Saudi Cultural Development Fund signs 5 credit facility agreements worth over $16.7m

Among the projects included in these credit facilities is the “Sifr Creative Group,” an innovative cultural destination that embraces creative individuals. SPA.
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Updated 11 December 2025
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Saudi Cultural Development Fund signs 5 credit facility agreements worth over $16.7m

RIYADH: The Saudi Cultural Development Fund has signed five credit facility agreements under its “Cultural Financing” program, totaling over SR63 million ($16.7 million), to finance several cultural projects.

This took place during the Development Finance Conference Momentum 2025, organized by the National Development Fund at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh.

These facilities aim to support the growth of a distinguished group of cultural projects targeting four sub-sectors: architecture and design, theater and performing arts, music, and visual arts.

These undertakings focus on several areas, including supporting the infrastructure of cultural sectors, such as establishing a music institute and a creative complex, in addition to providing support services and developing national talents and expertise.

It is worth noting that among the projects included in these credit facilities is the “Sifr Creative Group,” an innovative cultural destination that embraces creative individuals and provides a comprehensive environment for production and development.

The complex contributes to strengthening the cultural infrastructure through an integrated system that supports creative work and programs dedicated to empowering talent and the sector, serving as a platform that enriches the cultural landscape and opens broader horizons for innovation and local production

The Cultural Development Fund signed these credit facilities as part of its role as a center for financial empowerment in the cultural sector. The initiative supports micro, small, and medium enterprises to help diversify the national economy, develop cultural talent, and enhance quality of life in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The signing of these credit facilities by the Cultural Development Fund comes within its role as a center of excellence and financial empowerment in the cultural sector. This initiative also forms part of the fund’s broader efforts to support micro, small, and medium enterprises, to enhance their role in diversifying the national economy, developing cultural talent, and raising the quality of life; contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals under the umbrella of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. 


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.