FINANCIAL-SECTOR
18.3.2023 10:24:25 CET | Business Wire | Press release
The second edition of the Financial Sector Conference (FSC 2023) has concluded in Riyadh, with a mood of optimism and energy to overcome market challenges to build a stronger, technology driven and sustainable economy of the future.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230317005086/en/
Courtney Powell, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner, 500 Global (Photo: AETOSWire)
Over 3200 participants from 82 countries, and 180 media, assembled in the Saudi capital to discuss the way ahead for the global financial community under the conference theme of “Promising Financial Prospects.”
Representatives from some of the biggest global financial institutions joined Government Finance Ministers met to identify the most effective road map for future growth and prosperity for the sector – enabling greater use of technology, diversification, cross border cooperation and embracing the green economy.
The conference also saw multiple MOUs and agreements signed to support real estate development; FinTech development and digital financing solutions worth billions of dollars and the National Bank of Iraq announced the start of operations in Saudi Arabia.
Concluding the conference, Saudi Central Bank Governor HE Ayman Mohammed Alsayari highlighted the Kingdom's efforts to provide an attractive environment for FinTech companies in line with the goals of Vision 2030 goals, and the vital role they play to support the growth of the private sector, to diversify the economy, and to stimulate saving, financing and investment.
Debating the important role of Venture Capital, Courtney Powell, Chief Operating Officer and Managing Partner, 500 Global, said: “Since we made our first investment in the Middle East in 2012, we have seen incredible growth and we have 14 companies today valued at over $100 million. The willingness of the government to support entrepreneurs combined with the opening up of the Kingdom shows it has the potential of becoming a leading global hub for entrepreneurship.”
In discussion about the future of global money flows, HE Giancarlo Giorgetti, Italian Minister of Economy and Finance stated: “In the financial sector, fragmentation induced by geopolitical tension will have strong implications by affecting global and financial stability, the cross-border allocation of capital, international payment systems, and asset prices.”
Financing for the SME sector was a key debating point on the final day of the conference with the enormous growth of the sector both in the Middle East and internationally. Tala Al Jabri, Board Member, Middle East VC Association (MEVCA) identified a major financing gap for the sector. He said: “95% of enterprises in the region are SMEs and the loan profile that goes to them is only 7% – which is the lowest in the world, indicating a massive gap.”
The FinTech sector in Saudi Arabia meanwhile is flourishing as Ziad Alyousef, Deputy Governor for Development and Technology, Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) explained: “In 2018, there were less than 10 companies operating in the FinTech community. Now, there are over 155 companies operating in the space in Saudi Arabia and this has led to increased investments and job creation."
*Source: AETOSWire
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230317005086/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Blue Planet Prize 2026: Announcement of Prize Laureates10.6.2026 05:00:00 CEST | Press release
This year marks the 35th awarding of the Blue Planet Prize, the international environmental award sponsored by the Asahi Glass Foundation, chaired by Takuya Shimamura. Every year, the Foundation selects two laureates, individuals, or organizations who have made significant contributions towards the resolution of global environmental problems. The Board of Directors has selected the following 2026 Blue Planet Prize laureates. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260603774361/en/ Dr. Linda S. Birnbaum (USA), Professor Edward Barbier (USA) 1. Dr. Linda S. Birnbaum (USA) born December 21, 1946 Former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Former Director of the National Toxicology Program (NTP) Dr. Linda S. Birnbaum led pioneering research on the toxicity of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), significantly advancing international risk assessment. By demonstrating how exposure to
NIQ (NYSE: NIQ) Unveils Six New AI-Powered Capabilities at C360, Executing on Its Vision for Agentic Commerce9.6.2026 21:00:00 CEST | Press release
New capabilities help organizations operationalize trusted market intelligence across enterprise AI environments and workflows, while preparing for the future of agentic commerce NielsenIQ (NYSE: NIQ) today unveiled six new AI-powered capabilities at C360, the company's flagship client and industry event, marking a major milestone in the execution of NIQ’s AI strategy. Thenew capabilities help brands, retailers, and other organizations operationalize trusted market intelligence across enterprise workflows, AI environments, and the emerging world of agentic commerce. NIQ’s AI value creation strategy is built on two foundational principles: Delivering The Full View™: Combining the industry’s broadest and deepest datasets, advanced AI models, and rich content to help organizations unlock actionable insights and drive AI innovation at scale. Enabling AI-Powered Capabilities: Delivering trusted intelligence and proprietary IP through NIQ’s advanced AI applications, assistants, and agents em
H55 Delivers Certification-Grade Propulsion Battery Modules to Pratt & Whitney Canada, Supporting Demonstration of Hybrid-Electric Aircraft Technology9.6.2026 17:31:00 CEST | Press release
Production-conforming systems manufactured in a regulator-approved facility mark H55’s transition from technology development to commercialization of certification-grade energy storage solutions for hybrid-electric aviation. H55 today announced the delivery of certification-grade propulsion battery modules to Pratt & Whitney Canada in support of the RTX Hybrid-Electric Flight Demonstrator — a milestone that further validates H55’s transition from technology development to industrial-scale execution and represents an important step in the commercialization of the company’s certification-grade energy storage technologies for hybrid-electric aerospace applications. Pratt & Whitney is an RTX business. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260609825006/en/ H55 Adagio Battery Modules in Pratt & Whitney Canada Hangar ©RTX The delivery represents more than hardware integration. It demonstrates H55’s ability to manufacture p
New Polymorph of Indomethacin Discovered9.6.2026 17:00:00 CEST | Press release
- Joint Research Involving Rigaku Published in Crystal Growth & Design - Rigaku Corporation, a global solution partner in X-ray analytical systems and a group company of Rigaku Holdings Corporation (headquarters: Akishima, Tokyo; CEO: Jun Kawakami; “Rigaku”), announced that the results of a joint research project conducted with Shionogi & Co., Ltd., JEOL Ltd., and Meiji Pharmaceutical University have been published in Crystal Growth & Design, a world-renowned international journal in the field of crystallography. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260609347405/en/ Cover of the June 2026 issue of Crystal Growth & Design, featuring this research. This research uncovered a previously unknown polymorph (κ-form) of indomethacin, a widely used pain relief and anti-inflammatory drug. The research team also conducted structural analysis and characterization of the newly identified crystal form. Although indomethacin has
SLB Collaborates with Qualcomm on Edge AI Solutions for Energy Operations9.6.2026 16:28:00 CEST | Press release
Collaboration combines edge computing and energy workflows to support real-time operational decision-making Global energy technology company SLB (NYSE: SLB) today announced a memorandum of understanding with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. to enable edge AI solutions for the energy industry, supporting real-time operational decision-making across wells, facilities and production systems. The collaboration combines Qualcomm Technologies’ low-power edge computing and AI processing capabilities, with SLB’s Agora™ edge AI and IoT solutions developed for remote and operationally complex environments. “Together, SLB and Qualcomm Technologies aim to help operators apply AI more effectively across energy infrastructure,” said Rakesh Jaggi, president, Digital, SLB. “Many energy operations rely on real-time decision-making in remote environments where connectivity and responsiveness directly affect performance. AI systems designed around the realities of energy operations can help support more consi
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom