Aramco to increase oil output to 12.3m barrels per day starting April
Increase in production level would be 300,000 barrels per day
Trading of Aramco shares earlier suspended upon the oil company’s request
Updated 11 March 2020
Frank Kane
DUBAI: Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil company, is to increase crude production to record levels in a bid to win market share in the global tussle over energy prices.
In a statement to the Tadawul stock exchange in Riyadh — where the shares are listed — the company said: “Saudi Aramco will provide its customers with 12.3 million barrels per day of crude oil in April, an increase of 300 thousand barrels per day over the company’s maximum sustained capacity of 12 million barrels. The company has agreed with its customers to provide them with such volumes starting 1 April.”
It added: “The company expects that this will have a positive, long-term financial effect.”
The announcement — coming in the middle of unprecedented volatility in global energy markets — was preceded by a brief suspension of its shares on the Tadawul, at its own request, as is required when a listed company is about to announce a “material event.”
The move to increase output dramatically follows notification to customers that Aramco would offer big discounts around the world, and further ratchets up the pressure on global energy markets.
It was followed by an immediate response by Russia, the world’s second biggest producer, with its own output increase.
Aramco shares, which had opened significantly higher despite the global market falls of “Black Monday” the previous day, continued their rise after the announcement, closing at SR31.15 ($8.30), a jump of 9.98 percent on the day.
The Tadawul All Shares Index (TASI) — which had also suffered in the global shares rout on Monday — reflected the improvement in its biggest constituent, with a rise of 7 percent on the day.
Global energy markets recovered some of the ground they lost on Monday, when crude prices had initially suffered their biggest falls in three decades. Brent crude, the benchmark for Middle East trading, was 8.5 percent higher at $37.27 as US markets opened.
The recent market volatility came when ministers from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) — in which the Kingdom is the biggest producer — failed to reach an agreement with other producers at the Vienna OPEC+ talks last weekend
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Market sentiment was improved by what analysts took to be a conciliatory statement from the Russian leadership — which heads the non-OPEC producers — about the disagreement.
Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian President Vladimir Putin, told journalists in Moscow that Russia did not rule out the possibility of a compromise on oil output after the Vienna breakdown, which he said had been foreseen by the Russian energy minister, Alexander Novak.
“Now we see relative volatility, which, most likely, will continue for some time. A variety of options were calculated and considered in advance (of the Vienna meeting),” Peskov said.
But Moscow also announced plans to ramp up its own production, with Novak later outlining plans to lift output by between 300,000 and 500,000 barrels per day to possibly as much as 11.8 million barrels.
Energy industry experts said that Aramco’s move to dramatically increase production would probably involve removing oil from storage for sale on global markets. If it produces 12.3 million barrels per day that would be around 20 percent higher than its previous production level, and 300,000 more than its “maximum sustained capacity.”
With both Riyadh and Moscowpumping oil at record levels, the pressure is now on the US shale industry, which has higher production costs and which is heavily leveraged in financial terms.
Other big OPEC producers like Iraq and Nigeria also said they would raise output. Energy markets face an unprecedented scenario in which big supply increases by the major producers are taking place as global demand falls by record amounts because of the economic effects of the coronavirus outbreak.
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.
