The top 10 companies are still fairly profitable, and their profitability has increased, but the other companies– some 32 beyond the top 10– are not experiencing the same results.
Qurain Petrochemical Industries announces 67% net profit increase for first three quarters of FY2014/2015 Consolidated operational income up 491% in Q3
“I believe that in some areas there is a potential for growth – Mecca, for example, or Medina, because the government is trying to make huge expansions for both Holy Mosques. The thing is that for those people who invest in Mecca, they cannot just go to invest in other places,” says Abdullah Saud Al-Rashoud, CEO of Blominvest Saudi Arabia.
Bader Saad Al Shaya, VP Marketing and Sales of Solidarity Takaful
Previously there were about 90 insurance companies; now there are around 35 and all of them are licensed and controlled. Lots of major steps have been taken in terms of regulations and in terms of controlling the market.
“The penetration rate for credit cards is certainly lower than cash at present, but it is steadily increasing. I can see over the last eight years there has been a visible shift from a cash economy towards an electronic economy,” says Priyan L. Attygalle, CEO of American Express, Saudi Arabia.
“There has been a visible shift from a cash economy towards an electronic economy, in terms of cashless payments such as cards and the growth of internet payments and internet banking. It’s growing at an exponential rate,” says Priyan L. Attygalle, CEO of American Express, Saudi Arabia.
Gary M. Lewin, CEO of AXA Cooperative Insurance Company
The big differential here in Saudi Arabia is the demographics: it is a very young population and it is the largest population in the Middle East and among all the states in the Gulf. From an AXA Group perspective, this is where we see huge growth potential.
“In American Express in Saudi Arabia, we concentrate very much on the high-net-worth consumers and corporates. These are two areas in which we are very strong and we have very unique products,” says Priyan L. Attygalle, CEO of American Express, Saudi Arabia.
The market for environmental services in Saudi Arabia is big and it is booming. Many companies have invested in Saudi Arabia particularly in the oil and chemical sectors. Therefore, there exists a great need to dispose of the waste products from these industries in order to protect the environment.
Dr Mohammed A. Al-Ajlan, CEO of Ra-yek Real Estate
In real estate, we have many companies, one of which is Ra-yek Real Estate. We have developed many projects including Sky Towers and Nakheel Towers. We are working on another project, which will be the Riyadh Towers, and is due to begin construction in 2015 or early 2016 and should be concluded by 2017.
