6th Dialogue on the Investment Outlook for 2024

As we step into 2024, businesses and investors face pressing challenges and an uncertain investment climate. Higher interest rates, persistent inflation, and geopolitical uncertainty are creating challenges that business leaders will need to navigate over the coming year. In fact, Fitch recently revised down Saudi Arabia's GDP growth forecast for 2024 from 3.3% to 2.6% due to lower oil production post-OPEC+ production cuts. This will see the non-oil economy be the primary driver of growth despite some softening due to elevated interest rates. Against this backdrop, this forthcoming dialogue will concentrate on how investors can proactively navigate these challenges and pinpoint the key opportunities and bright spots within the global economy. Our speakers will delve into the key geographies, sectors, and asset classes that will attract capital over the coming year, as well as Saudi Arabia’s position within the global investment landscape, exploring growth opportunities across the Kingdom’s economy and its capacity to effectively deploy capital abroad.

5th Dialogue on Sustainability, Climate Change and the Journey of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia has made ambitious sustainability commitments, including increasing renewable energy to meet 50% of its domestic energy supply by 2030, and becoming a net-zero economy by 2060. To ensure these targets are met, the Kingdom has established the Saudi Green Initiative, which works to develop renewable energy sources, improve energy efficiency, and develop carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies. Additionally, to meet the financial requirement, the Kingdom has been implementing regulations and financing programs to develop a robust domestic sustainable finance market. This dialogue will delve deeper into these issues and the economic opportunities that come with the Kingdom's energy transition.

The Future of Trade: Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in global trade

The need to diversify and strengthen supply chains has increasingly become a key concern for governments and businesses in the past decade. Saudi Arabia is taking big steps to diversify its economic sectors and supply chains and is likely to play a crucial role in this global diversification of trade. While Saudi Arabia will remain crucial to the global energy trade as a significant oil producer, it is also developing its ports, manufacturing sector, and logistics capabilities, to emerge as a key trading hub in non-oil goods at the meeting point between Asia, Europe, and Africa. Saudi Arabia wants trade to be an important part of its economic diversification by boosting non-oil exports from 16% of non-oil GDP in 2016 to 50% by 2030. This dialogue will discuss the emerging trends within global trade and the challenges Saudi Arabia will need to navigate as it bolsters its position within global trade.

The Journey to Becoming a Global AI Hub

The third KAFD Dialogue on "The Journey to Becoming a Global AI Hub" will take place on the 9^th May 2023. Developing the Kingdom's digital infrastructure is a key feature of Vision 2030. One core aspect of this development comes in the form of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Kingdom wants to rank among the top 15 countries in AI by 2030 and is making considerable investments in terms of establishing dedicated government bodies to create an AI regulatory framework.

Future of Fintech on The Global Stage

The second KAFD Dialogue on The Future of Fintech: Saudi Arabia's role on the global stage, took place on 7th December 2022. The KAFD Dialogues are a private quarterly dinner and fireside chat designed to drive forward global discussions between international and Saudi business and policy leaders on the critical challenges facing businesses and their leaders today

Please download the report from our inaugural KAFD Dialogue Series, focusing on: The Future of Fintech: Saudi Arabia's role on the global stage. The report itself provides an in-depth analysis into the subject and also includes recommendations for regulators and businesses in the Kingdom's Fintech sector.