Saudi Arabia boosts global charm offensive with 2025 Cultural Investment Conference

The Cultural Investment Conference 2025, organised by the Saudi Ministry of Culture at the King Fahd Cultural Centre in Riyadh, has made clear the country's intentions when it comes to change.

More than 100 speakers and 1,500 decision makers, cultural and investment experts from inside and outside the kingdom, attended the recent gathering to hear how Saudi Arabia plans to invest in the arts to stimulate growth and promote regional talents.

Riyadh University of the Arts launches with investments exceeding 81 billion riyals

During the conference, Saudi Minister of Culture Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan announced the launch of Riyadh University of the Arts, which aims to be a base for creative education and support budding creatives across the fields of arts and culture.

The ministry also revealed investments in cultural infrastructure totalling more than SR81 billion since the launch of Vision 2030, with contributions from the public, private and non-profit sectors.

Sessions exploring culture as a lever for development

The conference witnessed more than 38 discussion sessions addressing the issues of investing in culture and its role in economic and social development and strengthening national identity.

On the first day, a joint ministerial session between Minister of Investment Khalid Al Falih and Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Al Ibrahim addressed the topic of 'Culture as a Strategic Investment - From Politics to Prosperity' and presented a roadmap for culture-based growth.

Other sessions addressed topics such as the global cultural economy, the transformation of cultural initiatives, culture as a new investment asset class, discussions on cultural capital, and public-private partnerships in heritage preservation.

Culture as an engine for growth

The Saudi Ambassador to the United States Reema bint Bandar bin Sultan opened the second day with a recorded speech entitled 'Investing in Culture and Identity - A Global Saudi Footprint'.

Later sessions included discussions on culture as a driver of economic growth with officials from the Ministries of Culture, Education, Sports, Economy and Planning, along with talks on on topics such as cultural innovation, the global soft power of culture, hospitality as an economic value, and mega-projects as a global showcase for Saudi culture.

The conference witnessed the signing of 89 agreements with a value edging close to a billion euros (SR4.3 billion) to support the cultural and creative economy in the film, fashion and arts sectors.

The most prominent agreements included:

-Establishing a second investment fund for the film sector in partnership between the Cultural Fund and BSF Capital.

-Establishing the first fashion investment fund in partnership with Merak Capital.

-The launch of the Cultural Assets Fund, which focuses on visual arts, fashion, digital content and media.

Pledges were agreed between the Ministry of Investment and the Cultural Fund to attract international companies, and between the Wirth Institute and Kingdom Schools to develop craft education, as well as deals to develop new cultural landmarks in Riyadh and promote development in Al Ula Governorate.

Cultural Finance and the Private Sector

The Cultural Fund announced a new co-financing product worth around 230 million euros in partnership with the private sector, and the Audi Capital Art Fund was launched as the first regulated art investment fund in the region.

For its part, China's Ori Group detailed the opening of its regional headquarters in the Kingdom with an investment of more than 460 million euros focusing on the film, education, fashion, tourism and cultural events sectors.

The gathering was the first of its kind in Saudi Arabia, confirming its position as a global platform to explore the future of cultural investment and its role in building a sustainable creative economy in line with Vision 2030.