Saudi Roundup: Stock Buying Surge & Tourism Milestones

This week’s Saudi Roundup highlights record foreign investment, the real estate market opening to foreigners, and a record-breaking leap in tourist arrivals in 2025.

General Economy & Business

Saudi Raises Localization Rate To 60% In 18 Marketing And Sales Professions

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced decisions to increase Saudization rates in marketing and sales professions.

The first decision raises the Saudization rate to 60% in private-sector establishments with three or more employees, with a minimum monthly salary of SR5,500. It covers professions such as marketing manager, advertising manager, advertising agent, marketing specialist, graphic designer, advertising designer, public relations professional, and photographer.

The second covers sales positions, including sales managers, retail and wholesale sales representatives, and IT sales specialists.

Real Estate Market Opens To Foreign Buyers

The Real Estate General Authority announced that the regulatory system governing property ownership by foreigners officially came into effect on January 22. Applications can be submitted through the official digital platform, Saudi Arabia Real Estate, with the system applying to residents and non-residents, as well as foreign companies and entities.

Saudi Arabia Launches Quality Of Life Index To Boost Urban Development Beyond GDP

The Quality of Life Program Center in Saudi Arabia, in conjunction with UN-Habitat, announced the launch of the Quality of Life Index (QoLI) at Davos. The index currently encompasses 19 cities across six continents and is poised to expand to include over 100 additional cities. Utilizing 28 global indicators, the QoLI provides insights into nine fundamental domains, including basic services, culture, recreation economy, education, environment, governance, health, housing, and social cohesion.

Financial Markets

Saudi Exchange Leads GCC In Foreign Net Buying, Hits $5.5 Billion In 2025

Foreign investors poured $5.5 billion into the Saudi exchange in 2025, the highest net buying in the Gulf Cooperation Council. The Kingdom was followed by the Abu Dhabi and Kuwait exchanges, which saw net foreign inflows of $3.4 billion and $1.5 billion, respectively. In the fourth quarter of 2025 alone, net buying by foreign investors in the Kingdom stood at $1 billion.

Infrastructure & Logistics

Saudi To Build $37 Million Offshore Facility At Ras Al-Khair

Mawani signed a SR139 million ($37 million) agreement with Singatac Arabia to build an offshore structures manufacturing facility at Ras Al-Khair port. The facility will support the fabrication of marine platforms and offshore structures, spanning 100,000 sq. meters. The project is expected to generate over 500 direct and indirect jobs, foster national talent development, enhance Ras Al-Khair Port's operational capabilities and value-added services, and boost handling capacity.

New Al-Jouf International Airport Inaugurated

Emir of Al-Jouf Prince Faisal bin Nawaf inaugurated the new Al-Jouf International Airport, which has a capacity of 1.6 million passengers annually, more than nine times the previous capacity of 175,000 passengers per year. Spanning over 24,000 square meters, the new terminal features two passenger boarding bridges, seven departure gates, and four arrival gates for international and domestic flights, as well as 16 check-in counters, including two self-service options. The airport is currently served by three Saudi and four international carriers.

Artificial Intelligence

PIF-Backed HUMAIN Secures Up To $1.2 Billion To Expand AI Infrastructure

Saudi Arabia's National Infrastructure Fund and Humain, an artificial intelligence company backed by the Public Investment Fund, have agreed on a financing framework worth up to $1.2 billion to expand AI and digital infrastructure in the Kingdom. The agreement sets out financing terms to develop as much as 250 megawatts of AI data center capacity to serve Humain's local, regional and global customers.

Saudi To Launch SUSTAIN Platform For AI-Enabled Cross-Sector Collaboration

The Ministry of Economy and Planning announced it will launch the SUSTAIN Platform in beta version in 2026 to accelerate AI-enabled cross-sector collaboration for sustainable development. SUSTAIN is an AI-enabled matchmaking partnership network designed to strengthen cross-sector collaboration and accelerate the delivery of sustainable development initiatives. The platform was developed in collaboration with the World Economic Forum and Bain & Company.

Saudi Aramco Targets $5 Billion In Future AI Value After Generating $900 Million in 2023-2024

Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser stated during the World Economic Forum in Davos that the company generated $900 million from AI in 2023-2024, representing 15% of the total $6 billion generated from technology during that period, compared to no more than $300 million in prior years. The company benefits from AI in the downstream sector more than in upstream operations.

Tourism & Hospitality

Diriyah To Launch $1 Billion Hotel Project With Italian Developer

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund's Diriyah Co. is on track to launch a $1 billion hotel project with an Italian developer, CEO Jerry Inzerillo revealed. The company has already signed major deals with the Four Seasons Group and a Trump-branded hotel project as part of expanding its portfolio of luxury hotels in the Kingdom. These investments are driven by the growing tourism momentum in Diriyah, with the UNESCO World Heritage Site attracting nearly 4 million visitors in December alone.

122 Million Tourists Spend SR300 Billion In Saudi Arabia In 2025

The Saudi tourism sector set new records during 2025, welcoming more than 122 million domestic and international tourists, a 5% increase compared to the previous year. Total tourism spending reached approximately SR300 billion, a 6% increase compared to 2024. This performance is driven by legislative and regulatory reforms, expanded tourism investments, and a diversification of products and destinations, including leisure, cultural, nature, and business tourism, as well as hosting major events throughout the year.

Business Expansions

World's Largest Meat & Poultry Company, JBS, Expands Capacity in Saudi

JBS N.V. is accelerating its expansion in Saudi Arabia with a fresh expansion of its poultry processing operations in Jeddah that will double output from its newest plant by the end of 2026. The facility, launched by JBS last year, has enabled the company to increase its Saudi Arabia production capacity fourfold, manufacturing and marketing beef and chicken products under the Ceará brand.

CrowdStrike Unveils Plans To Expand Into the Kingdom

Cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike unveiled plans to expand further, bringing new regional clouds to Saudi Arabia, India, and the UAE as part of its Global Data Sovereignty initiative. The expansion allows local companies and organizations to adopt and consolidate on its CrowdStrike Falcon platform while being fully connected to CrowdStrike's global telemetry and threat intelligence. Companies in these regions can maintain their respective security operations without dealing with regional silos or blind spots.

GBT Closes $1.3 Million Pre-Seed To Expand Smart City Technologies In Saudi Arabia

Gulf Business Technologies (GBT) announced the successful closing of a SAR 5 million pre-seed funding round, marking a key milestone in the company's growth within Saudi Arabia's telecommunications and IT sectors. The capital will be used to strengthen GBT's infrastructure, expand its team, and accelerate the development of a new generation of GeoAI products tailored to the Saudi market.