المستثمرون العالميون يستكشفون الفرص الاستثمارية في السعودية

More than 300 institutional and global company investors discussed with representatives from the seven Gulf stock exchanges and over 100 Gulf institutions and companies at the HSBC Conference for the Stock Exchanges of the Gulf Cooperation Council in London, coinciding with the global economic instability that is reshaping capital flows. This comes as global investors increasingly turn to the Gulf region in search of investment opportunities, driven by economic reform programs and the growing development of capital markets there.

The conference, in its fourth year, highlighted the increasing financial and economic resilience of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries amid global economic fluctuations. The presence of Saudi Arabia was a key point of interest for attendees during the first two days of the conference, with guest speakers including Minister of Investment Eng. Khalid Al-Falih and the Deputy of the Capital Market Authority for Financial Market Institutions in Saudi Arabia, Raed Al-Humaid.

Attendees confirmed that the recorded increase in GDP during the first quarter of this year by 3.4% year-on-year drove growth in the non-oil sectors in Saudi Arabia to exceed strong initial estimates. Discussions at the conference focused on the Kingdom's plans for the non-oil services and manufacturing sectors, as well as efforts to continue liberalizing the financial market infrastructure.

The CEO and Board Member of "HCBC," Fares Al-Ghanem, stated: "The resilient activity in Saudi private and public markets, along with the expansion of sectors entering the market, reflects the level of investor confidence in the Kingdom's long-term potential despite market fluctuations."

The CEO of Tadawul, Mohammed Al-Rumaih, affirmed: "We are witnessing an increase in interest in the Saudi financial market from global investors driven by the Kingdom's economic transformation programs. At Tadawul, we reaffirm our ongoing commitment to developing the market infrastructure and enhancing transparency to facilitate investor access and support diversification of investments across various sectors. The interaction we witnessed this year at the Gulf Cooperation Council Stock Exchanges Conference reflects the growing confidence in the Saudi financial market to achieve future economic aspirations in the Kingdom."

HSBC analysts expect that initial public offerings, along with secondary listing deals in Saudi Arabia, in addition to the removal of foreign ownership restrictions, will enhance the Kingdom's position in emerging market indices.

Saudi Arabia led the listing activity in the region during the first quarter of the year, despite a slowdown in issuance activities globally, with the volume of initial public offerings reaching 12 in sectors such as real estate, healthcare, financial services, and retail.