THE BASELINE.
THE NUMBER
billion riyals what traffic congestion cost Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam in 2025, by a Riyadh Economic Forum study's estimate
Last Sunday, we shared the forum's five studies. This one comes at a price. According to King Saud University transport professor Mohammed Al-Manaa, Riyadh made up SAR 11.4 billion of the total, with congestion up 86% since 2016. The study also shows where demand is coming from: Riyadh gained 50% of new jobs since 2021, ride-hailing trips are expected to jump from 18 million in 2019 to 92 million in 2025, and 45% of the Kingdom's daily delivery orders—about one million—are in the Riyadh region. The report doesn't explain how it calculated the cost, and these estimates can vary widely depending on how you value an hour, so we see the SR18 billion as an indicator of scale, not an exact bill. Two of the study's suggestions—flexible or remote work and staggered working hours—do not require the new traffic authority it also recommends. If you manage a Riyadh team, you already have these options.
THREE SIGNALS
PIF's decision in August to drop The Line and Trojena from its 2026–30 strategy has freed construction crews just as Expo 2030 Riyadh moves into construction. Every Expo tender has drawn at least seven or eight qualified bidders, and four or five signature-building contracts are due before year-end. The Saudi pavilion's substructure is almost 50% complete, a utility corridor of more than 7km is being built, the workforce will peak at 40,000 to 50,000, and Expo opens on 1 October 2030.
Four or five key contracts due before year-end will establish the price benchmark for the site. The subcontractor's commercial team should secure framework terms with the likely winners as soon as possible.
Osamah Alfadda
Assets managed through robo-advisory services in Saudi Arabia reached SAR 9.9 billion at the end of Q2 2026, up 128% year on year and SAR 2.08 billion (26.6%) on the quarter. The number of portfolios passed one million for the first time, reaching 1.05 million, up 161% in a year, with average assets of around SAR 9,500 each; eight fintech companies hold CMA robo-advisory licences.
With assets reaching SAR 9.9 billion after 128% growth, robo-advice is now a mainstream channel rather than a niche. Bank heads of wealth need to decide whether to build, partner, or buy before the eight licensees determine pricing.
Mohammed Altuwaijri
A Princess Nourah University team has built a locally made breathing-assist device for people with quadriplegia that costs about SAR 700, against SAR 3,000 to SAR 15,000 for similar imported devices. Prince Sultan University's prosthetics centre says 3D printing has cut prosthetic limb production from 20 days to two, and field research showed 83% of users walking independently with daily use reaching 10 hours. 159 teams took part in an AI hackathon for people with disabilities at the 7th International Conference on Disability and Rehabilitation in Riyadh.
A device that costs around SAR 700, compared to imported versions priced between SAR 3,000 and SAR 15,000, highlights where local production makes the most sense. This is especially true for assistive products with low sales volumes and high import markups.
Mohammed Altuwaijri
THE MOVE
Jarir takes a stake in the loans behind its sales
Jarir's chairman said last week that instalment sales now make up 41% of the retailer's total sales, and that the instalment finance company in which Jarir holds 49% should start operating gradually early next year. The partners were set in a December 2024 memorandum: Egypt's Aman with 41%, a Saudi company with 10%. (Argaam)
At 41%, about two in every five riyals Jarir takes now depend on a credit approval at the till. By owning part of the lender, Jarir is now involved in both the approval process and any resulting losses. eXtra, which already has its own consumer finance division, shows what can happen: profits from that segment dropped 36.2% over nine months due to more loan losses, and eXtra’s overall net profit for Q3 fell 26.7%. In Issue 11, we looked at how digital wallets and telecom companies are moving into lending. Retailers are now the third group to enter, meeting borrowers right at the point of sale.
The launch date, the instalment share after Jarir's own lender starts operating, and the impairment line in the new company's first year. If you manage a retail chain with a large instalment share, comparing Jarir's plan with eXtra's numbers shows the pros and cons of owning the lender.
FROM THE FIELD
The 12th Riyadh Economic Forum ended on Wednesday. A Shura Council member told Arab News that the real challenge is turning its recommendations into practical steps. This aligns with how we usually view recommendations. The ones that lead to real decisions always answer three questions: who is responsible, what it will cost, and when it will happen. When this session's recommendations are published, check each one for these details. If any are missing, consider it a suggestion rather than a concrete plan.
