The Saudi ‘Benfica’ | Argaam Weekend

Weekend

The Saudi ‘Benfica’

14^th June 2025

● How ‘Pay Now, Buy Later’ Can Curb Household Debt Growth in Saudi Arabia
● Saudi Football’s Potential Step: Replicating Benfica’s Academy Success for Massive ROI
● PIF’s Global Expansion: Seizing EU Market Opportunities Despite New Controversial Rules
● The Rise of Corporate Lending and Digital Credit in Saudi Arabia

Topics of the Week

How ‘Pay Now, Buy Later’ Can Curb Household Debt Growth in Saudi Arabia

In all financial transactions related to personal loans in Saudi Arabia, the bank or finance company lends the borrower, the traditional model where the lender bears credit risk.
But what if this dynamic changed? What if the consumer puts money upfront, effectively lending to the bank or card issuer, and only then accesses funds to make purchases or payments?

Saudi Football’s Potential Step: Replicating Benfica’s Academy Success for Massive ROI

The Portuguese football league’s success partly stems from its ability to attract and develop top talent.

But Investing in scouting exceptional young talent, sometimes as young as 12 years old, from around the world is a proven successful business strategy that can bring significant returns to Saudi football clubs and the broader Saudi economy.

PIF’s Global Expansion: Seizing EU Market Opportunities Despite New Controversial Rules

As Europe strengthens its commitment to sustainability with new stringent regulator rules, global investors face a complex challenge.
They need to rapidly adapt to these very strict standards while simultaneously protecting the profitability and continuity of their existing investments.

The Rise of Corporate Lending and Digital Credit in Saudi Arabia

The main observation of our analysis of the consumer loan sector in this week’s newsletter is that the share of consumer loans in total bank lending has steadily declined, which reflects a clear structural shift in the lending landscape in the kingdom.
It actually reflects the rapid expansion of corporate lending, which now dominates the sector as banks increasingly finance Vision 2030 projects, real estate, and business activities.

Explore Macro report ⤴︎

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