In detail... The first day of the fourth edition of the Future of Real Estate Forum

During the first day in Riyadh: More than 20 legislations, 192 licenses worth 147 billion riyals and citizen ownership over 64%.

Amlak Real Estate

Posted in

27/01/2025

<The fourth edition of the Future Real Estate Forum, which runs from January 27 to 29, opened today in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, under the patronage of the Public Authority for Real Estate and in partnership with the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing. This year's forum has an ambitious theme: “A Future for Humanity: From Dreams to Reality”, to reflect the Kingdom's direction towards building a sustainable and prosperous real estate future.

Participation of the Minister of Municipalities and Housing

Minister of Municipalities and Housing, Majid Al-Hogail, confirmed on Monday that Saudi Arabia has issued more than 20 key real estate legislations to regulate the real estate sector and enhance its sustainability.

Minister of Municipalities and Housing, Majid Al-Hogail, said on Monday. During his opening speech at the Future of Real Estate Forum, which kicked off Monday in Riyadh, Al-Hogail pointed out that these legislations were one of the main factors in improving the performance of the real estate sector, stressing its role in making the sector one of the important pillars of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

Haqeel also revealed that the Kingdom granted 192 licenses for real estate projects in 2024, with a total value of 147 billion riyals, reflecting a significant development in the Saudi real estate sector.

The Minister of Municipalities and Housing explained that the Kingdom is committed to continue these efforts to sustainably regulate the sector and attract global investments, with a focus on providing a regulatory environment capable of turning challenges into opportunities.

Minister of Municipalities and Housing stressed that the Kingdom is committed to continue these efforts to regulate the sector sustainably and attract global investments.

Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majid bin Abdullah Al Haqeel stressed that the percentage of homeownership exceeded 64% by the end of 2024, as part of continuous progress towards achieving the targets of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majid bin Abdullah Al Haqeel This came during a discussion session within the activities of The Future of Real Estate Forum, where Al-Hoqeel explained that more than 21 thousand families of the most needy families were able to own homes, making the ownership of this category parallel to the rest of the society.

The minister pointed out that the contribution of the real estate sector to GDP reached 6.45%, registering an increase of about 14% compared to the previous year, while the contribution of the construction sector rose to 5.4%, a growth of 7%.

<Al-Haqeel highlighted the significant rise in real estate revenues, which quadrupled over the past three years thanks to the efforts of the private sector. The volume of real estate loans exceeded SAR 850 billion, reflecting the rapid growth of the sector.

Haqeel added. He added that the private sector currently manages about 39% of the real estate sector in the Kingdom, with the aim of raising this percentage to 70% within the future development plans.

Haqeel stressed the importance of the real estate sector revenues, which quadrupled in the past three years thanks to the efforts of the private sector. <The minister emphasized the great importance of the real estate sector, which overlaps with various other sectors, stressing its role as a key pillar of development and its direct impact on the economy and society. At the end of his opening speech at the forum, Al-Haqeel explained that the Kingdom has issued more than 20 key legislations to regulate the real estate sector, which contributes to the sustainability of the sector and attract more investments.

Speech of the CEO of the General Real Estate Authority

Abdullah bin Saud Al Hammad, CEO of the General Real Estate Authority, announced on Monday that more than 1130 licenses were issued for foreign real estate investments during the third quarter of 2024, reflecting the great confidence enjoyed by the real estate sector in the Kingdom and confirming Saudi Arabia's position as a major destination for investment on an international level.

Abdullah bin Saud Al Hammad, CEO of the General Real Estate Authority, announced on Monday. In his speech during the opening of the fourth edition of the Future of Real Estate Forum in Riyadh, Al Hammad expressed that the Kingdom has become a fertile environment to attract innovative real estate ideas, noting that the real estate sector currently contributes about 12% of the Kingdom's GDP.

President of the Real Estate Authority: Issuing 1130 licenses for foreign investments in the third quarter of 2024 Follow Amlak Real Estate Newspaper on Google News
He also pointed out that the Kingdom places great emphasis on the real estate sector as it represents the future of the economy, as 43% of those working in the sector are between the ages of 18 and 34.

Hammad said. Al-Hammad pointed out that the real estate sector recorded the highest participation rate in the labor market compared to other sectors, accounting for about 25% of the total participants in the social insurance system for the third quarter of 2024.

Hammad stressed that the real estate sector has the highest participation rate in the labor market compared to other sectors. Al-Hammad stressed that the Kingdom is working hard with its partners in the real estate and housing sectors, companies and individuals to achieve the aspirations of the real estate sector and turn it into a center of attraction for international attention.

