Saudi Roundup: AMAALA Launch & SPARK Factory Deal

This week’s Saudi Roundup tracks the Kingdom’s strong performance across key indicators, including its global ranking as third for business creation, continued government investment in digital government services, and record tourism spending last year.

General Business & Economy

Saudi Ranks Third Globally For Business Creation As Reforms Boost Competitiveness

Saudi Arabia has ranked third globally in business creation, reflecting continued progress in improving its regulatory and investment environment under ongoing economic reforms. The ranking, highlighted in the latest IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook, underscores the impact of legislative and procedural reforms aimed at enhancing ease of doing business, encouraging entrepreneurship, and strengthening private sector participation. The Kingdom also advanced to fourth place worldwide in the “Equal Opportunity” indicator, while also ranking seventh globally in the “Large Corporations” indicator.

Eastern Province Attracts Over SR7 Billion In Foreign Investment Through Environmental Projects

The Eastern Province has attracted more than SR7 billion in foreign investment through environmental projects across its cities and governorates, reflecting growing momentum in the Kingdom’s green investment and circular economy initiatives. The investments are being directed toward recycling and sustainable industries, including projects focused on construction and demolition waste, organic waste, used oils, electronic waste, and batteries. The initiatives are being developed in partnership with the National Center for Waste Management and private sector entities.

Riyadh Starts Implementing Design Guidelines in Central Commercial Corridor

Riyadh has begun implementing new urban design guidelines across its Central Commercial Corridor, marking the first phase of a broader effort to enhance the capital's visual identity and improve the quality of its public realm. The initiative targets building facades, signage, streetscapes, and pedestrian environments along one of the city's busiest commercial corridors, aiming to create a more cohesive and attractive urban landscape. The rollout forms part of Riyadh's wider urban transformation strategy and aligns with the objectives of Vision 2030 to improve livability, strengthen the city's architectural character, and support sustainable urban development.

Tourism & Hospitality

Saudi Tourism Spending Hits Record $80 Billion In 2025

The Ministry of Tourism has released its 2025 annual statistical report, highlighting strong growth across the sector under the National Tourism Strategy and Vision 2030. Total tourism spending, including domestic and international travel, reached a record SR304 billion ($80 billion) in 2025. The report showed approximately 123 million tourists during the year, reflecting a 6% increase compared to 2024. Of this total, 29.3 million were international visitors who spent SR176.6 billion ($47.1 billion), while domestic tourists accounted for 93.3 million visitors with spending of SR127.1 billion ($33.9 billion).

Red Sea Global Opens First Of Nine Resorts At AMAALA

Red Sea Global (RSG) has officially inaugurated its second flagship destination, AMAALA, with the opening of the Four Seasons Resort and Residences AMAALA at Triple Bay, marking the first of nine luxury resorts set to open to guests over the course of the year. The project is designed to include more than 1,600 hotel keys across multiple resorts, alongside wellness facilities, a marina village, and marine life attractions.

Technology & AI

PIF-Backed Humain, Stc Extend MoU For Saudi AI Data Center Venture

Saudi Telecom Company (stc) and PIF-backed Humain have extended their memorandum of understanding by six months to establish a joint venture for a Saudi AI data center. The extension, disclosed in a Tadawul filing on June 18, follows the expiry of the original agreement signed in December. The planned joint venture aligns with stc’s strategy to advance the Kingdom’s digital infrastructure and supports Saudi Vision 2030 by enabling AI development, localizing advanced technologies, and strengthening Saudi Arabia’s position as a regional digital hub.

Saudi NHC Innovation Signs AI, Smart-City Partnerships With Huawei, Lenovo And Bytedance

Saudi Arabia’s NHC Innovation, the digital arm of the National Housing Company (NHC), has signed three strategic partnership agreements with Huawei, Lenovo, and ByteDance in Shenzhen, China. The partnerships cover artificial intelligence, data science, advanced data centers, knowledge transfer, talent development, and smart city solutions, aiming to accelerate the adoption of digital technologies in urban development.

Saudi Spends SR31.9 Billion On Developing Digital Government Services In 2025

Saudi Arabia has invested more than SR31.9 billion in 2025 to develop communications and information technology services aimed at advancing digital government transformation, according to a Digital Government Authority report. Government contracts amounted to around SR31.7 billion across more than 6,145 agreements last year, reflecting a more mature system and greater efficiency in public spending. This progress has been supported by the completion of several major digital infrastructure projects, which have accounted for a substantial share of technology investments in recent years.

Industry

King Salman Energy Park Signs Deal To Develop Ready-Built Factory Complex To Boost Localization

King Salman Energy Park (SPARK) has signed a contract with Pan Kingdom Real Estate Co., a subsidiary of Pan Kingdom Holding, to develop a specialized ready-built factory project supporting localization and supply-chain growth in Saudi Arabia’s energy sector. The project will include 168 specialized ready-built factories across an area of 214,000 sq. meters, designed to attract global companies and suppliers and enable faster, more cost-efficient setup of industrial operations within the energy ecosystem.

Business Expansions

Emircom Launches Riyadh-Based Optical Lab And Enablement Hub In Collaboration With Ciena

Emircom has launched a new optical lab and enablement hub in Riyadh in collaboration with Ciena, strengthening advanced networking and optical technology capabilities in Saudi Arabia. The facility is designed to support innovation in optical communications, accelerate skills development, and enhance technical enablement for next-generation network solutions. It also reflects growing investment in Saudi Arabia’s digital infrastructure ecosystem and supports the expansion of AI-ready and high-capacity connectivity services across the Kingdom.