Skip to main content Skip to footer ![Saudi Arabia attracts $412 million in venture capital funding in H1 2024: Report](https://economymiddleeast.com/cdn-cgi/imagedelivery/Xfg_b7GtigYi5mxeAzkt9w/economymiddleeast.com/2024/07/Saudi-Arabia-Venture-Capital.jpg/w=1024,h=683)
Kingdom accounts for 54 percent of the region's VC investments, a significant increase from its 38 percent share in 2023
![E-commerce in Saudi Arabia sees 17.47 percent surge with 40,697 new records in Q2 2024](https://economymiddleeast.com/cdn-cgi/imagedelivery/Xfg_b7GtigYi5mxeAzkt9w/economymiddleeast.com/2024/07/Saudi-e-commerce2.jpg/w=1024,h=682)
Riyadh topped the regions in Saudi Arabia for issuing e-commerce records, with 16,535 commercial records
![Saudi Aramco starts issuing U.S. dollar-denominated bonds](https://economymiddleeast.com/cdn-cgi/imagedelivery/Xfg_b7GtigYi5mxeAzkt9w/economymiddleeast.com/2024/07/Saudi-Aramco.jpg/w=1024,h=683)
Aramco's bond issuance began on July 9 and will end on July 17
![UAE-based startups lead MENA region in funding in June, securing $82.5 million across 15 deals](https://economymiddleeast.com/cdn-cgi/imagedelivery/Xfg_b7GtigYi5mxeAzkt9w/economymiddleeast.com/2024/07/MENA-startups-main2.jpeg/w=1024,h=683)
MENA startups raised $116 million in June 2024, bringing H1 total to $882 million
![Saudi’s flynas launches first direct flight between Riyadh and Egypt’s El-Alamein](https://economymiddleeast.com/cdn-cgi/imagedelivery/Xfg_b7GtigYi5mxeAzkt9w/economymiddleeast.com/2024/07/flynas.png/w=1024,h=682)
flynas already connects Egypt to Saudi Arabia with more than 120 weekly direct flights
![Saudi banks post $1.95 billion in aggregate profits for May 2024, reaching 14-month high](https://economymiddleeast.com/cdn-cgi/imagedelivery/Xfg_b7GtigYi5mxeAzkt9w/economymiddleeast.com/2024/07/Saudi-banks_-aggregate-profit.jpg/w=1024,h=683)
Cumulatively, banks recorded a total profit of $9.27 billion in the first five months of 2024
![Saudi Arabia issues 121,521 business registrations in Q2 2024, up 78 percent year-over-year](https://economymiddleeast.com/cdn-cgi/imagedelivery/Xfg_b7GtigYi5mxeAzkt9w/economymiddleeast.com/2024/07/Saudi-Arabia-business-registrations-1.jpg/w=1024,h=683)
E-commerce saw a 17.47 percent yearly increase, reaching 40,697 registrations
![14 Saudi sports clubs slated for privatization in latest push to modernize industry](https://economymiddleeast.com/cdn-cgi/imagedelivery/Xfg_b7GtigYi5mxeAzkt9w/economymiddleeast.com/2024/07/Saudi-sports.jpg/w=1024,h=683)
The first batch of clubs includes Al-Zulfi, Al-Nahda, Al-Okhdood, Al-Ansar, Al-Orouba, and Al-Kholood
![Saudi Arabia’s PIF expands Middle East-Asia Investments, invests $500 million in Hong Kong conglomerate](https://economymiddleeast.com/cdn-cgi/imagedelivery/Xfg_b7GtigYi5mxeAzkt9w/economymiddleeast.com/2024/07/Saudi-PIF-Hong-Kong-1-1-1.jpeg/w=1024,h=683)
The investment includes $100 million in five-year convertible debentures and $400 million in a five-year loan
![Saudi Arabia’s current account surplus surges to $7.6 billion in Q1 2024, driven by strong service exports](https://economymiddleeast.com/cdn-cgi/imagedelivery/Xfg_b7GtigYi5mxeAzkt9w/economymiddleeast.com/2024/07/Saudi-Arabia-trade-surplus.jpg/w=1024,h=682)
Services exports in the three months to the end of March hit $15.64 billion, the second-highest quarterly figure on record
![Saudi’s inbound visitor spending surpasses $12 billion, travel account surplus reaches $6.39 billion](https://economymiddleeast.com/cdn-cgi/imagedelivery/Xfg_b7GtigYi5mxeAzkt9w/economymiddleeast.com/2024/07/Saudi-visitor-spending.jpg/w=1024,h=683)
Outbound travelers from the Kingdom spent an estimated $5.59 billion
![Top Gulf sovereign wealth funds invest $38.2 billion in 58 deals in H1 2024: Report](https://economymiddleeast.com/cdn-cgi/imagedelivery/Xfg_b7GtigYi5mxeAzkt9w/economymiddleeast.com/2024/07/Gulf-sovereign-wealth-funds.jpg/w=1024,h=683)
Sovereign wealth funds globally invested $64.2 billion in 135 deals while PPFs spent $31.9 billion on 101 deals in H1 2024