Business Wire

Saudi Arabia to Host Regular World Economic Forum Global Meeting

Share

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host a regular high-level World Economic Forum (WEF) global meeting in Riyadh, with the first slated for the Spring of 2026, it was announced today.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250124077475/en/

Saudi Arabia to Host Regular World Economic Forum Global Meeting (Photo: AETOSWire)

The announcement was made today by His Excellency Faisal F. Alibrahim, Minister of Economy and Planning, and Børge Brende, World Economic Forum President, on the final day of the 55th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

The global WEF meeting in Riyadh will serve as a vital platform for global leaders, experts, policy- and decision-makers from diverse fields including the public and private sectors, academia, international organizations, and civil society to convene and address the challenges defining our world.

His Excellency Faisal F. Alibrahim, Minister of Economy and Planning for Saudi Arabia, commented on the announcement: “Hosting a regular global World Economic Forum meeting in the Kingdom is a testament to the global platform for dialogue, collaboration and innovation the Saudi Arabia has become, and that the World Economic Forum continues to be. This meeting represents a significant opportunity to further unite the world in capturing the immense potential that lies ahead.

“In this critical juncture for the global economy, we’re not only inspired by the opportunities before us, but also deeply confident that our collective efforts will forge a brighter, more inclusive and more prosperous future for all. We look forward to welcoming the global community again in Saudi Arabia in the spring of 2026.”

President and CEO of the World Economic Forum, Børge Brende, said: “The World Economic Forum is looking forward to coming back to the Kingdom in 2026. To close the 55th World Economic Forum with this announcement puts us on a strong course for the years ahead. Years that will have immense consequence. Because the progress we make over the coming months will not only deliver results in the near term, but will shape our course for years to come.”

Building on the success of the World Economic Forum Special Meeting held in Riyadh in April 2024, this new development solidifies Saudi Arabia’s position as a central player in shaping the global agenda. The Kingdom’s bold leadership and determination to foster global dialogues between developed and developing economies and drive inclusive global growth make it an ideal host to address complex global challenges with the WEF community.

The World Economic Forum Global Meeting in Riyadh is set to become a cornerstone event in the global calendar, reflecting the Kingdom’s position as a key bridge between the north and south, east and west, and a beacon for constructive dialogue and action.

*Source: AETOSWire

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250124077475/en/

Contacts

Media Contact:
Wooud Alquaied
walquaied@mep.gov.sa

About Business Wire

For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.

www.businesswire.com

Subscribe to releases from Business Wire

Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Latest releases from Business Wire

Ahead of Holiday Season, Visa Identifies Five Transformative Forces Reshaping Global Payment Security20.11.2025 20:50:00 EET | Press release

To celebrate International Fraud Awareness Week, Visa (NYSE: V) today released its Fall 2025 Biannual Threats Report, revealing five forces that are transforming the global payments security landscape. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120412198/en/ The report, produced by Visa's Payment Ecosystem Risk and Control (PERC) team, draws on intelligence from Visa's global network to identify how criminal operations are evolving with unprecedented speed, scale, and sophistication. "The payments ecosystem is experiencing a paradigm shift in how fraud operates," said Paul Fabara, Chief Risk and Client Services Officer at Visa. "Criminals are no longer working as opportunistic individuals-- they're operating like tech startups, building reusable infrastructure and deploying systematic, industrial-scale operations that challenge conventional defenses. Understanding these evolving forces is critical for the entire ecosy

Suzano Forms Partnership with Tencent and Ecofuturo Institute at COP30 for AI-Powered Conservation and Nature Education20.11.2025 19:25:00 EET | Press release

The world’s largest pulp supplier, Suzano, today announces the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the multinational technology business Tencent and the Brazilian non-profit Ecofuturo Institute, to pioneer new digital approaches to drive public engagement in conservation. The collaboration will leverage Suzano’s expertise in sustainable forestry, Tencent’s cutting-edge digital technology, and Ecofuturo’s expertise in environmental education, to pilot joint initiatives in both Brazil and China. These include enhancing ecological awareness, accelerating biodiversity solutions, and leveraging digital platforms to foster public engagement in conservation. The partnership will result in a pilot project where advanced AI tools for species recognition developed by Tencent’s Sustainable Social Value organization will be used to identify and monitor native species at Neblinas Park and other conservation areas managed by Ecofuturo. Further initiatives include the development of i

EMVCo Working on How Global Specifications Can Support Agentic Payments20.11.2025 18:38:00 EET | Press release

EMVCo – the technical body that creates and manages EMV® Specifications and programmes that enable seamless and secure card-based payments worldwide – has announced that it is working on how global specifications can support innovation in agentic payment solutions by increasing trust and interoperability across the ecosystem. Agentic commerce is rapidly reshaping the shopping experience by enabling AI agents to act on the consumer’s behalf. This is driving significant momentum for agentic payments, which introduce AI agents as new actors that can initiate transactions with merchants – without requiring direct involvement from the consumer. While agentic payments have the potential to increase convenience and personalisation, they present unique considerations for how transactions are initiated, authenticated and secured. As industry adoption and innovation accelerate, a globally interoperable and scalable approach may be beneficial in realising trusted agentic payments for consumers, m

Andersen Consulting Adds Collaborating Firm Cloud2320.11.2025 16:30:00 EET | Press release

Andersen Consulting enters a Collaboration Agreement with Cloud23, a next-generation consulting firm integrating data and artificial intelligence to drive digital transformation. Located in South Africa, Cloud23 delivers intelligent, platform-based solutions to clients across sectors such as finance, telecom, healthcare, and manufacturing. The firm’s offerings span Salesforce consulting and implementation, managed services, and AI strategy, empowering organizations to modernize customer engagement, optimize operations, and drive measurable outcomes. “Our goal at Cloud23 has always been to simplify transformation through smart, scalable design,” said Ram Ramakrishnan, founder and CEO of Cloud23. “We focus on aligning technology with purpose, delivering outcomes that support long-term growth, customer value, and innovation. Collaborating with Andersen Consulting allows us to amplify our mission and extend the impact of our work across a global platform.” “Cloud23 has achieved impressive

Université Paris-Saclay and Owkin: A Unique Alliance to Propel University Medical Research to the Top of the European Rankings Through AI20.11.2025 16:17:00 EET | Press release

Université Paris-Saclay and Owkin announce the signing of a memorandum of understanding to explore the potential of K Pro Free - Owkin’s AI co-pilot for biology - for use by Paris-Saclay. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251120130113/en/ K Pro Free will now be available to the entire Université Paris-Saclay community, and in particular teachers, researchers and doctoral students working in the biomedical sciences. The partnership includes workshops, training sessions and events designed to promote the discovery and adoption of K Pro Free, as well as the co-organization of communication and dissemination initiatives around the use of AI in health. In this way, the partnership will promote user training, but also enrich and continuously improve the co-pilot's models through feedback and use cases from the l’Université Paris-Saclay community. This partnership is part of Université Paris-Saclay’s strategy to integr

In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.

Visit our pressroom
World GlobeA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.HiddenA line styled icon from Orion Icon Library.Eye