Statements of the CEO of the National Housing Company

Mohammad Al-Batti, CEO of the National Housing Company (NHC), revealed on Monday that the company will reach its first goal of pumping more than 300,000 housing units in 17 different destinations around the Kingdom by the end of 2025, noting that the latest of these projects was in Al-Ahsa Governorate, which will accommodate more than one million people, in a major step towards meeting the needs of the housing market in the Kingdom.

Mohammad Al-Batti, CEO of National Housing Company, said on Monday that the company will be able to reach its first target of more than 300,000 housing units in 17 destinations around the Kingdom by the end of 2025. <In his speech during the "Future of Real Estate Forum 2025“ in Riyadh, Al-Batti emphasized that the National Housing Company is today the largest real estate developer in the Kingdom, noting that the size of the real estate supply from the company is the largest ever. He added that the company's role is not only limited to real estate development, but also includes digital transformation, which has been an essential part of the company's strategy from the beginning. He explained that digital transformation has become one of the main pillars of the company's work, enabling it to integrate with its partners from the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing and the General Authority for Real Estate.

Al-Batti pointed out that the National Housing Company has developed more than 10 digital platforms during the past period, serving more than 20 million customers. These platforms have witnessed more than 500 million operations annually and have recorded more than 3.5 billion visits. He pointed out that these platforms contributed to the realization of financial operations exceeding 250 billion riyals in 2024, through sales and rental contracts, sorting and many other operations.

<Al-Batti emphasized that the National Housing Company aims to improve the quality of life in the Kingdom by developing residential and urban destinations that improve the quality of life for citizens. He explained that the company's role goes beyond the development of physical destinations to also focus on developing digital destinations that provide better experiences for all individuals and stakeholders. <In a new step towards promoting innovation, Al Batti announced that NHC will launch a new subsidiary called NHC Infovation, which will be geared towards developing, operating and managing digital platforms. He added that this company will work to expand the provision of products and services that contribute to improving the quality of life of customers, in addition to opening new investment areas aimed at developing the future in the housing sector, with a focus on innovations that contribute to building the future.

Al Batti announced the launch of a new subsidiary called NHC Infovation.

Participation of the Minister of Tourism

While Minister of Tourism, Ahmed Al-Khatib, emphasized that the significant growth in the tourism sector reflects positively on all economic sectors, pointing out that the increase in the demand for buying land is due to the continuous expansion of the tourism sector, which contributes to raising land prices. He added that this growth is accompanied by the establishment of new areas and the development of several governorates, as the tourism sector characterizes growth in all regions. <During his participation in the Future of Real Estate Forum in Riyadh on Monday, Al-Khatib explained that the number of licensed buildings has witnessed a remarkable increase, as the number of licensed buildings in 2023 reached about 2,300 buildings, to reach 4,000 licensed buildings in 2024. He also pointed out that the number of licensed hotel rooms increased from 280,000 rooms in 2023 to 475,000 rooms in 2024.

Commenting on the Kingdom's preparations to host international sporting events, the minister added that when FIFA inspected hotels in the Kingdom, it recognized that the Kingdom is ready to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, even without counting the hotel rooms planned for the future. He explained that the city of Riyadh currently has about 55,000 hotel rooms, and the number is expected to reach about 120,000 by 2030.

Khatib added: "By 2030, we will add 200,000 hotel rooms to the current 475,000 rooms, bringing the total number of hotel rooms in the Kingdom to 675,000." He also pointed out that Qiddiya City has announced the construction of 10 hotels with 5,000 rooms as part of its future plan, where the achievement will be continuously monitored to update the target number of rooms.

<Speaking about the Kingdom's progress in the field of tourism, the Minister of Tourism revealed that the National Tourism Strategy was announced in 2019, through which the Kingdom began to build the necessary legislation and regulations. He added that the new tourism system was launched in August 2022, and since then the Kingdom has started implementing it in cooperation with the private sector, which has significantly improved regulation compared to the previous system, with most establishments moving to the new system.

PresidentCMA

Mohammad Al-Qwaiz, Chairman of the Capital Market Authority, said that real estate funds of various types, whether private, public or "REITs", represent about 25% of the total assets under management in Saudi Arabia, worth more than one trillion Saudi riyals.

Mohammad Al-Qwaiz, President of the Capital Market Authority (CMA), said. During a panel discussion at the Future of Real Estate Forum , the fourth edition of which is being held in Riyadh on Monday, Alquwaiz added that assets under management in the real estate funds sector witnessed a remarkable growth of 23% through 2024.

He pointed out that recently new types of these funds have emerged, such as real estate contributions, pointing out that the first of these products received the approval of the competent authorities in the last period, and the first certificates are expected to be issued in the near period.

