NHC to supply Riyadh with 147,000 new housing units

NHC is working to develop seven major residential suburbs with an area of more than 53 million square meters. (File/Shutterstock)
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Updated 17 August 2021
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NHC to supply Riyadh with 147,000 new housing units

  • Riyadh aims to more than double its population and become one of the 10 richest cities in the world

RIYADH: The National Housing Company (NHC) aims to add 147,000 housing units in the capital Riyadh over the next few years, Saudi Press Agency reported, citing CEO Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Bati.

This is part of the company’s plan to increase the residential real estate supply in Riyadh on an area of  more than 83 million square meters at prices starting from SR300,000 ($79.987).

Riyadh aims to more than double its population and become one of the 10 richest cities in the world under ambitious plans unveiled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) in January.

NHC is working to develop seven major residential suburbs with an area of more than 53 million square meters and provide more than 134,000 housing units that meet Sakani Program beneficiaries' aspirations, Al-Bati said during a speech at the Sakani program forum for the second quarter of 2021.

This development is supported by the Crown Prince, who ordered the allocation of 20 million square meters to be added to the area of Al-Gwan suburb north of Riyadh, bringing its total area to more than 30 million square meters and providing more than 73,000 housing units, he said.

NHC’s current projects which support the real estate supply in the Kingdom total 107 under construction that provide more than 113,000 housing units, with a value of more than SR72 billion, in partnership with 71 qualified real estate developers, where projects are located in most regions of the Kingdom, Al-Bati said.

 The affordable housing projects on the Ministry's lands have reached more than 43 projects that provide over 13,000 housing units distributed around the Kingdom, he said.
The company signed 10 agreements in the first quarter of this year that contributed to pumping more than 2,000 housing units, bringing the number by the end of the first half of 2021 to 18 agreements that resulted in supplying more than 12,000 housing units into the market, he said.


Closing Bell: Saudi stocks slip as Tadawul falls 1% amid broad market weakness

Updated 30 December 2025
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Closing Bell: Saudi stocks slip as Tadawul falls 1% amid broad market weakness

RIYADH: Saudi stocks fell sharply on Tuesday, with the Tadawul All Share Index closing down 108.14 points, or 1.03 percent, at 10,381.51.

The broader decline was reflected across major indices. The MSCI Tadawul 30 Index slipped 0.78 percent to 1,378.00, while Nomu, the parallel market index, fell 1 percent to 23,040.79.

Market breadth was strongly negative on the main board, with 237 stocks falling compared to just 24 gainers. Trading activity remained robust, with 164.7 million shares changing hands and a total traded value of SR3.19 billion ($850.6 million).

Among the gainers, SEDCO Capital REIT Fund led, rising 2.73 percent to SR6.77, followed by Chubb Arabia Cooperative Insurance Co., which gained 2.69 percent to SR20.20.

National Medical Care Co. added 1.72 percent to close at SR141.60, while Alyamamah Steel Industries Co. and Thimar Advertising, Public Relations and Marketing Co. advanced 1.57 percent and 1.13 percent, respectively.

Losses were led by Al Masar Al Shamil Education Co., which tumbled 8.36 percent to SR24.65. Raoom Trading Co.fell 6.75 percent to SR64.20, while Alkhaleej Training and Education Co. dropped 6.60 percent to SR18.12 and Naqi Water Co. declined 5.51 percent to SR54.00. Gulf General Cooperative Insurance Co. closed 5.44 percent lower at SR3.65.

On the announcement front, Chubb Arabia Cooperative Insurance Co. signed a multiyear insurance agreement with Saudi Electricity Co. to provide various coverages, expected to positively impact its financial results over the 2025–2026 period. The deal will run for three years and two months and is within the company’s normal course of business.

Meanwhile, Bupa Arabia for Cooperative Insurance Co. announced a one-year health insurance contract with Saudi National Bank, valued at SR330.2 million, covering the bank’s employees and their families from January 2026. Despite the sizable contract, Bupa Arabia shares fell 0.8 percent to close at SR137, weighed down by the broader market weakness.

In contrast, United Cooperative Assurance Co. revealed an extension of its engineering insurance agreement with Saudi Binladin Group for the Grand Mosque expansion in Makkah. The contract value exceeds 20 percent of the company’s gross written premiums based on its latest audited financials and is expected to support results through 2026. However, the stock came under selling pressure, ending the session down 4.51 percent at SR3.39.