Monsha'at and STC Bank signed an agreement to provide Shariah-compliant financing of up to SAR 5 billion to micro, small and medium enterprises, with cash and non-cash facilities running up to 10 years and covering working capital, asset purchases, financing against point-of-sale proceeds and invoice and receivables financing. Saudi Arabia counted more than 1.7 million SMEs in 2025, employing around 8.8 million people and contributing 22.9% of GDP.
As cash flow becomes the primary assessment criterion, credit officers developing SME products at Saudi banks should focus on evaluating transaction history instead of balance sheets.
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Instagram takes the ad riyal
Digital ad spending in Saudi Arabia rose 25% to about $300 million in the 12 months to July 2026, while impressions rose 15% to about 330 billion (Sensor Tower). Instagram led all channels at about $110 million, and Sensor Tower expects about $334 million for 2026.
Marketing spend is growing faster than impressions. If you are planning for 2027, expect higher cost per view rather than relying on this year's rates.
Services Are The New Engine
PIF signed an MoU with ISquared Capital for up to $2bn, roughly $1bn each into digital infrastructureand district cooling, the unglamorous enablers behind real estate and datacenters
The takeaway: $1bn into digital infrastructure is a wager on compute demand; anyone in power, land, or connectivity near Riyadh should price a data-center boom into their plans.
HungerStation goes to review
Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Competition opened a public consultation on Uber Technologies' acquisition of Delivery Hero, which includes HungerStation, wholly owned by Delivery Hero in Saudi Arabia. Uber's July 2026 offer of €41.50 per share values Delivery Hero at about €13 billion, and the deal is expected to close in H2 2027 subject to approvals. Feedback is open until Oct. 20.
The deal is set to close in the second half of 2027, once it gets all the necessary approvals. During the consultation period, a rival Saudi delivery app could make its case for limits on the combined group's market share.
