Jordan’s exports to Syria jump 341% in first 10 months 

According to foreign trade data issued by the Department of Statistics, Jordan’s imports from Syria reached around 75 million dinars over the same period, up 47.1 percent annually. Shutterstock
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Updated 25 December 2025
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Jordan’s exports to Syria jump 341% in first 10 months 

RIYADH: Jordan’s national exports to Syria rose to 203 million Jordanian dinars ($286 million) in the first 10 months of 2025, marking a 341.3 percent year-on-year increase, new figures show. 

According to foreign trade data issued by the Department of Statistics, Jordan’s imports from Syria reached around 75 million dinars over the same period, up 47.1 percent annually, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Total trade between the two countries stood at 278 million dinars in the first 10 months of the year, compared with 97 million dinars in the same period of 2024. 

The growth reflects closer bilateral ties, as Jordan has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Syria’s recovery and reintegration, a relationship seen as important for reconstruction efforts as well as regional stability and economic cooperation. 

In May, the two sides also agreed to draft a comprehensive road map to guide future cooperation, with a focus on investment, joint ventures and reconstruction initiatives.  

“Trade relations between Jordan and Syria recorded notable growth over the last ten months of this year, driven by the resumption of commercial activity and a marked increase in bilateral trade flows,” the Petra report stated.  

It added: “Jordanian exports to Syria are primarily concentrated in construction-related industries and building materials, including cement, steel, marble, tiles, paints, and pipes, in addition to electrical equipment, as well as food, agricultural, and chemical products.” 

Jordan and Syria are also expected to strengthen cooperation and exchange expertise in the banking and financial sectors, following meetings between the two countries’ central bank governors earlier this month. 

Jordan’s export growth to Syria comes amid a broader rise in trade with Arab markets, as Jordanian exports to countries in the Greater Arab Free Trade Area continued to climb during the first 10 months of the year, keeping Arab states at the forefront of the country’s trading partners. 

According to foreign trade data from the Department of Statistics, Jordanian exports to the region rose 8.7 percent year on year to 3.24 billion dinars, compared with 2.98 billion dinars in the same period last year. Arab countries accounted for about 41.5 percent of Jordan’s total exports during the period. 

Imports from countries within the Greater Arab Free Trade Area also increased, rising 8 percent to 4.58 billion dinars in the first 10 months of the year, up from 4.25 billion dinars a year earlier. 

As a result, Jordan’s trade deficit with the region widened to about 1.34 billion dinars during the period, compared with 1.26 billion dinars in the corresponding period last year, reflecting stronger import growth alongside rising exports.


PIF’s Humain invests $3bn in Elon Musk’s xAI prior to SpaceX acquisition

Updated 18 February 2026
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PIF’s Humain invests $3bn in Elon Musk’s xAI prior to SpaceX acquisition

JEDDAH: Humain, an artificial intelligence company owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, invested $3 billion in Elon Musk’s xAI shortly before the startup was acquired by SpaceX.

As part of xAI’s Series E round, Humain acquired a significant minority stake in the company, which was subsequently converted into shares of SpaceX, according to a press release.

The transaction reflects PIF’s broader push to position Saudi Arabia as a central hub in the global AI ecosystem, as part of its Vision 2030 diversification strategy.

Through Humain, the fund is seeking to combine capital deployment with infrastructure buildout, partnerships with leading technology firms, and domestic capacity development to reduce reliance on oil revenues and expand into advanced industries.

The $3 billion commitment offers potential for long-term capital gains while reinforcing the company’s role as a strategic, scaled investor in transformative technologies.

CEO Tareq Amin said: “This investment reflects Humain’s conviction in transformational AI and our ability to deploy meaningful capital behind exceptional opportunities where long-term vision, technical excellence, and execution converge, xAI’s trajectory, further strengthened by its acquisition by SpaceX, one of the largest technology mergers on record, represents the kind of high-impact platform we seek to support with significant capital.” 

The deal builds on a large-scale collaboration announced in November at the US-Saudi Investment Forum, where Humain and xAI committed to developing over 500 megawatts of next-generation AI data center and computing infrastructure, alongside deploying xAI’s “Grok” models in the Kingdom.

In a post on his X handle, Amin said: “I’m proud to share that Humain has invested $3 billion into xAI’s Series E round, just prior to its historic acquisition by SpaceX. Through this transaction, Humain became a significant minority shareholder in xAI.”

He added: “The investment builds on our previously announced 500MW AI infrastructure partnership with xAI in Saudi Arabia, reinforcing Humain’s role as both a strategic development partner and a scaled global investor in frontier AI.”

He noted that xAI’s trajectory, further strengthened by SpaceX’s acquisition, exemplifies the high-impact platforms Humain aims to support through strategic investments.

Earlier in February, SpaceX completed the acquisition of xAI, reflecting Elon Musk’s strategy to integrate AI with space exploration.

The combined entity, valued at $1.25 trillion, aims to build a vertically integrated innovation ecosystem spanning AI, space launch technology, and satellite internet, as well as direct-to-device communications and real-time information platforms, according to Bloomberg.

Humain, founded in August, consolidates Saudi Arabia’s AI initiatives under a single entity. From the outset, its vision has extended beyond domestic markets, participating across the global AI value chain from infrastructure to applications.

The company represents a strategic initiative by PIF to diversify the Kingdom’s economy and reduce oil dependence by investing in knowledge-based and advanced technologies.