Unified platform for transport and logistics sector to accelerate Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation  

The Ministry of Transport and Logistics signed an agreement with the Digital Government Authority (@SaudiTransport)
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Updated 31 July 2023
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Unified platform for transport and logistics sector to accelerate Saudi Arabia’s digital transformation  

RIYADH: To facilitate the ease of doing business, Saudi Arabia’s transport and logistics activities will be unified under the digital platform Logisti. 

The Ministry of Transport and Logistics signed an agreement with the Digital Government Authority to enable this software, which will offer consultations, services, and support for the digital transformation plan, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Monday.   

In line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, the agreement aims to accelerate the Kingdom’s journey to become a leading industrial powerhouse and global logistics hub.  

The deal was inked by Deputy Minister of Transport and Logistics Services Rumaih Al-Rumaih and the governor of the Digital Government Authority, Ahmed Al-Suwaiyan.

Through providing all the services of the transport sector through a single window, Logisti aims to enhance the efficiency, increase access, and improve operations. 

As per agreement, platforms will be unified to enable the work of beneficiaries of numerous transport and logistics activities, which provides digital services through Logisti. 

Al-Rumaih said earlier in July that Saudi Arabia aims to rank among the top 10 countries on the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index by 2030.

The LPI is, according to the World Bank’s website, an “interactive benchmarking tool created to help countries identify the challenges and opportunities they face in their performance on trade logistics.”

Al-Rumaih was speaking at an exhibition organized by the PTA in London to showcase the Kingdom’s maritime initiatives and achievements. Several diplomats and members of the International Maritime Organization attended the event.

Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the UK Prince Khalid bin Bandar bin Sultan said that the Kingdom’s progress in the maritime sector — including its close cooperation with the IMO and its support for the maritime environment — reflects the “firm and deep commitment of the Kingdom toward achieving the sustainable development goals of Saudi Vision 2030.”

Al-Rumaih said that the national strategy for transport and logistic services has set “clear goals in all aspects of maritime development.”

The Kingdom’s efforts to rank among the top 10 countries in the LPI by 2030 include establishing 59 logistic zones and increasing the capacity of its ports to over 40 million containers, he added.

“We are pleased to vigorously pursue tracks of cooperation with the IMO and member states on initiatives promoting climate, cooperation, and seafarers,” Al-Rumaih said. 


No Saudi acquisition offers: FC Barcelona tells Al-Eqtisadiah

Updated 16 December 2025
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No Saudi acquisition offers: FC Barcelona tells Al-Eqtisadiah

CAIRO: FC Barcelona has not received any offers, whether from Saudi Arabia or elsewhere, to acquire the club, according to an official source who spoke to Al-Eqtisadiah.

According to the source, the circulating news regarding the possibility of finalizing a deal to acquire the club in the coming period is a mere rumor.

Recent Spanish reports had indicated the possibility of a Saudi acquisition of Barcelona shares for around €10 billion ($11.7 billion), a move considered capable of saving the club from its financial crises if it were to happen, especially as it suffers from debts estimated at around €2.5 billion.

Sale not in management’s hands

Joan Gaspart, the former president of the club, confirmed that the current board of directors, chaired by Joan Laporta, does not have the right to dispose of the club’s ownership.

He added: “FC Barcelona is owned by about 150,000 members, and selling the club is something the owners will not accept. FC Barcelona possesses something no other club in the world has; money is very important, and so is passion, but the sentiment of the members today is to continue what the club has been for 125 years.”

High market value

Despite the financial crisis the club has been going through in recent years, FC Barcelona ranks sixth on the list of the world’s highest market value clubs, with an estimated value of €1.12 billion, according to Transfermarkt. Meanwhile, its rival Real Madrid tops the list with a market value of €1.38 billion.