BMG Economic Forum 2024: Another voice to promote Saudi investments

Last Wednesday, BMG Financial Group hosted the 17th edition of its economic forum with the theme “Why Saudi Arabia? Why now?” at the London Stock Exchange, to introduce investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia, with the participation of global investment bankers, CEOs, leaders of companies listed in London and Riyadh, and owners of family businesses.

The forum covered the investment prospects in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that are attracting investors from around the globe.

Several important topics were discussed, such as regional and global geopolitical developments, giga-project updates, the evolution of the healthcare and AI sectors, the transformation of the Hajj and Umrah companies coupled with their listing on the Saudi stock market, and the benefits of dual listing in Riyadh and London.

On the giga-projects topic, Jerry Inzerillo, CEO of the Diriyah Gate Development Authority, delivered an overview via video of progress to date, with the completed 9 km of parks, the 42 new hotels, including the first, which will open its doors next September, and the Diriyah Futures Museum, one of nine, which will also open to the public this year.

The main faculty of speakers included Tom Attenborough, Manish Singh, Usama Kurdi, Ali Alireza, Ibrahim Al-Moajel, Abdalla Kablan, Carole Nakhle, Ahmed Sindi, Mohammad Merah, Abi Ajaya, Arsalan Karim, John Yip, Muddassar Ahmed and other leading business leaders.

We are living in an unprecedented dynamic era in Saudi Arabia.

As for choosing the City of London, it has been viewed as the world’s central hub for business gatherings and meetings, while the London Stock Exchange is the world’s oldest and is known to be a platform to launch and promote global investments. Furthermore, the forum is part of the so-called BMG summer retreat, which includes the BMG Foundation events including the GCC polo cups and the classical music concerts.

One of the important topics discussed during the forum was the transformation of the Hajj and Umrah sector including preparations for companies’ initial public offerings on the Saudi stock markets. This transformation will enhance these companies’ sustainability, corporate governance, transparency and wealth preservation for future generations of stakeholders.

In my opinion, we are living in an unprecedented dynamic era in Saudi Arabia. An era of great opportunities that are sustainable, unique, and promising over the medium and long-term horizons. I believe that the London Stock Exchange is an excellent platform to introduce these opportunities and that the BMG Economic Forum is becoming another heard voice to promote these opportunities.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to our partners, including Arab News, Haj Hussain Ali Reza, the exclusive dealer of Aston Martin in Saudi Arabia, Ashraqat, Ithraa Al-Khair, Nusuk and BIM Ventures.

• Basil M.K. Al-Ghalayini is chairman and CEO of BMG Financial Group.