Alternative Investments
From The Report: Saudi Arabia 2019
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Alternative asset activity in Saudi Arabia is taking place across an increasingly diverse range of investment instruments. The Kingdom is a regional leader in mutual fund activity, with the deepest and most varied investment pool in the GCC. The size of the Kingdom’s fund market means that its key participants are some of the largest and most influential in the wider MENA financial sector. Meanwhile, in the venture capital arena, the domination of state-funded programmes is giving way to private capital, which has until now been largely focused on private equity opportunities. While 2018 was a quiet year for deal-making across the region, the government’s bold programme of economic reform is expected to generate new opportunities over the short to medium term.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Vast and varied: An increasingly diverse fund landscape and improving regulatory foundation are underpinning the sector’s positive outlook
OBG
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Alternative asset activity in Saudi Arabia is taking place across an increasingly diverse range of investment instruments. The Kingdom is a regional leader in mutual fund activity, with the deepest and most varied investment pool in the GCC. Meanwhile, in the venture capital arena, the domination of state-funded programmes is giving way to private capital, which has until now been largely focused on private equity (PE) opportunities. While 2018 was a quiet year for dealmaking across the region,…

Analysis

Fund drive: Opportunities in sectors targeted by Vision 2030 are broadening the offering of specialised investment vehicles
OBG
plus

One of the most interesting trends in Saudi Arabia’s alternative investment sphere in 2018 was the broadening of the range of specialised investment vehicles in the market. Most of the sector-focused private equity and venture capital (VC) fund movements over recent years have targeted the technology sector, with managers searching for opportunities in scalable tech applications that offer high long-term returns. The Kingdom’s bold long-term reform programme, however, is acting as a useful…