Latest news with #Public Investment Fund
Arab News
8 hours ago
- Business
- Arab News
Saudi PIF named most valuable and fastest-growing sovereign wealth fund
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has been named the most valuable and fastest-growing sovereign wealth fund in the world, with a brand value of $1.2 billion, a new report showed. According to Brand Finance's 2025 Asset Management and Sovereign Wealth Fund 50 report, PIF also secured seventh place globally in brand value-to-assets under management ratio, making it the only SWF to enter the top 10 across both asset management and SWF categories. PIF's strong brand growth reflects its ranking as the fourth-largest sovereign wealth fund globally, as reported in Global SWF's July update. With assets under management exceeding $1 trillion, the fund now ranks just behind Norway's Government Pension Fund Global and two Chinese entities — the State Administration of Foreign Exchange and the China Investment Corporation — surpassing regional peers such as the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and the Kuwait Investment Authority. The report from Brand Finance also highlighted the role of high-profile sports partnerships in elevating brand value. 'In 2024, PIF signed groundbreaking global partnerships accelerating the growth of sports with ATP and WTA tennis, Concacaf and Formula E, Extreme E and E1 under the E360 umbrella while its ownership of LIV Golf is helping to expand the game's audience around the world,' Brand Finance CEO David Haigh said. PIF's brand growth was underpinned by strong scores in brand awareness, purpose, and its commitment to long-term value creation. It has seen substantial expansion in its portfolio, driven by the maturation of key projects and robust performance from its portfolio companies. The Saudi wealth fund holds an A+ brand strength rating, with its Brand Strength Index rising to 62.9 out of 100 in 2025. Additionally, PIF's ownership of LIV Golf continues to expand the game's global audience and bolster its brand visibility. BlackRock retained its position as the world's most valuable asset management brand for the second consecutive year, with its brand value rising 17 percent to $8.3 billion, according to the Brand Finance report. The increase is attributed to a surge in AUM, strategic acquisitions in private markets, and sustained leadership in technology and artificial intelligence. In the asset management space, JP Morgan Asset Management ranked second globally with a brand value just under $7.2 billion, reflecting a 3 percent year-on-year increase. Vanguard held third place with a brand value of $6 billion, unchanged from 2024. While BlackRock trails JP Morgan in terms of brand strength — scoring 87 out of 100 to JP Morgan's 87.6 — both firms retained an AAA brand strength rating. Haigh noted the strategic importance of sports affiliations in brand development. 'Formula 1 and football are powerful and popular ways for asset managers and sovereign wealth funds to raise their international profiles in a way that is consistent with the brands' wealth and stature,' Haigh said. He cited JP Morgan's banking unit Chase's recent sponsorship of Arsenal FC's VIP Lounge as an example of how these investments can significantly boost brand recognition among targeted audiences. Among sovereign wealth funds, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority was identified as the strongest brand in terms of BSI, with a score of 64.1, also earning an A+ rating. PIF remains the leader in overall brand value within the SWF category, reflecting the fund's expanding global influence and strategic visibility.
The Guardian
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Howe's dilemma as Newcastle's Saudi owners can't ignore case to sell Isak
Amid the jungle of super-skyscrapers dominating Riyadh's financial district, one building soars above the rest. From the higher floors of the 385-metre PIF Tower, employees can plot their next deal while gazing down on a glass-curtained canopy of concrete, steel and polished marble. For Yasir al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) and the chair of Newcastle United, the top of this striking, 80-storey crystalline structure is a place where metaphorical blue-sky thinking meets reality. The bad news for Eddie Howe is that the business case for selling Alexander Isak to Liverpool this summer is surely far too persuasive for Rumayyan and his colleagues to ignore. In an ideal world Newcastle's manager would keep the Sweden centre-forward while acquiring the France Under-21 striker Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt before a Champions League campaign. Given that Liverpool, like Newcastle, have made contact with Eintracht over Ekitike and seem determined to acquire the Frenchman or Isak that scenario seems unlikely. The message from Newcastle – and it is said to originate 'right from the very top' in Riyadh – has consistently been that Isak will not be sold this year. Indeed, the word is that Howe wants to deviate from his preferred, winger-heavy 4-3-3 and play Isak and Ekitike in attacking tandem. But, even before contemplating the reality that insisting something or someone is not for sale at any price is frequently a precursor to driving a hard bargain, that supposed stance begs quite a few questions. First and foremost why, shortly after Howe and club officials met Isak's agent, did Newcastle suddenly turn their attention from potential £30m replacements for Isak's former understudy Callum Wilson to more expensive targets and end up offering Eintracht Frankfurt approaching £70m for Ekitike? Was it really pure coincidence? And why has there not been any announcement of Isak entering long-mooted summer negotiations to extend a contract that runs until 2028? Even if a player who scored 23 goals in 34 Premier League appearances last season declined to sign, a deal could surely be discussed. Although Isak is extremely well paid at about £150,000 a week, talks regarding a planned pay increase last summer were postponed as Newcastle struggled to stay on the right side of Premier League spending rules. Much improved terms seem his for the taking now but maybe that moment