Good morning, wonderful people. We have a relatively busy hump day issue for you, leading with some M&A as Ashmore Investment Saudi Arabia fully offloads its stake in Dubai-based school operator AlephYa. Let’s jump right in.

BUT FIRST- Shura Council members will begin a four-year term starting this Friday, 6 September after being appointed by King Salman, state news agency SPA reports. Current Shura Council Speaker Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Sheikh will remain in office for another term.

Shura Council mandate: The Shura Council and the Council of Ministers together form the regulatory authority of the Kingdom. The Shura Council submits its resolutions to the King, who then decides which matters should be referred to the Council of Ministers. If both councils agree, the resolutions are enacted with the King’s approval. However, if there is disagreement, the issue is sent back to the Shura Council for further investigation and revision. The revised matter is then presented to the King for a final decision. Laws, treaties, international agreements, and concessions are all issued by royal decree, following a review by the Shura Council.

HAPPENING TODAY-

#1- The 24 Fintech 2024 summit kicks off at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Center today, bringing together executives and policymakers to discuss fintech regulation, AI applications in finance, and green finance, among other topics. The event runs until Thursday, 5 September.

#2- The Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters continues until this Saturday, 7 September, at Green Halls in Riyadh. The round of 32 begins today, with names such as world no. 1 Mark Allen, Mark Selby, reigning world champion Kyren Wilson, and former world champion Judd Trump and several others on the schedule. You can check out the full schedule here.

WEATHER- Riyadh’s mercury will peak at 41°C before dropping to a low of 26°C. Meanwhile Jeddah wil see thunderstorms, with the day’s temperatures hitting a high of 39°C and a low of 32°C.

PSAs-

#1- Gulf Mercantile Exchange is now live: The Dubai Mercantile Exchange changed its name to Gulf Mercantile Exchange yesterday, following Tadawul Group’s acquisition of a 32.6% stake in the energy and commodities trader back in June.

How they’re positioning it: The name change reflects GME’s ambitions to grow both regionally and globally, it said yesterday.

#2- National Day is coming up: The Saudi Central Bank (Sama) — along with banks and all other institutions under Sama’s purview — will be off on Monday, 23 September in observance of the National Day, Sama said in a post on X.

#3- Understanding new off-plan sale + lease regs: The Abha Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Real Estate General Authority are hosting a virtual orientation session at 10am today on the updated off-plan sale and lease regulations, the chamber said in a post on X. The session is designed to explain the new rules to investors, real estate players, and other stakeholders. Register here for the meeting and join via Zoom here.

#4- Private sector companies will have until 31 October to apply for the Labor Award organized by the Human Resources and Social Development Ministry, according to a statement. The award aims to honor and motivate outstanding establishments across four key areas: Localization, work environment, skills and training, and CEO contributions. Submissions can be made here.

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- The London Metal Exchange (LME) is considering listing Jeddah Islamic Port as a new aluminum delivery center, joining other centers in New York, Shanghai and London, Aleqtesadiah reports, citing sources it says have knowledge of the matter. The move would boost the Kingdom’s position as a global hub for metal storage, trade, and distribution and comes on the heels of the LME deciding in July to list Jeddah as a warehouse delivery point for copper and zinc.

#2- Virgin Atlantic is launching daily flights to Riyadh as of the end of March 2025, according to the carrier’s website. The new service will operate two-way flights connecting London’s Heathrow with Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport.

#3- Coffee and sandwich chain Pret A Manger will open its first Jeddah store at King Abdulaziz International Airport, TimeOut Jeddah reported. The move will expand Pret’s network in the Middle East as it operates stores in Dubai, Kuwait, and Qatar.

SPORTS-

#1- Al Ittihad raised its bid to sign Brazilian winger Galeno to EUR 50 mn, according to sports journalist Fabrizio Romano and Portuguese outlet A Bola. This comes after FC Porto rejected on Sunday an earlier offer of EUR 40 mn. The PIF-owned club had offered Galeno EUR 6 mn per year as part of the package, but it seems that Porto didn’t budge on the winger’s EUR 60 mn release clause, A Bola says. The Saudi Pro League transfer window ended yesterday.

#2- Roma’s Smalling finalizes shift to Al Fayha: Former Manchester United defender Chris Smalling signed a two-year contract with Saudi’s Al Fayha, finalizing his departure from Italy’s Roma, Romano said in a separate post on X.

#3- Paris 2024 Paralympics: Abdulrahman Al Qurashi secured fifth place on Sunday in the 400m T53 race at the Paris Paralympics and will compete again tomorrow in the 100m wheelchair race, according to state news agency SPA. Meanwhile, Noor Al Sanaa finished sixth in the 100m T44 race, and Ghalia Al Anzi concluded her Paralympic debut after losing 3-0 in round 16 of table tennis to Britain’s Megan Shackleton.

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THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

Developments related to the war in Gaza remain the main item across most international headlines, as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds out on his added conditions for a ceasefire agreement with Hamas amid ongoing mass Israeli protests and news that the UK is halting some arms exports to the country.

Netanyahu continues to reject increasingly vehement calls from the Israeli street and international community to reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas, saying yesterday that maintaining an Israeli troop presence in the Philadelphi corridor on the border between Gaza and Egypt remains a non-negotiable condition for an agreement. The comments come as a general strike, ongoing protests, and public spats in the Israeli cabinet continue to roil an increasingly divided country.

Meanwhile, the UK is banning the sale of some arms to Israel — including aircraft components — that risk being used in Israeli actions that seriously violate international law. The suspension constitutes the first such action by a major ally of Israel since the war’s inception.

IN BUSINESS NEWS- Volkswagen is considering closing factories in Germany for the first time in its 87-year history, setting it up to potentially renege on a promise to not cut jobs in Germany until 2029. The move comes as the car-maker has struggled to cope with a shrinking European and Chinese market for its EVs as new competitors and cheaper models increasingly take center stage.

Plus, Kamala Harris has expressed her opposition to Japanese Nippon Steel’s USD 15 bn bid for US Steel, saying at a campaign event late last night that the company “should remain owned and managed by Americans.”

AND- Georges Elhedery began his tenure as HSBC’s new CEO yesterday, saying in an internal memo that he plans to build on the bank’s current strategy as the bank seeks to shift from restructuring to growth in the coming period.

Elhedery is a familiar face to folks across our region, having served as CEO of HSBC for the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey. He was earlier HSBC’s regional head of global markets for MENA and head of global banking and markets for the region.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The EFG Hermes London Conference kicks off in less than a week: EFG Hermes will hold its annual conference in London on 9-12 September, giving investors “unique and unparalleled access to leading equities in MENA and key frontier emerging markets.”

The Crown Prince Camel Festival runs until Tuesday, 10 September at the Taif Camel Racing Track, featuring 610 rounds of racing and a purse of SAR 56 mn.

SRMG Academy’s technology journalism course will kick off in Riyadh on Sunday, 15 September. The five-day, TikTok-backed program will run until 19 September.

Fenaa Alawwal cultural center will kick off the contemporary art forum Muntada FAA on Sunday, 15 September at the Diplomatic Quarters in Riyadh. The forum runs until Thursday, 19 September.

Smart Cities Saudi Expo 2024 runs 24-26 September at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center.

The two-day Kingdom Business and Luxury Travel Congress will kick off on Wednesday, 25 September, at the Crowne Plaza Riyadh RDC Hotel and Convention.

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