LIFESTYLE
Abdullah Inayat, Co-founder and Director of W7Worldwide, a strategic communications firm based in Saudi Arabia, says that, on the global business front, financial incentives are no longer enough to attract investment.“ Increasingly, investors are looking for economies that offer sustainable growth, regulatory stability, ease of doing business, a high quality of life, and the confidence to plan for the long term,” Abdullah says. Countries like Saudi Arabia, he explains, no longer owe their appeal to the size of their economies or their strategic location alone. Saudi Arabia in particular is being shaped by a comprehensive reform agenda – driven by the region’ s Vision 2030 initiative – which has transformed its business environment and bolstered its place as a global competitor.
Economic reform in Saudi Arabia According to the National Debt Management Center for Saudi Arabia, the country has already enacted a series of reform investments to improve its public, economic and social operating models. The centre’ s website notes that the 2060 net zero target, announced in 2021, is paired with a pledge to cut 278 million tonnes of CO2 a year by 2030. Vision 2030, Abdullah details, has focused on modernising regulations, improving government efficiency and creating new opportunities for domestic and foreign investment.
The strategy has already garnered interest from several major companies looking to invest in the kingdom’ s sustainability initiatives. Red Sea Global’ s regenerative tourism projects, ROSHN Group’ s communityfocused real estate and Hyundai Motor’ s electric vehicle plant with the Public Investment Fund, which broke ground in 2025, are among the flagship commitments. Abdullah goes on to discuss the country’ s Premium Residency programme and how it serves as a tentpole of Saudi Arabia’ s sustainable investment ecosystem. The programme – a way in which foreign nationals can gain residence through investment and entrepreneurship – is designed to attract investors, entrepreneurs, professionals and individuals whose expertise can contribute to the economy. Abdullah emphasises the policy is about more than just residency privileges.“ The importance of Premium Residency lies not only in the benefits it offers its holders, but also in the philosophy behind it,” he explains.“ It reflects a broader vision that sees investors as long-term partners in development rather than simply providers of capital.” Khalid Al-Falih, Saudi Arabia’ s Minister of Investment, told the Development Finance Conference in Riyadh last December that the kingdom’ s push to net zero by 2060 would require trillions of dollars of infrastructure investment,
70 November 2026