Saudi Ministry of Commerce spots 10 priority areas in trade for 2023

The reforms would touch upon consumer protection, commercial registration, trade names, commercial transactions, mediation and the controls for establishing government firms. (Shutterstock)
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Updated 09 April 2023
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Saudi Ministry of Commerce spots 10 priority areas in trade for 2023

RIYADH: The Saudi Ministry of Commerce has earmarked 10 priority projects in the trade and investment sector this year amid efforts to review and upgrade regulations and legislation in order, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

This move will help the Kingdom achieve the Saudi Vision 2030 objective of providing an attractive investment environment for local and international investors and enhancing the business sector’s regional and global competitiveness.

According to the news agency, the reforms would touch upon consumer protection, commercial registration, trade names, commercial transactions, mediation and the controls for establishing government firms.

The reforms will also encompass the family business charter, the corporate governance regulations, the commercial registration system implementing rules, and the trade names system implementing regulations.

The Ministry of Commerce announced these plans in its quarterly trade bulletin to support investors and entrepreneurs in making investment decisions in various economic sectors and activities based on a transparent methodology and an integrated vision to encourage diversity in commerce.

The emphasis underlines commercial activity as one of the main components of the national economy, which clocked an impressive growth of 7.8 percent last year.

This priority also cements the success of the legislative environment, facilitating procedures for business startups, elevating competitive indicators and making the business sector in Saudi Arabia attractive to the world.

The trade bulletin highlights the most prominent growth indicators in various activities and sectors, the volume of change in the records of companies and institutions, and the highest sectors that witnessed remarkable growth.

It also prepares the economy for promising sectors such as artificial intelligence technologies, computer programming, market research and opinion polls, movie production, cities, entertainment, games, hotel activities, tourism and travel.

Additionally, the bulletin also records the size of the industry and export-related data in the Kingdom, besides tracking the growth of the e-commerce sector in the Kingdom, data on the participation of women in the business, the development of financing small and medium enterprises and the contributions of legislation in improving the attractiveness of the business sector as a whole.


Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes higher at 10,596 

Updated 23 December 2025
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Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes higher at 10,596 

RIYADH: Saudi equities closed higher on Tuesday, with the Tadawul All Share Index rising 43.59 points, or 0.41 percent, to finish at 10,595.85, supported by broad-based buying and strength in select mid-cap stocks. 

Market breadth was firmly positive, with 170 stocks advancing against 90 decliners, while trading activity saw 161.96 million shares change hands, generating a total value of SR3.39 billion. 

Meanwhile, the MT30 Index closed higher, gaining 6.52 points, or 0.47 percent, to 1,399.11, while the Nomu Parallel Market Index edged marginally lower, slipping 3.33 points, or 0.01 percent, to 23,267.77. 

Among the session’s top gainers, Al Masar Al Shamil Education Co. surged 9.99 percent to close at SR26.20, while Saudi Cable Co. jumped 9.98 percent to SR147.70.  
Cherry Trading Co. rose 4.18 percent to SR25.44, and United Carton Industries Co. advanced 4.09 percent to SR26.46. 

Al Yamamah Steel Industries Co. also posted solid gains, climbing 4.07 percent to end at SR32.70.  

On the downside, Emaar The Economic City led losses, slipping 3.55 percent to SR10.32, followed by Derayah REIT Fund, which fell 2.92 percent to SR5.31. 

Derayah Financial Co. declined 2.13 percent to SR26.62, while United International Holding Co. retreated 1.96 percent to SR155.20, and Gulf Union Alahlia Cooperative Insurance Co. eased 1.92 percent to SR10.70.  

On the announcements front, Red Sea International Co. said it signed a SR202.8 million contract with Webuild S.P.A. to provide integrated facilities management services for the Trojena project at Neom. 

The agreement covers operations and maintenance for the project’s Main Camp and Spike Camp, including accommodation and housekeeping, catering, security, IT and communications, utilities, waste management, fire safety and emergency response, as well as other supporting services.  

The contract runs for two years, with the financial impact expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026. Shares of Red Sea International closed up 0.99 percent at SR34.74. 

Al Moammar Information Systems Co. disclosed that it received an award notification from Humain to design and build a data center dedicated to artificial intelligence technologies, with a total value exceeding 155 percent of the company’s 2024 revenue, inclusive of VAT. 

The contract is expected to be formally signed in February 2026, underscoring the scale of the project and its potential impact on the company’s future revenues.  

MIS shares ended the session 2.82 percent higher at SR156.70, reflecting positive investor sentiment following the announcement.