RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan’s economic cooperation models reflect mutual commitment to prosperity through shared goals in the two countries’ 2030 plans, said the Saudi energy minister.

During the main dialogue session of the third Tashkent International Investment Forum, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman emphasized the distinguished relations between the two nations and the commitment of their leaderships to enhance and develop cooperation in all fields, particularly in the energy sector.

Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also attended the meeting.

The Saudi minister pointed out that economic cooperation between the two countries serves as a model, especially in light of the “Uzbekistan 2030” strategy and the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, with their similar goals aimed at economic growth, diversification, and sustainable development, reflecting a mutual commitment to building a prosperous future for both nations, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

“The bilateral relations saw a notable advancement subsequent to a meeting between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Mirziyoyev in Riyadh in 2022,” he said.

Prince Abdulaziz stressed the significance of the energy sector in the growing relations between the two nations, particularly in renewable energy, highlighting the substantial involvement of Saudi companies in Uzbekistan, exemplified by ACWA Power.

He elaborated on the investment flowing between the two countries in this domain, eclipsing $14 billion, with the aim of producing over 11 gigawatts of renewable energy electricity, affirming that Uzbekistan has demonstrated a serious commitment to achieving a fair and equitable energy transition, aligning with the Kingdom’s aspirations.

The energy minister further underscored the rational stances jointly embraced by both nations, placing significant emphasis on the critical aspects of energy security, development, and conservation.

He also underscored the two countries’ collaborative roles in addressing climate change through collective endeavors.

Recently, ACWA Power signed a power purchase agreement with the National Electric Grid of Uzbekistan for the Aral five-gigawatt wind power project worth SR18.2 billion ($4.85 billion).

Two weeks ago, ACWA Power announced it had secured an $80 million equity bridge loan from the Bank of China for its projects in Uzbekistan.

The Saudi entity said the fund will boost its Tashkent 200 megawatts solar photovoltaic power plant and 500 MW per hour battery energy storage system project in Uzbekistan.

“This transaction culminated the initial agreement reached during the 3rd BRF (Belt and Road Forum) summit in October 2023, where ACWA Power was represented by its chairman as a keynote speaker,” the company said in a statement.

RIYADH: UAE-based banks’ aggregate capital and reserves reached 501.5 billion dirhams ($136 billion) at the end of February, up 14.4 percent year-on-year, according to new data. 

The latest statistics from the Central Bank of the UAE showed that on a monthly basis, the total capital and reserves grew 0.95 percent, reflecting an increase of approximately 4.7 billion dirhams, according to the Emirates News Agency, also known as WAM. 

This rise in figures falls in line with the central bank’s goal of enhancing monetary and financial stability in the country. 

Moreover, the data indicated that national banks accounted for around 86.5 percent of the aggregate capital and reserves of banks operating in the UAE. At the end of February, they recorded a total of 433.7 billion dirhams, an annual rise of 14.6 percent.

On the other hand, the share of foreign banks settled at 13.5 percent, hitting 67.8 billion dirhams at the end of the same month, reflecting a 13.2 percent surge compared to the same period a year earlier.  

Furthermore, at the end of February, the total capital and reserves of banks operating in Dubai alone stood at 246.4 billion dirhams, logging a year-on-year growth of 15.1 percent. 

Additionally, banks operating in Abu Dhabi recorded around 217 billion dirhams, up 13 percent from the corresponding period in 2023.  

Meanwhile, the cumulative capital and reserves of banks operating in other emirates combined reached an estimated 38.1 billion, reflecting a 15.5 percent climb in comparison to the same period a year prior. 

In March, a top executive at Roland Berger said that UAE bank branches were witnessing the highest revenues in the region, amounting to $18.6 million per branch.

This was driven by the nation’s digital transformation, which enabled financial institutions in the Gulf Cooperation Council to reduce the number of banking branches by 328 within three years, Saumitra Sehgal, the global consulting firm’s head of financial services in the Middle East, told WAM, at the time.  

Sehgal also pointed out at the time that the number of bank branches across GCC nations decreased from 4,067 at the end of 2019 to 3,739 by December 2022.   

He further noted that banks in the UAE saw the highest number of outlets merge and reduce with the support of digital transformation between 2019 and 2022.