Saudi competition authority approves 23% more M&A requests in Q2
Updated 04 August 2022
Arab News
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Competition approved 43 applications for mergers and acquisitions in the second quarter of 2022, a 23 percent jump from a year ago, it has announced.
In its recent report, GAC said it received 76 applications for economic concentration in the first quarter of 2022, 11 percent lower than the same period in the previous year, Argaam reported.
Despite the increase in the number of deals in the second quarter, the authority did not receive any merger requests for the same period, according to GAC spokesman Saad Al-Masoud.
GAC is expecting a decline in deals and joint ventures of between 20 and 30 percent, according to Head of the Mergers and Acquisitions, Talal Al-Hogail.
“International mergers dropped in the first half of this year by 25 percent, and according to our internal study (we expect) that requests (in the Kingdom) will drop significantly after the end of 2022,” he said.
Of the 43 no objection certificates issued by the authority, 37 were for acquisitions, with the remaining six for joint projects.
The authority treated 23 applications as “not requiring reporting” during the second quarter of 2022.
Some nine applications are still being considered by GAC in the “under study” category, most of which are in the wholesale and retail trade, and information and communications sectors, according to Al-Hogail.
One application was rejected.
According to the report, economic concentration applications by foreign establishments accounted for 61 percent of total applications filed in the second quarter.
With 15 applications, the information and communication sector topped the list — making up 30 percent of total applications in the second quarter.
Manufacturing industries accounted for 14 percent of the overall applications, followed by wholesale, retail trade and vehicle repair sector.
“The requests for economic concentration of foreign establishments had the largest share, amounting to 61 percent of the total requests received by the authority during the second quarter of 2022,” Al-Hogail said.
The most prominent were the joint venture between Bottega Veneta Netherlands and the Rubaiyat Company for Industry and Trade Holding Ltd., and the establishment of a joint venture between the Saudi Military Industries for Aerospace Systems and Airbus.
Oracle's acquisition, through one of its subsidiaries, of all Cerner shares was also a leading deal.
Artificial intelligence is transitioning into a ‘digital employee’
AI can be an effective tool, business leaders tell Arab News
Not about jobs, but ‘convergence of human capital and AI’
Updated 27 February 2026
Hebshi Alshammari
RIYADH: Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping the world of work, transitioning from a supporting tool to an active partner that is radically changing the nature of professions and productivity standards.
Amidst the current global transformations, an active regional digital environment is emerging.
This is being led by Saudi Arabia through Vision 2030 and massive investments in smart infrastructure, providing a living model for studying the implications of this partnership between humans and machines on the future of work in the region.
Arab News spoke to various business leaders about the emerging shape of the sector.
Salem Bagami, co-founder of Metatalent, said the ideal relationship between humans and machines at work should be complementary and collaborative.
Humans would bring creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex decision-making, while machines excel at processing big data and performing repetitive, precise tasks.
He believes that this type of balanced partnership would lead to unprecedented productivity and innovation.
While machines excel at processing big data and performing repetitive, precise tasks, humans would bring creativity, emotional intelligence, and complex decision-making. (Supplied)
Mohammad Al-Jallad, chief technologist and director at HPE, said AI has gone beyond being merely an executive tool to becoming a “digital employee” entrusted with automating routine tasks and providing insights based on data analysis.
He believes that the real opportunity lies not in the debate over job replacement, but in “the convergence of human capital and artificial intelligence.”
AI should augment human teams by taking on menial and routine tasks, enabling employees to focus on critical thinking, creativity, and ethical reasoning, significantly improving operational results.
Bagami also emphasized the complementary nature of this partnership. “The ideal relationship between humans and machines at work is one of collaboration, where each complements the others.”
He explained that humans bring creativity, emotional intelligence, and nuanced decision-making, while machines excel at processing big data and performing repetitive tasks efficiently, leading to increased productivity and innovation.
Opinion
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Salem Alanazi, chairman of Jathwa Technology Co., notes a significant trend among Saudi Arabia companies toward using AI applications to provide faster services to customers at lower costs.
The emergence of the “virtual employee” available around the clock has eliminated the need for some traditional jobs in specific sectors.
Alanazi warns that some companies’ reluctance to adopt AI may expose them to real risks. “All those who hesitated to benefit from AI applications have a lack of understanding of these technologies.”
He said those who adopt these technologies will be able to offer lower-cost, higher-quality services, which will affect the market position of companies that lag behind.
Ali Aljumhour, CEO of VALUE Consultancy, said that the transition of AI into a partner has reshaped the list of most in-demand skills in the job market.
Skills such as “prompt engineering,” “human-machine integration,” and “digital ethics” are becoming increasingly important.
He added that AI has become an instantly available “technical knowledge base,” shifting the criteria for professional distinction toward those capable of smart interaction with these technologies.
In terms of ethics, transparency, and trust, Alanazi points to the complexities of global AI governance, where legislation overlaps and evolves rapidly to keep pace with potential risks, particularly in the areas of cybersecurity and privacy.
Ali Aljumhour, CEO of VALUE Consultancy. (Supplied)
Al-Jallad emphasizes this crucial dimension, noting that providing responsible and reliable AI solutions that meet the highest standards of transparency is a key priority, especially in regulated sectors.
Bagami believes there should be basic standards for the ethical use of Al, emphasizing the need for transparency, accountability, and fairness, along with using diverse data sets to prevent bias and protect privacy.
He believes that building trust between humans and machines requires clear explanations of how systems work, giving users the opportunity to provide feedback and conducting periodic performance reviews.
On performance evaluation, Aljumhour said: “I expect radical changes in standards, shifting from measuring individual effort to evaluating the quality of the partnership between humans and machines.”
There should be a focus on the quality of inputs provided to intelligent systems, the accuracy of review and modification, and complex decision-making based on outputs.
He warns, however, of new risks that may arise, such as over-reliance on AI or difficulty in determining responsibility for mistakes.
In the employment sector, Aljumhour expects fundamental changes in standards.
There will be questions and tests focusing on measuring skills in dealing with AI, such as asking candidates about their experiences of collaborating with these systems, or testing their ability to formulate effective requests for complex tasks.
Aljumhour identifies significant human challenges in this transition, with “fear, loss of power, and exclusivity of knowledge” being the biggest concerns for experienced employees.
