparing multiple airlines through a single platform.
Announced at the African Startup Conference in December, the transaction is Algeria’s largest startup funding round in local currency and marks the first exit of the Algerian Startup Fund.
The capital will be used to launch new consumer and corporate travel products, strengthen VOLZ’s position in Algeria, and support expansion across North and West Africa.
MENA startup funding slows in November
Investment activity across the MENA startup ecosystem slowed sharply in November 2025, with 35 startups raising a combined $227.8 million, according to Wamda’s monthly report.
This marked a steep decline from the $784.9 million recorded in the previous month and a 12 percent drop compared to November 2024, pointing to a period of consolidation as investors moderated deployment toward the end of the year.
More than half of the capital raised during the month was driven by a single debt-backed transaction by erad, which propelled Saudi Arabia to the top of the regional rankings. Across 14 deals, the Kingdom attracted $176.3 million, accounting for more than three-quarters of all capital deployed in November.
Despite funding activity spanning 35 startups, capital was concentrated in just 5 markets. After Saudi Arabia’s dominant lead, the UAE followed with $49 million across 14 transactions.
Egypt recorded $1.12 million across 4 deals, while Morocco raised $1.1 million through 2 transactions. Oman saw 1 deal with an undisclosed value, with limited activity reported outside these markets.
Fintech emerged as the most funded sector in November, raising $142.9 million across 9 deals, largely influenced by the same debt-driven transaction.
E-commerce followed with $24.5 million across 6 rounds, while property tech, which topped the charts in October, slipped to 3rd with $18.9 million raised by 3 startups.
Debt financing dominated the month, accounting for more than $125 million through a single transaction.
The remaining capital was largely channelled into early-stage startups, with no later-stage funding rounds recorded in November, underscoring continued investor caution.
From a business model perspective, B2B startups captured the majority of capital, with 20 companies raising $197.1 million.
B2C startups lagged, with 9 companies raising a combined $22.2 million, while the remainder was split across hybrid models.
The gender funding gap showed no signs of narrowing, with male-led startups absorbing 97 percent of the capital raised during the month. Female-led and mixed-gender founding teams accounted for the remaining share.
