Unlocking Saudi hospitality: AVANA and Ezdaher pave new investment pathways to support Vision 2030

Short Url
Updated 23 June 2025
Follow

Unlocking Saudi hospitality: AVANA and Ezdaher pave new investment pathways to support Vision 2030

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 sets an ambitious target: welcoming 150 million visitors annually and positioning the Kingdom as a global hospitality hub. Delivering this vision demands more than hotel construction; it requires a complete ecosystem of entrepreneurs, capital providers, government programs, and efficient financial markets to mobilize and sustain investment at scale.

AVANA Companies, a US-based private credit and real estate investment firm with over two decades of experience financing hospitality projects globally, has developed a dual initiative to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s hospitality investment landscape. Through its affiliate, Ezdaher Financing Company, AVANA is introducing structured financing programs and pioneering crowdfunding solutions designed to unlock domestic capital and create sustainable, inclusive growth.

Leveraging partnerships with global leaders such as IHG Hotels and Resorts and Oaktree Capital Management, AVANA has developed an innovative co-funding program that pools institutional capital into a streamlined funding framework. This model overcomes traditional barriers such as lengthy approval processes and extensive guarantees by enabling faster capital flows for hotel construction projects. While initially focused on established US markets, the asset-backed structure is highly relevant for Middle Eastern investors seeking secure exposure to global hospitality sectors. With Ezdaher’s regional initiative, AVANA is well-positioned to align international investment practices with the strategic ambitions of Saudi investors.

“By combining our global hospitality financing expertise with local presence through Ezdaher, we are committed to creating pathways that empower investors and advance Vision 2030,” said Sundip Patel, CEO of AVANA Companies. 

Alongside its global initiatives, AVANA is addressing the critical need to activate Saudi Arabia’s domestic capital base. Traditional loan capital often remains immobilized until maturity, slowing economic circulation. The EqualSeat platform, developed under the Ezdaher banner, introduces an innovative crowdfunding model that transforms passive savings into active investment. Through EqualSeat, Saudi investors can directly participate in private credit, SME Funding, and real estate opportunities. This approach increases liquidity for financial institutions, supports broader entrepreneurship, and stimulates economic expansion through the Keynesian multiplier effect.

Saudi Arabia’s financial modernization efforts have made significant strides, but a thriving crowdfunding sector requires ongoing regulatory development, standardized risk grading, and greater investment transparency. Building investor trust will be critical to unlocking the full potential of domestic capital markets and ensuring that private sector initiatives complement public-sector programs without overlap or conflict.

AVANA Companies and Ezdaher Financing Company are actively seeking partnerships with family offices and institutional investors to drive sustainable hospitality growth, create high-quality employment opportunities, and support Saudi Arabia’s economic diversification goals.


‘Wealth Grows Here’: Aljazira Bank launches new brand identity

Updated 23 December 2025
Follow

‘Wealth Grows Here’: Aljazira Bank launches new brand identity

Aljazira Bank announced the launch of its new brand identity under the slogan “Wealth Grows Here,” marking a natural evolution in a growth journey spanning more than five decades. Over the years, successive phases of transformation have shaped the bank into what it is today, with the new identity serving as the culmination of a strategic chapter that strengthened the bank’s role within the Saudi banking sector.

As part of this milestone, the new brand launch also extended to Aljazira Capital, the bank’s investment arm, reflecting a unified vision and strategic alignment across the group. The updated identity of Aljazira Capital underscored its evolution as a specialized investment and wealth management institution, focused on delivering carefully structured investment solutions and strengthening its role as a trusted partner in building and growing long-term investment portfolios, fully aligned with the bank’s broader direction.

The announcement also included the launch of the new identity for Fawri, aligning it with the bank’s updated brand and reflecting its commitment to delivering reliable and seamless financial transfers within an advanced and integrated financial ecosystem.

Naif bin Abdulkareem Al-Abdulkareem, CEO and managing director of Aljazira Bank, said: “The new brand identity goes beyond a visual change; it is a true reflection of what the bank has become today. Since the strategic refresh in 2023, we have restructured how we operate, aligned our business lines around a shared objective, and strengthened execution. The progress we see today, in service quality and speed of delivery — confirms that we are moving in the right direction.”

The new identity reflects the outcomes of the bank’s 2023 strategic transformation, a pivotal milestone in its journey. This phase focused on developing an integrated banking ecosystem with a stronger emphasis on individual wealth management, supported by a more agile and efficient operating model led by digital channels. It balanced sustainable growth with strengthening the corporate portfolio, accelerating investment in digital infrastructure and human capital, and enhancing operational efficiency.

Since its establishment, Aljazira Bank has progressed through successive stages of growth, evolving from a traditional bank into a more innovative and specialized financial institution. Today, it places wealth management at the core of its proposition, offering a banking experience built on long-term relationships and a deep understanding of clients’ financial aspirations. In parallel, the bank has continued to reinforce its role as a trusted partner to the business sector, serving large corporates as well as small and medium-sized enterprises through solutions that support growth, sustainability, and the Kingdom’s broader economic development goals.

At the heart of this direction stands the bank’s new slogan, “Wealth Grows Here,” which captures its role as a key partner in building and preserving wealth for individuals and businesses alike, creating sustainable value beyond the delivery of traditional banking services.