Over 25 Agreements Worth More Than $2.93 Billion Signed on the Opening Day of Biban 2023
The Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Monsha'at, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia Limited. Launched on the opening day of Biban 2023 — Saudi Arabia’s flagship startup and SME forum — the new partnership will see the two entities join forces to enhance the digital transformation of the Kingdom’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230310005184/en/
Biban 23 opened its doors today to the world's entrepreneurs, SMEs and startups (Photo: AETOSWire)
As part of the agreement, Monsha’at and Huawei Tech Investment Saudi Arabia will work together to equip Saudi SMEs with the tools to grow and succeed in the e-commerce space. The agreement will promote joint-cooperation and pioneer leading-edge solutions designed to empower SMEs reliant on communication technology.
The MoU was one of more than 25 agreements launched alongside a range of investment initiatives, on the first day of Biban 2023. The event — taking place from March 9 to March 13, 2023, at the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center — is expected to attract over 105,000 participants, including entrepreneurs, SME owners, investors, policymakers, and other stakeholders from the Kingdom and beyond.
As part of the agreements signed, separate to the MoU with Huawei, eight banks and financing entities pledged more than $2.93 billion to support the Kingdom’s SME ecosystem.
In line with Vision 2030, the agreements will contribute to the diversification of the national economy, transforming the country into a world-class hub of commerce.
Sami Ibrahim Alhussaini, Governor of Monsha’at, said: “We are fully committed to bolstering the national economy and fulfilling the Kingdom’s potential. As part of this mission, we aim to create an affirming entrepreneurial environment conducive to investment and growth. We have made significant strides on this journey over the years, as seen with the Kingdom’s recent leap from 41st place — in 2018 — to second place, in 2022, on the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s ‘State of Entrepreneurship index’.”
He added: “Biban 2023 represents a fantastic opportunity for us to build on this progress and take more steps towards realizing the goals of Vision 2030. A unique platform fully geared towards the meaningful exchange of insights, networking and collaboration, Biban 23 will help to inspire innovation and effect lasting positive change within the Saudi and global entrepreneurship sector.”
*Source: AETOSWire
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230310005184/en/
Contact information
Jose Mendez
Account Director – Weber Shandwick
mendezj@webershandwick.com
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
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
Making Science Unveils ‘AWAKE’: The AI Venture Studio Industrialising Startup Creation and AI-First Innovative Solutions23.12.2025 21:51:00 EET | Press release
Making Science, the global digital acceleration consultancy, today announced the launch of AWAKE Venture Studio. This "AI-first" model represents a new era in systematic innovation, designed to identify, prototype, and scale both internal proprietary solutions and independent AI-native startups with global reach. The launch of AWAKE is motivated by the significant efficiency gains of orders of magnitude that Making Science has already achieved through the internal integration of AI. By applying these methods, the firm has achieved a 2x acceleration in tech feature development reducing time in the deployment of AI Agents. This model has already proven its commercial and innovative power through the acceleration of startups like ad-machina, which has multiplied its value by 10 since joining the Making Science ecosystem. These proven benchmarks serve as the technical foundation for AWAKE’s two interconnected engines, which formalise this efficiency into a repeatable manufacturing process
FDA Clears First Extended Depth of Focus Contact Lens for Presbyopia23.12.2025 19:07:00 EET | Press release
The Cataltheia Group and its U.S. subsidiary, Bruno Vision Care LLC, a leader in eye health innovation, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the first and only Daily Disposable Soft (Hydrophilic) Contact Lens for Presbyopia utilizing patented Extended Depth of Focus (EDOF) optical design technology, enabling commercial distribution in the United States. Deseyne® delivers smooth, continuous focus across near, intermediate, and distance vision, providing clear, natural vision without compromise. This performance is enabled by Cataltheia’s patented hyper-refractive central zone, engineered to precisely redirect light in a controlled manner. The result is a clear clinical advantage over the only other available contact lens option for presbyopia, multifocal lenses, which rely on multiple optical zones and often require prolonged visual and cognitive adaptation. “We are proud to offer the first contact lens solution for the world’s aging population th
Aramco Awards SLB Long-Term Contract to Support Kingdom’s Unconventional Gas Production Growth23.12.2025 15:58:00 EET | Press release
Global technology company SLB (NYSE: SLB) has been awarded a five-year contract by Aramco to provide stimulation services for its unconventional gas fields. This award is part of a broader multi-billion contract, supporting one of the largest unconventional gas development programs globally. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251223074948/en/ The contract encompasses advanced stimulation, well intervention, frac automation, and digital solutions, which are important to unlocking the potential of Saudi Arabia’s unconventional gas resources. The contract encompasses advanced stimulation, well intervention, frac automation, and digital solutions, which are important to unlocking the potential of Saudi Arabia’s unconventional gas resources — a cornerstone of the Kingdom’s strategy to diversify its energy portfolio and support the global energy transition. “This agreement is an important step forward in Aramco’s effor
Tabelog, Japan's Largest (*1) Restaurant Search and Reservation Service, Launches Multilingual App for International Visitors23.12.2025 15:00:00 EET | Press release
Tabelog (https://tabelog.com/en/), Japan's largest restaurant search and reservation service operated by Kakaku.com, Inc., launched its multilingual smartphone application (iOS/Android) for international travelers on Monday, November 17, 2025. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251221963753/en/ The Tabelog Multilingual App for International Travelers — Japan's Largest Restaurant Search and Reservation Service With approximately 100 million monthly users(*3), Tabelog is Japan's premier service widely used by Japanese locals for daily restaurant discovery. Its database is unrivaled domestically, featuring information on approximately 890,000 establishments nationwide and over 85 million reviews and photos(*4). Unlike global map services or travel sites, Tabelog is built on "authentic ratings and reviews from local Japanese users," enabling travelers to discover truly exceptional restaurants beloved by locals — not
BeOne Medicines to Present at the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference23.12.2025 13:01:00 EET | Press release
BeOne Medicines Ltd. (NASDAQ: ONC; HKEX: 06160; SSE: 688235), a global oncology company, today announced it will participate in the 44th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, with a presentation at 7:30 am PST. Live webcasts of these events can be accessed from the investors section of the Company’s website at https://ir.beonemedicines.com, https://hkexir.beonemedicines.com, https://sseir.beonemedicines.com. Archived replays will be available on the Company’s website. About BeOne Medicines BeOne Medicines is a global oncology company based in Switzerland that is discovering and developing innovative treatments that are more accessible to cancer patients worldwide. With a portfolio spanning hematology and solid tumors, BeOne is expediting development of its diverse pipeline of novel therapeutics through its internal capabilities and collaborations. With a growing global team of nearly 12,000 colleagues spanning six continents, the Company is committed to
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
