Saudi sovereign wealth fund goes global
PIF chaired by crown price key part of drive to diversify economy and boost foreign investments
Saudi Arabia’s massive sovereign wealth fund is to set up offices in London, San Francisco and New York as it aims to pour billions of dollars into foreign investments.
The Public Investment Fund’s (PIF) already owns sizeable stakes in the likes of Uber and Tesla, but now plans to increase its assets from $224bn to $400bn by 2020, and raise the share of foreign investments in its portfolio from 10% to 50% by 2030. It also expects to boost the number of people it employs from 450 to 2,000 by 2025.
“The fund is central to Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, a plan spearheaded by [Crown Prince Mohammed] bin Salman to diversify the economy away from oil,” says CNN.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Bin Salman, who also chairs the PIF, “is the driving force behind the country's ambitions to develop new tourist and entertainment industries in a bid to encourage Saudis to spend more of their money at home”, says the news network.
Yet he is also facing intense scrutiny over his alleged involvement in the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul last October.
Bloomberg's Matthew Martin says Saudi Arabia’s US plans come “as the world’s biggest oil exporter tries to win back investor confidence” following the uproar that prompted several top executives and finance ministers pull out of an economic conference in October.
“It’s also seeking to move on from an alleged crackdown on corruption that rattled the kingdom’s business elite and weighed on economic growth,” says Martin.
Reuters reports “the fund has made substantial commitments to green projects, including renewables and recycling, and to technology companies, and is also backing the country’s plans to diversify into solar power as well as waste management, infrastructure and entertainment”.
So, while it fits very much within Salman’s economic diversification programme, the expansion of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund could also be seen as an attempt to buy some international goodwill at a time when the global economy is showing signs of slowing.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 2, 2024
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
By The Week Staff Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published