Saudi women hold over $16 billion in banks _ Saudi businesswomen website launched

RIYADH: The World Bank has estimated that the wealth held by Saudi businesswomen in local banks exceeds $16 billion. This includes holdings in family companies and real estate.

A website has been launched in Arabic and English for the second National Businesswomen’s Forum, under the auspices of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman in Riyadh on Sept. 1.
The website includes information about the forum’s agenda, program, keynote speakers, sponsors, and media coverage in local and Arab publications. It will also have links to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, to disseminate information about the event.

Local and international participants can register via the site and have access to information pertaining to visas and hotels. It incorporates a user-friendly design to ensure ease of access. More than 100 delegates have registered so far from the Kingdom, Gulf and Arab region.

Businesswoman Reem bint Ahmed Al-Frayan said it would provide a platform for young women to discuss pressing issues and challenges in various fields and gain support for their investments in the Kingdom.
She said the forum is slated to discuss various issues on how to ensure women participate more effectively in the economy for their benefit and the country as a whole.

The forum, entitled “Reality of Women Investments in the Kingdom and Development Tools,” will be opened by Commerce and Industry Minister Tawfik Al-Rabiah with Chairman of the Council of Saudi Chambers Abdul Rahman Al-Zamil.
According to Al-Frayan, the forum’s agenda includes four work sessions with keynote speeches by Princess Lolowah Al-Faisal, Saleh Al-Hussaini, chairman of the Shoura Council’s committee on economic affairs and energy, Minister of Labor Mufarrej Al-Haqbani, and Prince Saud Al-Faisal, deputy governor of the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority.
The second day’s session would focus on the concentration and diversity of women’s investments in the Kingdom and will see keynote speeches delivered by Wafaa Al-Mobeirek from Princess Noura University, Faten Bondugji, and Elham Al-Dakheel.
The third session on the role of innovation will be chaired by Nadia Baeshen and include a keynote speech by Prince Turki bin Saud Al-Saud, president of King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, with guest speakers Rakan Al-Eidi, Abeer Al-Essa and Fouad Moussa. The fourth and final session on regional experiences in developing women’s investments will be chaired by businesswoman Nashwa Taher and include keynote speeches by a member of Bahrain’s Businesswomen’s Association, Kholoud Abdulqader, Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry board member and chairperson of the Businesswomen Forum, Ebtehaj Al-Ahmadani, and Chairperson of the Arab International Women’s Forum Haifa Al-Kaylani.