Record Foreign Investment and Saudi Arabia’s Transformation
The opening address by Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, established the conference’s macro theme: the kingdom has successfully attracted unprecedented foreign direct investment, with deals totaling $250 billion secured across the previous eight editions of the Future Investment Initiative 2025 conference. Foreign investment in Saudi Arabia surged 24 percent in 2024, reaching $31.7 billion, according to official data—a testament to the kingdom’s economic reforms and evolving business environment.​
Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager overseeing more than $13.46 trillion globally, highlighted the scale of investor enthusiasm for Saudi projects. During the summit, he cited a recently completed transaction in the kingdom that received investor demand five times its supply—an unprecedented ratio signaling global confidence in Saudi Arabia as an investment destination. “We are witnessing a transformation seep across the region,” Fink remarked, characterizing Saudi Arabia and the broader Gulf as among “the world’s most dynamic destinations for global capital.”
Fink’s remarks were corroborated by broader industry observations. BlackRock itself has deepened its commitment to the kingdom, establishing BlackRock Riyadh Investment Management (BRIM) in partnership with the Public Investment Fund, with an initial investment mandate of up to $5 billion to develop investment strategies across multiple asset classes. This move reflects confidence in Saudi Arabia’s capital markets expansion as part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 diversification agenda, which aims to increase the private sector’s contribution to GDP to 65 percent by 2030.