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- The PIF will serve as an anchor investor for new funds in Saudi Arabia and other Gulf nations
- A goal s to attract capital from global investors, a significant portion of which will be earmarked for investments in the Kingdom
RIYADH: The Public Investment Fund and Goldman Sachs Asset Management signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding in Riyadh on Monday. The agreement designates the PIF as an anchor investor for new private and public funds in Saudi Arabia and other GCC countries.
An anchor investor is an institutional investor that backs a business or asset before it goes public on the stock market, to add value and help establish its name and reputation.
The aim of the new partnership is to help position the Kingdom as an investment hub and grow the Saudi asset management sector by leveraging the institutional strength of the PIF and the expertise of Goldman Sachs, the organizations said. A goal is to attract equity capital from international investors, a significant portion of which will be earmarked for investments within the Kingdom.
Yazeed Al-Humied, deputy governor and head of Middle East and North Africa investments at PIF, said asset management forms part of the fund’s broader efforts to diversify the Saudi economy and strengthen local capital markets.
He described the agreement with Goldman Sachs as “another element in PIF’s strategy of attracting global capital and expertise from a wide range of investors to the region, while facilitating knowledge-transfer and capacity-building within Saudi Arabia.”
Their private-credit strategy will focus on senior and junior loans (representing higher or lower priority debts) for companies in the GCC region, officials said. Their public equity strategies will target investments in publicly listed companies associated with the Kingdom.
Goldman Sachs recently expanded its presence in Saudi Arabia, opening a new office in Riyadh in October. Marc Nachmann, global head of asset and wealth management, said the company is proud to collaborate with the PIF to develop investment strategies.
“Drawing on our decades of experience investing in public and private markets, our aim is to help clients access the dynamic opportunities created by Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC’s rapid economic transformation,” he added.
“We are excited to see this partnership expand and to continue building our presence in Saudi Arabia.”
The PIF said it aims to support Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan for national development and diversification through a wide range of investments and partnerships. Since 2017, it has established 103 companies to create investment opportunities in the Saudi economy.