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Good morning, wonderful people. We have a meaty issue for you this morning, leading with the latest growth projections from Riyad Capital, which — despite seeing a downwards revision — still expect Saudi’s GDP growth to accelerate in 2025.
PLUS- We have the latest from United International Holding Company’s Tadawul IPO, which saw its retail tranche closing with a 9.1 oversubscription rate.
HAPPENING THIS WEEK-
#1- The Cabinet will convene today to discuss the draft budget for 2025, state news agency SPA reports.
#2- Riyadh-based event planner Mufeed’s shares will begin trading on the Nomu parallel market today, according to a Tadawul statement. Mufeed’s shares can fluctuate within a ±30% range for the first three days, after which price fluctuations will be capped at ±10% as circuit breakers take effect.
REFRESHER- The Riyadh-based event planner priced its 10% stake IPO at SAR 77 per share, after its retail offering was 5x oversubscribed. The pricing would give Mufeed a market cap of SAR 508.2 mn at listing and should see it raise some SAR 46.2 in IPO proceeds.
#3- Time to swap out your thobe for wizard robes? A Harry Potter-themed park is opening at Riyadh Season’s Boulevard City on Thursday, 28 November, according to a post on X. Tickets can be booked here.
WEATHER- Riyadh is looking at a high of 26°C and a low of 17°C today. Over in Madinah, the temperature will peak at 28°C, before dropping to 15°C. Meanwhile, a windy Jeddah will see a high of 29°C, and a low of 23°C.
PSAs-
#1- The first batch of public parking spaces available for private sector investments is now live, with the Riyadh Municipality looking to draw in private sector players to develop more than 15k parking spaces in total across 40 plots, according to a post on X.
#2- Property owners in some districts of Madinah are required to register their properties between 26 December and 31 March, 2025, state news agency SPA reports. The districts included in this phase are the Prophet’s Mosque, Bada’ah, Al Naqa, and Al Manakha. Registration can be carried out online through the Real Estate Registry website or in person.
WATCH THIS SPACE-
#1- Qualified investors have until next Sunday, 1 December to subscribe to Digital Research Company’s (DRC) 22.5% stake offering on Tadawul’s parallel market, Nomu, after the window opened yesterday. Each investor can subscribe to a minimum 10 shares and a maximum of 84.4k shares. The final allocation of shares is slated for Wednesday, 4 December.
#2- The Industry and Mineral Resources Ministry plans to offer 21 mineral belts in international tenders by 2027, according to state news agency SPA. The belts cover a combined total area of 106.4k sq m.
DATA POINTS-
#1- Saudi Arabia is on track to top the Middle East region in investment banking fees in 2024, overtaking the UAE, which follows closely behind, according to LSEG data cited by the IFR. The kingdom saw its investment banking fees grow 44% y-o-y through 13 November to reach USD 493 mn, while fees in the UAE increased 10% y-o-y during that period to USD 478 mn. Saudi Arabia’s growth was driven by developments in Saudi’s equity and debt markets like Aramco’s USD 6 bn debt issuance and Savola’s SAR 6 bn rights offering.
Other metrics: Debt capital market fees in Saudi Arabia rose 46% y-o-y through mid-November to USD 156 mn, while those in the UAE added 35% to USD 131 mn. Meanwhile, equity capital market fees in the Kingdom doubled y-o-y to USD 168 mn, and those in the UAE dropped to USD 98 mn.
#2- Some 93% of Saudi companies have AI strategies, but only 7% have the infrastructure to implement them, Cisco Saudi Arabia’s CEO Salman Faqeeh told Asharq Al Awsat, citing a 2023 study from his firm.
#3- Franchise registration in the Kingdom grew 9.7x over nearly three years with 1.8k franchises added as of 3Q 2024, the Commerce Ministry said in a post on X. The major sectors that brought in new franchises are hospitality and restaurants, logistics and transport, and wholesale and retail.
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THE BIG STORY ABROAD-
Truce in Lebanon coming soon? Israel and Hezbollah are expected to clinch a ceasefire agreement “within days” following US and French-mediated negotiations, with the Israeli cabinet set to vote on an agreement later today. The agreement is likely to pass, officials say, particularly as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is “under pressure” from Washington to push through a ceasefire by the end of this week. The two sides made “significant progress” towards a pact despite some sticking points — including Israel looking to secure the right to strike southern Lebanon regardless of the ceasefire — and while Israel continued to hammer Beirut with more deadly attacks. (Reuters | New York Times | Bloomberg | Wall Street Journal)
ACROSS THE POND- The international press is also giving top billing to US president-elect Donald Trump’s vow to slap China, Mexico, and Canada with fresh tariffs once he’s in office. In two separate posts on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump said he plans to impose an additional 25% tariff on goods coming in from Canada and Mexico and 10% for all imported Chinese goods as a punitive measure for illegal drug trading and immigration issues. (CNBC | Politico | Financial Times | WSJ | Reuters | Bloomberg | NYT)
CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-
Red Bull’s Les Mills is bringing the Middle East’s largest fitness festival to Riyadh on Saturday, 30 November, at The Arena. The 12-hour event features global trainers, full-day workouts, exclusive Adidas products, and a women-only “Her Zone.” You can book your tickets online.
The two-day Saudi Green Initiative Forum will kick off on Tuesday, 3 December, according to a statement. The forum will coincide with COP16 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, which will be held in Riyadh between 2 and 13 December.
The two-day Zakat, Tax and Customs Conference 2024 begins on 4 December at the King Abdullah Financial District.
The Red Sea International Film Festival will run from 5-14 December in Jeddah.
The two-day Impact Makers Forum (ImpaQ) is set to open its doors on 18 December, bringing together media influencers, industry experts, and digital content creators in Riyadh’s Mayadeen Hall.
The Fortune Global Forum is coming to Riyadh in December 2025, according to a press release. The forum serves as a platform for the leaders of the world’s largest companies, policymakers, and other influential figures to discuss global economic and business trends, challenges, and opportunities.
The FIFAe Finals 2024 returns to Riyadh from 5-12 December at SEF Arena, BLVD Riyadh City, according to a press release. This year marks the first time the event will feature multiple esports titles, including the FIFAe World Cup with Rocket League (5-8 December) and two FIFAe World Cups with eFootball (9-12 December) on console and mobile. With a total prize pool of USD 450k, the event will showcase talent from 18 countries. Fans can attend in person or watch live on FIFAe’s Twitch channel. Register here.
The International Forum for Saudi Reef is scheduled for 16-18 December in the Intercontinental Al Ahsa, covering sustainable agriculture, rural entrepreneurship, and technology in farming, alongside a three-day exhibition of rural practices, handicrafts, and local work. Register here.