has passed and Isak would rather move to pastures new. Newcastle have long suspected that he would decline an extension this summer, and their original plan was to keep him for one more season and sell high in 12 months. But Ekitike's wages would almost certainly be slightly cheaper and, at just turned 23, he is almost three years younger than Isak. Throw in some stylistic similarities in the pair's games – for a start both like to drift to the left and suit counterattacking tactics – and the fact that Ekitike is less injury prone and the case for doing a deal with Liverpool becomes ever more persuasive. Then there's Howe's relationship with Richard Hughes. Newcastle's manager and Liverpool's sporting director are good friends, stemming from their days together at Bournemouth. Although Liverpool deny making a formal approach for Isak, the fact that intermediaries have subtly made clear that Arne Slot's board would be prepared to pay about £120m for Howe's prize possession suggests they have received encouragement, however tacit, from someone, somewhere. With Paul Mitchell having stepped down as Newcastle's sporting director this summer and Darren Eales, the chief executive, due to depart on health grounds, Andy Howe, the manager's nephew, has a key role in recruitment. It may or may not be significant that he also knows Hughes well. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion With Darwin Núñez seemingly likely to join Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal or Napoli, Liverpool's twin interest in Isak and Ekitike means it is near impossible to envisage both players wearing black and white stripes next season. Given PIF's gargantuan wealth it might all be very different without profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) but those spending regulations have arguably made selling well even more important than buying cleverly. Newcastle narrowly avoided a PSR breach last June and, even though their financial position is healthier, the club's commercial revenue streams still have some catching up to do with those of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal. With Newcastle having paid Nottingham Forest £55m for the Sweden right-winger Anthony Elanga this summer, they cannot spend big without selling smartly. Considering Howe needs a right-sided central defender and a goalkeeper – negotiations with Burnley are inching towards a £30m-plus deal for James Trafford – in addition to replacing the Leeds-bound Sean Longstaff in midfield, something is going to have to give. Accordingly if Newcastle can sell Isak for almost double the near-£65m they paid Real Sociedad for him it would reflect extremely well on their PSR balance sheet. The attendant financial wriggle room would help fund the purchase of a central striker as cover for Ekitike or whoever joins as the first choice, and maybe even a move for Coventry's Jack Rudoni, an attacking midfielder much coveted by Howe. It all leaves the ball firmly in Eintracht's court. The German club are noted as tough negotiators and hope for more than Ekitike's £87m release clause. Bundesliga strikers have not always fared overly well in the Premier League but the Frenchman scored 22 goals last season, including 15 in the league to help Eintracht qualify for the Champions League. In 2022 he was Newcastle's top attacking target, ahead of even Isak. Howe has twice tried, and failed, to buy him. Liverpool possess the pulling power and financial clout to tempt Ekitike to play for Slot rather than Howe but is Isak the striker Slot really wants? One thing is clear. If Newcastle cannot sign Ekitike the stack of cards collapses and it becomes impossible to imagine anyone in PIF Tower approving Isak's sale.
Arab News
14-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Saudi PIF rises to 4th among sovereign wealth funds as assets surpass $1tn
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund has rise one place to 4th globally among sovereign wealth bodies, with assets surpassing $1 trillion, according to Global SWF's July rankings. PIF now ranks behind only Norway's Government Pension Fund Global and two Chinese entities — the State Administration of Foreign Exchange and the China Investment Corporation — and surpasses the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and the Kuwait Investment Authority. The new ranking underscores PIF's growing influence in global capital markets. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has mandated the fund to grow its assets to $2 trillion by 2030, while generating long-term returns and supporting economic diversification. PIF's assets under management climbed to $1.15 trillion in 2024, up from approximately $925 billion the previous year. However, net profit declined during the period due to rising operational costs, interest expenses, and asset write-downs linked to project delays and revisions, according to Global SWF. In response, the fund has shifted its strategy and is now prioritizing liquidity through short-term sukuk and commercial paper, while focusing on scalable, revenue-generating assets over high-cost mega-projects. This repositioning also includes increased investments in AI infrastructure, ETF platforms, and co-investments with global asset managers. Underscoring its international ambitions, PIF has invested about $200 million in a prime Manhattan real estate project with Related Companies, Bloomberg reported in July. The fund plans to acquire a two-thirds stake in the 625 Madison Avenue site, where a 1,200-foot tower is under consideration, just steps from Central Park. The move builds on PIF's earlier ties with Related, including a 2020 debt investment, and reflects its appetite for high-profile, long-horizon real estate in strategic global cities. Internationally, the fund holds stakes in prominent companies such as Lucid Motors, Nintendo, Uber, and BlackRock, and remains active across sectors including technology, mobility, and renewable energy, as well as gaming and sports. According to Global SWF, PIF is moving away from a strategy centered on rapid capital deployment, toward a more disciplined approach focused on financial sustainability, cost control, and delivering measurable returns.
