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Saudi entities Hassana Investment Company and AviLease have formed a joint venture to offer aircraft-leasing opportunities, signalling a major step in the Kingdom’s drive to build up its aviation financing infrastructure under its National Aviation Strategy. Hassana will own a majority of the new venture; AviLease—backed by the Public Investment Fund—will supply aircraft servicing.

The joint venture’s launch includes a deal to acquire a fleet of ten fuel-efficient, new-technology aircraft from AviLease, all currently leased to carriers based in Saudi Arabia. The portfolio reflects a shift towards greener, more sustainable aviation assets.

Hassana, which manages funds for the General Organization for Social Insurance, sees this as a chance to deepen exposure to resilient asset classes that generate long-term cash flows. Hani Al-Jeha­ni, Acting CEO and CIO of Hassana, emphasised the partnership aligns with its mandate to pursue investments that offer sustainable returns while supporting national aviation goals.

AviLease, established in 2022 as part of the sovereign wealth fund’s expanding portfolio, is expanding rapidly. The company has placed large orders for new Boeing and Airbus aircraft and completed a sizeable financing facility earlier this year. It manages a global portfolio worth several billion dollars. Edward O’Byrne, CEO of AviLease, described the joint venture as foundational to scaling up Saudi Arabia’s aviation ecosystem and creating a platform attractive to both domestic and international investors.

Fahad Al-Saif, Chairman of AviLease, noted that the partnership marks one of the first private-sector-led steps into the aviation financing domain within Saudi Arabia, reinforcing the role of investment institutions in strengthening the sector.

The move supports Saudi Arabia’s ambition to draw 150 million visitors annually by 2030, up from earlier targets, and to enhance the economic multiplier effects of tourism, trade, and transport infrastructure. Aviation financing is seen as a key enabler in achieving these goals, since airlines often face high capital costs.

HSBC has opened a dedicated wealth centre in Dubai aimed at serving affluent clients, stepping up efforts to capture a growing share of the UAE’s expanding wealth and asset management sector. It comes as the bank’s Swiss private arm moves to cut ties with over 1,000 wealthy clients from the Middle East under regulatory pressure.

The Dubai centre, housed in HSBC’s flagship Jumeirah branch, will offer Premier and high-net-worth clients access to relationship managers in a specialist space. Dinesh Sharma, HSBC’s head of International Wealth and Premier Banking for Middle East, North Africa and Turkey, said the UAE is among HSBC’s top five global markets, and the investment in infrastructure, people, capabilities and marketing over the next three to four years represents its largest in two decades. Singapore is cited as a model for how the UAE could develop into a global wealth hub.

In parallel, HSBC Private Bank has informed more than 1,000 clients in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt and Qatar—many with assets exceeding US$100 million—that it will terminate its relationships with them. The bank is classifying these clients as high risk, following findings by Swiss regulator FINMA that it failed to meet anti-money laundering obligations in past transactions involving politically exposed persons.

HSBC has emphasised its continued commitment to both its Middle East and Swiss wealth business units. Barry O’Byrne, CEO of International Wealth and Premier Banking, maintains that Switzerland remains one of HSBC’s “core wealth hubs.” HSBC is structuring its strategy to grow where it has “a clear competitive advantage.”

The bank notes that personal financial assets in the UAE have surged over the past few years, exceeding US$700 billion, with more than 130,000 millionaires now in the country. Migrants of wealth are drawn by favourable investment policies, tax incentives and regulatory reforms. Regions contributing large shares of incoming wealth include India, other Middle Eastern markets, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, and a growing number from the UK, Europe and China.

HSBC’s move to reduce exposure to high-risk clients comes after FINMA’s rulings in 2024, which identified breaches in anti-money laundering duties in connection with transactions involving politically exposed persons between 2002 and 2015. The regulator prohibited HSBC Private Bank from onboarding new relationships with such individuals until its compliance practices were overhauled. The bank is now working under those rules, winding down existing relationships judged to pose compliance risk.

WWE has confirmed that WrestleMania 43 will take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2027, marking the first time the flagship event will be held outside North America. The announcement was made by WWE’s Chief Content Officer, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, in partnership with Turki Alalshikh of the Saudi General Entertainment Authority.

Officials say WrestleMania 43 will become part of Riyadh Season, with the Kingdom hosting both the weekend’s celebrations and related WWE programming such as Friday Night SmackDown, Monday Night Raw, NXT, fan events, and community outreach.

This move represents a major shift in WWE’s global strategy. Since 2018, WWE has maintained a ten-year partnership with Saudi Arabia aimed at expanding international entertainment ties under Vision 2030. The deal has already resulted in multiple large WWE events being hosted in the Kingdom.

