Saudi Arabia issues 575 foreign investment licenses in Q2 2021

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment issued 575 new licenses to foreign companies in the second quarter of the year, compared with 156 licenses a year earlier.

Joint ventures with local companies accounted for 46% of the total new licenses, while fully-owned foreign investments dominated 54%.

The following table illustrates the number of foreign investment licenses issued since Q1 2020:

The foreign investment licenses reached 1,053 during the first half of 2021. The retail and e-commerce sector took the first position in the number of new foreign investment projects, accounting for more than 30%. It was followed by the industrial sector with 18%.