The Riyadh-based Digital Cooperation Organization approved 8 countries as membership candidates — Albania, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Zambia — with Tajikistan approved as an associate member, taking the organization from 16 members to 24 on accession and covering roughly 980 million people, about 12% of the global population. The DCO launched in 2020 with 5 founding countries and is working to a 2025–2028 agenda.
The expansion from 5 founding countries in 2020 to 24, now representing approximately 12% of the global population, demonstrates that standards are being set collectively. The rules on data and cross-border digital trade are determined by those who participate.
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Expo signs its first venture
Expo 2030 Riyadh signed a SAR 3.2 billion joint venture agreement with Mohammad Al Habib Real Estate Co. to develop and deliver "Expo Village," an integrated residential community and the organiser's first joint venture. The project will comprise 2,300 residential units for about 5,500 residents, directly connected to the Expo 2030 Riyadh site via Expo Station, King Khalid International Airport and Riyadh's transport network.
By choosing a SAR 3.2 billion joint venture instead of a standard construction contract, Expo 2030 Riyadh is sharing development risk with a partner rather than just purchasing a completed building. This approach suggests the village is designed to last beyond the event.
Robotic surgery, performed remotely
Saudi Arabia's Seha Virtual Hospital completed 11 consecutive remote robotic surgeries, including the second remote lobectomy and fifth remote pneumonectomy performed anywhere in the world, with surgeons in Riyadh operating on patients in Hail and other regions.
A surgeon in Riyadh successfully performed surgery on a patient in Hail without either of them needing to travel. This occurred eleven times in a row, proving that distance is no longer an obstacle to effective medical care.
The insurance market doubled
Saudi Arabia's insurance market reached SR84 billion in 2025, up from SR42 billion in 2021, effectively doubling in four years. Health and motor insurance accounted for 89% of premium growth, with health insurance alone contributing to 68% of that increase. Growth is decelerating sharply: 26.9% in 2022, 22.7% in 2023, 16.3% in 2024, 10.7% in 2025.
The market doubled in four years while its growth rate halved twice, from 26.9% to 10.7%, as the sector moves from expansion into maturity, where the next phase competes on retention rather than acquisition.