Al-Qwaiz continued, saying that the offerings of real estate companies in the Saudi stock market are witnessing a great demand, as there are currently about 55 files with the Authority for registration and listing, about 20% of which belong to real estate companies.

Regarding the financing of real estate companies, he pointed out that the first of these products has been approved by the competent authorities in the past. Regarding the financing of the real estate sector, Al-Qwaiz pointed out that he had mentioned last year that the financial market accounts for about half of the financing directed to the real estate sector at the corporate level, explaining that there is support for a number of platforms in this area, such as crowdfunding platforms, fund distribution platforms, and robo-adviser.

Talking about the timing of the real estate IPO, Al-Qwaiz pointed out that he had mentioned last year Speaking about the timing of listing real estate companies on the market, Al-Qwaiz stressed that the optimal time for this is when the company has reached a stage of stability in its governance and financial disclosure, which contributes to enhancing investor confidence in its offerings.

When the company has reached a stage of stability in its governance and financial disclosure, which contributes to enhancing investor confidence in its offerings.

Participation of the Prince of Asir

Asir Governor Turki bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud stressed that the region continues to continuously update its strategy to make it a year-round tourist destination, pointing out that Asir enjoys many elements that make it a distinctive tourist attraction.

In a panel discussion at the Future of Real Estate Forum held in Riyadh on Monday, Prince Turki explained that the investment portfolio of the Asir region is estimated at about 30 billion riyals, pointing out that the region has the largest real estate portfolio in the Kingdom in terms of land value and area.

Prince Turki emphasized that 70 issues facing investors in the region have been resolved, a new strategy is being prepared, four major projects have been launched, and four more will be launched in the coming period.

The Emir of Asir talked about the expansion of the hotel structure in the region, where he pointed out that the number of multiple licensed rooms in the Asir region ranges between 6 and 8 thousand rooms, while the number reaches 18 thousand rooms in the Greater Abha region, as part of the Kingdom's preparations to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

The Emir of Asir region spoke about the expansion of the hotel structure in the region. <Regarding the region's major projects, Prince Turki said that the Wadi project, implemented by Ard Darah, is expected to open its first phase by 2028, with all phases to be completed by the end of 2030. He explained that the Public Investment Fund has informed them that dealing with the expropriation file in this project is done in the best way, as it relies on governance in the implementation of the project.

Prince Turki bin Talal pointed out that the project will see the construction of only 6% of the land area, while the rest of the area will remain in its natural state, reflecting the region's keenness to preserve the environment and the natural character of the site.

Participation of Al-Ahsa Governor

Prince Saud bin Talal bin Bandar, Governor of Al-Ahsa, confirmed that the Spanish company IDOM has taken over the implementation of urban planning for the governorate, which is scheduled to continue until 2050 within a comprehensive plan aimed at promoting sustainable development in all sectors.

Prince Saud bin Talal bin Bandar, Governor of Al-Ahsa, confirmed that the Spanish company IDOM has taken over the implementation of the urban planning for the governorate. <This came during his participation in a session titled "Leading Transformation to Build a Prosperous Future“ on the first day of the Future of Real Estate Forum 2025. Prince Saud explained that Urban Planning for Al-Ahsa has made remarkable progress, with 41% of comprehensive plans covering the agricultural, commercial and residential sectors.

The Prince pointed out that Al-Ahsa Governorate focuses on developing all vital sectors, with special importance given to agricultural, commercial and residential sectors, stressing that the main goal is to improve the quality of life for citizens, within the framework of thoughtful structural planning that includes innovative and stimulating real estate policies.

<He added: "We are working hard to achieve a balance between structural planning and quality of life, in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030, and we seek to provide a stimulating environment that supports innovation and sustainability."

Prince Saud concluded. Prince Saud concluded his speech by emphasizing the importance of continuing to develop real estate policies and infrastructure, ensuring a prosperous future for Al-Ahsa and its residents, and realizing the ambitions of comprehensive development that contributes to enhancing the province's position at the national and international levels.

Newly published

01/01/2026

«Expo 2030 Riyadh awards the main contract for infrastructure works at the project site

Amlak Real Estate

31/12/2025

King Salman International Airport inaugurates third runway as part of its plan to enhance operational efficiency

Amlak Real Estate

30/12/2025

Implementation of the “Third Group” of the road development program in Riyadh at a cost of more than 8 billion riyals

Amlak Real Estate

24/12/2025

Destination Masar Receives the Federation of Saudi Chambers to review opportunities for joint cooperation

Amlak Real Estate

21/12/2025

Memorandum of cooperation signed between Municipalities and Housing and New Square to develop urban projects

Amlak Real Estate