Levesque described the decision as an opportunity to “show the world … that WWE is a global brand that reaches every corner of the world.” Turki Alalshikh emphasised respect for WrestleMania’s legacy and global prestige, and expressed intent to make the upcoming show “unlike anything the world has ever seen.”

Among those present for the announcement were WWE legends Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, and current stars including Seth Rollins, Charlotte Flair, Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair, Logan Paul, and Stephanie Vaquer.

Negotiations are underway for marquee matchups. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is reportedly in discussions to appear, possibly facing either Roman Reigns or Cody Rhodes, which, if confirmed, could involve one of the largest wrestler paydays ever.

Oil prices edged higher after OPEC+ approved a modest production increase of 137,000 barrels per day from October, signalling a deliberate shift from propping up prices to recapturing market share even as the possibility of oversupply looms.

A rapid, 11-minute virtual meeting resulted in the decision by eight key alliance members to introduce a restrained output lift, clearly OPEC+ inches production upward amid surplus risk. That modest hike marks the start of unwinding an additional tranche of voluntary cuts—around 1.65 million barrels per day—that were originally scheduled to remain in place until the end of 2026.

Brent crude gained approximately 34 cents to trade at $65.84 per barrel, while U. S. West Texas Intermediate rose about 30 cents to $62.17 a barrel, trimming losses incurred last week following a soft U. S. jobs report. Analysts see the price rebound as partly driven by relief over the modest hike and technical factors, alongside concerns that looming U. S. sanctions on Russian oil may curb supply.

OPEC+ members—including Saudi Arabia, Russia and several Gulf producers—have been gradually rolling back earlier cuts since April, with previous monthly increases topping 550,000 barrels. This latest move, while smaller in volume, is seen as a strategic signal that the group is prioritising global market positioning over immediate price support. Jorge Leon of Rystad Energy commented, “The barrels may be small, but the message is big,” underscoring the symbolic weight of the alliance’s decision.

Not all members can raise output equally—only Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have sufficient spare capacity to make notable additions. Others face physical and contractual limitations to boost deliveries.

Despite the gradual rollback of cuts, analysts warn that the ramp-up, combined with rising non-OPEC+ output, could push the oil market into surplus territory by early 2026. Goldman Sachs, while holding its 2025 price forecast steady, flagged muted price risks for 2026, with expected average Brent and WTI prices in the mid-$50s.

The alliance has reaffirmed its flexibility to adjust future output, including the ability to accelerate, pause or even reverse course as market conditions evolve. Members will meet again on 5 October to review developments and determine whether to extend or amend the output ramp.

Saudi authorities have tested drone delivery of postal parcels in Jeddah, a pivotal move in modernising logistics and postal services. The General Authority of Civil Aviation and the Transport General Authority, backed by Dr Rumaih Al-Rumaih, Vice Minister of Transport and Logistic Services and Acting President of TGA, led the operation on Thursday, 4 September 2025. Saudi Drone Parcel Trial Signals Smarter Logistics encapsulates this milestone in eight purposeful words.

The trial, overseen by GACA and TGA, was executed under updated aviation safety regulations aligning with international standards such as those of ICAO and EASA, ensuring rigorous oversight of drone operations. GACA managed aviation-related protocols while TGA handled regulatory and legislative support for the postal sector.

Dr Al-Rumaih described the drone operation as a breakthrough that will “open new horizons” for expanding delivery services and fostering innovative logistics solutions in line with national digital transformation goals. Meanwhile, GACA’s Executive Vice President for Aviation Safety and Environmental Sustainability, Captain Suleiman Al-Muheimidi, said the trial heralds faster, greener, and more advanced delivery methods.

This initiative forms part of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 strategy to boost transport efficiency, shorten delivery times, and integrate technology into everyday life. Authorities emphasised that advanced drone deployment promises safer, quicker, and more sustainable parcel delivery across the country.

OPEC’s oil output rose further in August, hitting 27.84 million barrels per day—a gain of 360,000 bpd over July’s revised total. The rise was driven chiefly by expanded production from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates under an OPEC+ agreement to gradually reverse output curbs.

The production boost stemmed from an agreement by eight OPEC+ countries for August output, under which five OPEC members—Algeria, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE—were to raise output by 416,000 bpd, before accounting for compensation cuts totalling 178,000 bpd imposed due to earlier overproduction. In practice, those five delivered a net increase of 310,000 bpd.

This escalation forms part of OPEC+’s accelerated effort to dismantle its most recent output cuts. Simultaneously, some members continue to implement additional cuts to offset previous excesses, theoretically capping the effect of these increases.

This latest surge underlines OPEC+’s strategy of reclaiming market share through coordinated rollback of production restraints, even as the group attempts to preserve price stability by enforcing compliance and offset mechanisms.