Social Development Bank Highlights Strategic Partnerships and Global Initiatives at DeveGo 2025
24.12.2025 18:27:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
The Social Development Bank (SDB) hosted the second edition of the Entrepreneurship and Modern Business Practices Forum, “DeveGo 2025”, from 21 to 23 December in Riyadh. Held under the patronage of His Excellency Eng. Ahmed bin Sulaiman Al Rajhi, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development and Chairman of SDB’s Board of Directors, the forum brings together government leaders, global experts, investors, and entrepreneurs to shape the future of entrepreneurship and modern business practices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251224036724/en/
From right to left: Ahmed Al Rajhi, Saudi's Minister of Human Resources and Social Development, H.E. Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UNCTAD, and Sultan Al Hamidi, CEO of Social Development (Photo: AETOSWire)
Opening the forum, Minister Al Rajhi delivered a keynote speech on the growing vibrancy of Saudi Arabia’s entrepreneurial movement. He highlighted the Kingdom's transformation in entrepreneurship and freelance ecosystems. The Minister added that Social Development Bank injects more than SAR 8 billion annually to support enterprises and entrepreneurs, contributing to an increase in employment at bank-funded businesses from 12,000 in 2021 to more than 140,000 in 2025.
A central focus of DeveGo 2025 is building entrepreneurial capacity through the Empretec program, led by SDB and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). During the forum, SDB announced the launch of the Saudi Empretec Fellowship, attended by H.E. Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary-General of UNCTAD. This initiative marks a significant milestone in Saudi Arabia’s collaboration with international institutions to support high-potential entrepreneurs through intensive training, mentorship, and access to global networks. The fellowship aims to help Saudi entrepreneurs scale their ventures and compete internationally.
Setting the tone for the forum in his opening speech, Eng. Sultan bin Abdulaziz AlHamidi, CEO of the Social Development Bank, said: “DeveGo has become a national platform that brings together ideas, expertise, and opportunity. Through strategic partnerships, innovative financing solutions, and global programs such as Empretec in partnership with UNCTAD, we are empowering entrepreneurs to grow, scale, and compete locally and internationally. Our focus is on supporting entrepreneurs at every stage of their journey while contributing to a diversified and knowledge-based Saudi economy.”
The forum also witnessed the signing of over 50 agreements that reinforce SDB’s role in building an integrated entrepreneurial ecosystem. The agreements include innovative financing portfolios, corporate social responsibility initiatives, and local and international partnerships that expand access to financial and non-financial solutions.
*Source: AETOSWire
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251224036724/en/
Contacts
Nizar Hariz
nhariz@webershandwick.com
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
SES Announces Results of the Annual General Meeting2.4.2026 17:49:00 EEST | Press release
SES (the “Company”) held the Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) of Shareholders today in Betzdorf, Luxembourg. Following the recommendations made by the Board of Directors of SES, the shareholders have voted in favor of all resolutions, including the Company’s 2025 annual accounts and the proposed annual dividend of EUR 0.50 per A-share (EUR 0.20 per B-share). The total dividend amount comprises the interim dividend of EUR 0.25 per A-share (EUR 0.10 per B-share), which has already been paid to shareholders on October 16, 2025. The final dividend of EUR 0.25 per A-share (EUR 0.10 per B-share) will be paid to shareholders on April 16, 2026. “I would like to sincerely thank our shareholders for their active engagement, visionary support and continued confidence in SES’ strategy,” said Adel Al-Saleh, CEO of SES. “The outcomes of today’s AGM underscore our shared commitment to a bold multi-orbit approach, with Medium Earth Orbit as the strategic backbone of a dynamically evolving global interco
Forrester: Three Years Into GenAI, Enterprises Are Still Chasing Its True Transformative Value2.4.2026 17:00:00 EEST | Press release
According to Forrester’s (Nasdaq: FORR) latest report, Accelerate Your AI Voyage, most enterprises are struggling to turn growing AI adoption and investment into measurable business impact. One of the key factors holding businesses back is low artificial intelligence quotient (AIQ) — Forrester’s measure of AI aptitude — with many employees lacking a clear understanding of how to use AI. Other barriers include an overemphasis on productivity-focused use cases, difficulty measuring impact, and siloed adoption within individual functions. While these challenges can leave firms frozen in doubt or indecision, the wait-and-see approach to AI adoption is no longer viable. To unlock AI’s full potential, organizations need to focus on four key areas: Define the business outcomes and success metrics for what they want AI to achieve; identify specific use cases for AI deployment aligned to those business outcomes; establish a structured runway to plan, test, and strategically time the deployment
Andersen Consulting Adds Multiplica2.4.2026 16:30:00 EEST | Press release
Andersen Consulting enters into a Collaboration Agreement with Multiplica, a digital consulting firm that helps organizations design, build, and scale impactful digital experiences. Founded in Spain with a presence in Latin America and the U.S., Multiplica focuses on user research and discovery, customer experience research, digital strategy, data modeling and analysis, report automation and data visualization, conversion rate optimization, product design, and user experience design. The firm helps organizations accelerate digital transformation by building digital capabilities, teams, and assets that advance expertise across digital products, consulting, and talent development. Multiplica enables clients to forecast emerging trends in digital experience and transform their businesses through enhanced digital channels and customer engagement. “Collaborating with Andersen Consulting represents an exciting opportunity to extend our reach and impact,” said David Boronat, CEO of Multiplica
Brightfin Unifies Brand Following Proven Optics Merger, Delivering a New Standard for Technology Cost Optimization2.4.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Brightfin today announced that, following its merger with Proven Optics, the combined company will operate under a single brand: Brightfin. The unified company brings together deep expertise in Technology Expense Management (TEM) and IT Financial Management (ITFM) to help organizations better understand, manage, and reduce total technology spend. Technology spending will exceed $6 Trillion this year, and for most organizations, it remains one of the least understood. CIOs can tell you what they’re spending. Far fewer can tell you whether it’s working. “Over the past several months, we’ve brought these two businesses together around a shared purpose: help enterprise businesses better understand and optimize their technology spend,” said Joel Martins, CEO of Brightfin. “What we are seeing now is a shift. Visibility alone isn’t enough. Teams need to be able to act, tied to real financial outcomes. See Clearly. Spend Better. That is our north star, and that is what our platform is built to
The LYCRA Company Announces Strategic Partnership on Renewable LYCRA ® Fiber2.4.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
The LYCRA Company, a global leader in innovative and sustainable fiber solutions for the apparel and personal care industries, today announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement with Texhong International Group Limited (“Texhong”), one of the world’s largest suppliers of core-spun cotton textiles. Under the agreement, Texhong will exclusively partner with The LYCRA Company to bring Renewable LYCRA® fiber made with 30 percent plant-based content* to China’s core-spun yarn sector. This collaboration aims to accelerate the adoption of bio-derived spandex across the global apparel and textile industry. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260402505834/en/ The LYCRA Company announced a strategic partnership with Texhong International Group for renewable LYCRA® fiber. Pictured at the signing ceremony held in Shanghai (left to right): Jason Wang, Vice President, Asia, The LYCRA Company, and Zhou Xia, Chief O
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