Saudi wealth fund signs $50bn of deals with Chinese financial firms

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF has signed six memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth a total of $50 billion with leading Chinese financial institutions, the fund said in a statement today according to Reuters.

The MoUs were signed with Agricultural Bank of China (ABC), Bank of China (BoC), China Construction Bank (CCB), China Export and Credit Insurance Corporation (SINOSURE), Export-Import Bank of China (CEXIM), and the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC), the statement added.

PIF said the MoUs covered areas of cooperation such as encouraging two-way capital flows via both debt and equity.

One of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has a sprawling portfolio of investments, from date farms to multinational conglomerates.

The kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030 plan aims to diversify its economy away from fossil fuels to develop a vibrant private sector.

China said in July it was ready to deepen cooperation in infrastructure, energy resources, green development and the digital economy, and welcomed Saudi companies such as its sovereign wealth funds and oil giant Aramco to continue to “take root” in China.

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