Reuters, Riyadh :
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) risks being pulled deeper into Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s domestic projects, curbing its international ambitions and tying its fortunes closer to its home market, four sources familiar with its strategy said.
Unusually for a sovereign wealth fund, which typically is solely focused on generating wealth for future generations, PIF has a two-pronged mandate – it is also expected to develop domestic projects that will reduce Saudi Arabia’s reliance on oil. That means PIF acting as a cornerstone investor on some major hometown ventures with foreign investors expected to join in.
The projects include a high-tech economic zone dubbed NEOM planned for an area close to the size of Belgium, an entertainment park outside Riyadh called Qiddiya being built on a site 2-1/2 times larger than Disney World, and a luxury tourist resort off the Red Sea coast that will span more than 90 islands.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) risks being pulled deeper into Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s domestic projects, curbing its international ambitions and tying its fortunes closer to its home market, four sources familiar with its strategy said.
Unusually for a sovereign wealth fund, which typically is solely focused on generating wealth for future generations, PIF has a two-pronged mandate – it is also expected to develop domestic projects that will reduce Saudi Arabia’s reliance on oil. That means PIF acting as a cornerstone investor on some major hometown ventures with foreign investors expected to join in.
The projects include a high-tech economic zone dubbed NEOM planned for an area close to the size of Belgium, an entertainment park outside Riyadh called Qiddiya being built on a site 2-1/2 times larger than Disney World, and a luxury tourist resort off the Red Sea coast that will span more than 90 islands.
