Good morning, friends. No single story captures the imagination this morning, but we do have a trio of reports on M&A and IPO activity, sentiment about banks, and the growth outlook for the non-oil economy that are worth a few minutes of your time.

Morning must-read: BlackRock is the world’s biggest asset manager. Larry Fink, who helped push climate and ESG investing into the spotlight, now says the future for capital markets centers in no small part on infrastructure and “energy pragmatism.” That view is about 99.9% congruent with economic policy here in the Arab world. We have the full rundown in this morning’s Planet Finance.

IPO WATCH- Modern Mills will ring the bell on Tadawul’s main market today. Shares will open at SAR 48.00 apiece as the milling company wraps up an IPO that saw it sell a 30% stake.

Speaking of IPOs: Al Mohafaza Education shares gained on their first Nomu trading day, rising 6.6% to SAR 19.2 a piece at yesterday’s close. The school operator floated 1.6 mn shares — good for 20% stake of the company — in an IPO that was 324% covered. It was Nomu’s fifth IPO of the year; Nomu is Tadawul’s parallel market for smaller, earlier-stage companies and is open only to qualified investors.

SIGN OF THE TIMES- Miss Universe to feature the first-ever Saudi pageant queen: 27-year-old Saudi model Rumy Alqahtani plans to compete on the Miss Universe Pageant stage in Mexico this September, the influencer told her 1 mn followers on Instagram.

It’s Saudi Green Initiative day. Cabinet set 27 March of each year as the designated day for the initiative, which has three targets for a sustainable long-term climate action through emissions reduction across key sectors, greening the nation, and bolstering biodiversity. The SGI launched in 2021.

WEATHER- Expect warmer temperatures and haze in Riyadh today, with a daytime high of 26°C falling to 15°C. Be sure to pop on those sunglasses and check if your A/C is ready for what’s to come.

It’s more of the same in Jeddah, with temperatures peaking at 32°C before dropping to 20°C.

Meanwhile, Dammam is in for a light afternoon breeze and some sunshine, with a high of 28°C and a low of 16°C.

So, when do we eat? Maghrib prayers are at 6:08 pm in the capital city, and you’ll have until 4:38 am tomorrow to hydrate and caffeinate ahead of fajr. Today is day 17 of Ramadan.

DATA POINTS-

#1-Overall merchandise exports fell 10.3% y-o-y in January 2024, driven by a 13.5% y-o-y drop in oil exports, according to the latest General Authority for Statistics data (pdf). The share of oil exports in total exports was 77.6% less in January 2024, compared to the same month in the previous year.

Non-oil exports inched up 0.8% y-o-yin the same month. Excluding re-exports, the figure dropped to 11.5%. Imports, meanwhile, fell 1.4% y-o-y.

#2- Some 2.4k mining licenses were issued by the end of January 2024, Okaz reports citing a government report. These included building material quarry licenses totalling 1.5k, followed by exploration licenses (613), mining and small mine exploitation licenses (195), surveying licenses (37), and surplus mineral ores licenses (25).

OIL WATCH-

OPEC+ is pushing for boosting investments in the oil sector by USD 14 tn in the next 20 years in a bid to ensure “secure supplies for future generations,” Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais told Emirates News Agency (WAM). The breakdown includes USD 11.1 tn investments in the upstream sector, followed by the downstream sector (USD 1.7 tn) and the midstream sector (USD 1.2 tn).

WATCH THIS SPACE-

#1- The folks at Dubai-based asset manager Aditum Capital have gotten clearance to advise on securities here, according to a CMA statement. The investment boutique was set up in 2018 to offer GCC investors a wide range of asset management solutions.

#2- UAE’s Air Arabia will run a new direct route linking Sharjah to Jizan over the summer. Flights start on Tuesday, 4 June, according to its website.

SPORTS-

#1-Saudi drew with Tajikistan in Dushanbe yesterday 1-1 in the AFC FIFA World Cup qualifiers, leaving the Green Falcons at the top of their group with 10 points, followed by Jordan with seven.

#2- The WWE is set to return to town in May 2024, UK-based sports daily WrestleTalk reports. The wrestling giant held two shows here in 2023, with the latest in November headlined by Roman Reigns vs LA Knight for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in Riyadh. Jeddah hosted the WWE World Heavyweight Championship May last year, which was won by Seth Rollins against rival AJ Styles. The show’s name, brand and exact date are yet to be announced.

MORNING MUST READ-

Spanish gov’t snaps up a 3% stake in Telefonica in bid to balance-out stc: The Spanish government has acquired a 3% stake in telecom giant Telefonica through its state holding company Sepi, according to a statement by Sepi. The transaction was valued at EUR 698 mn at Telefonica’s closing price on Monday, according to Bloomberg.

A strategic transaction: “The entry of the Sepi… will provide Telefonica with greater shareholder stability to achieve its objectives, contributing to safeguarding the strategic capabilities of a company that is strategic for [Spain’s] national interests.”

In context: The Spanish government has said it would seek a 10% stake in Telefonica in what analysts say was a bid to offset stc’s acquisition of a 9.9% holding last year. Stc is the Kingdom’s largest telecom operator.

ICYMI- Stc grabbed a 9.9% stake in Spain’s Telefonica in September 2023 to become the telecom giant’s largest shareholder.

BACKGROUND- Stc is investing more abroad. Its unit Tawal has agreed to buy mobile tower infrastructure in Bulgaria, Croatia, and Slovenia worth EUR 1.2 bn from United Group. Stc has also reportedly submitted the highest binding offer to acquire Altice Portugal as part of its push into the European market.

CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

The four-day Townhall Expo is slated for Thursday, 2 May, at Holiday Inn Hotel in Riyadh, featuring over 200 projects from Saudi-Egyptian real estate developers and investors who are aiming to wrap up EGP 2 bn in real estate transactions during the expo.

The three-day Smart Future Expo will open its doors on Monday, 13 May, at the Riyadh Front Exhibition and Convention Center. The gathering will include execs, investors, startups, and exhibitors, offering insights into smart tech including AI, AR, digital twin, cybersecurity, cloud computing, blockchain, business intelligence, IoT solutions, big data, and 3D printing.

Projects tracking and analysis platform Meed is hosting the Saudi Giga Projects 2024 forum on Monday, 13 May, at Crowne Plaza Riyadh, convening contractors, suppliers and top industry execs. The summit will provide an overview of the USD 870 bn mega projects currently under development across the Kingdom including Qiddiya, Roshn, and Neom.

Meed will also be hosting its annual MENA Construction Summit 2024 on Tuesday, 14 May, at the same venue, where industry leaders will have a chance to network and discuss the challenges and potentials of construction tech, climate change resilience and sustainable development in the digital economy.

The two-day Future Projects Forum kick starts on Monday, 20 May, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Riyadh, where contractors and investors will be able to meet 40 project owners including Aramco, the PIF, Investment Ministry, Asir Municipality, Mawani, Modon, and the Transport General Authority. The forum is expected to feature projects worth SAR 1 tn where contractors and investors can access information about these projects and weigh their bidding success chances.

Cityscape Global is slated for 11-14 November 2024 in Riyadh. Last year the real estate event hosted 160k visitors, 380 speakers, 300 exhibitors and saw transactions worth a combined USD 30 bn close.

^^ Check out our full Calendar on the web for links to all of these conferences.

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