IMF staff have reaffirmed the continued recovery of the Saudi economy and the 
slowdown of the inflation of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), stating that they 
project the non-oil GDP growth will reach 4.3% this year and 3.6 % in 2022. IMF 
expects that the private sector will lead the growth this year to reach 5.8%, 
and it will continue in the medium and long term with an average growth of 
4.8%. This statement was in the Concluding of the 2021 Article IV consultation, 
which was released recently. The staff commended the Saudi government's swift 
and decisive response to Covid-19 Pandemic, and the early creation of a Supreme 
Crisis Committee to manage and coordinate the efforts between government 
agencies, along with the ambitious reforms that were being implemented earlier 
within the framework of the Saudi Vision 2030 played an instrumental role in 
helping the Saudi economy overcome the pandemic, the growing digitization of 
government and financial services, reforms to increase labor market mobility, 
and strong policy buffers all meant the economy was well equipped to manage the 
COVID crisis. Moreover, the Private Sector Financing Support Program," launched 
by the Saudi Central Bank, contributed to supporting SMEs in facing the 
challenges of the pandemic.

The IMF staff reaffirmed also that the policies to support the non-oil economy 
have been successful, that the creation of the High-Level Crisis Response 
Committee" was central to effectively and pro-actively managing the crisis, and 
that strict early containment and health mitigation measures limited cases and 
fatalities.

On the current economic performance, the staff believe that the "Shareek" 
partnership program will offer incentives through the tax system, access to 
credit, and regulatory reforms to encourage investment. Moreover, they believe 
that the labor market reforms (cancelation of Kafala sponsorship system) will 
result in a more competitive labor market that is more attractive to higher 
skilled expatriates. On the ongoing reforms to boost female employment, the 
staff project a continued rise in female labor force participation rates 
(increased by 13 percentage points to over 33 percent over the past two 
years.). The staff also projected that the credit to the private sector will 
grow strongly, boosted by lending for housing and to SMEs. The staff project 
the new social security law to be an important step to strengthen the framework 
for providing income support to the less well off. 

The IMF staff indicated that the potential of renewable energy in Saudi Arabia 
is huge and that it will attract domestic and foreign private investors. The 
staff welcomed the high-level announcement of the Saudi Climate Strategy and 
the commitment from the leadership of the country to reducing GHG emissions. 

On public finance and transparency, the IMF staff confirmed that significant 
progress has been made recently to increase accountability and transparency in 
public procurement, including through "Etimad Platform". They commended the 
impressive pace of capital market reforms to increase liquidity and depth to 
local equity and bond markets including giving greater access to foreign 
investors and introducing financial derivatives products. The staff pointed out 
that the Banking system liquidity is at very comfortable levels. 

The Concluding Statement of the 2021 Article IV consultation touched on 
financial inclusion and fintech, indicating that the fintech sector in Saudi 
Arabia is maturing rapidly with support from SAMA and the CMA. The Concluding 
Statement pointed out that the peg remains the best exchange rate option, as 
Saudi has high reserves that are more than adequate to maintain the peg.

His Excellency the Minister of Finance, Mr. Mohammed Al-Jadaan, said that the 
Concluding Statement highlighted the current and future indicators of the Saudi 
economy and that it succeeded in overcoming many of the obstacles and 
challenges that the world underwent this year and last year. This contributed 
to achieving the financial sustainability that enhanced the economy's 
robustness and strength. His Excellency stressed the instrumental role of the 
economic and structural reforms that the Saudi government implemented under the 
Saudi Vision 2030 and the effect they had in achieving a sustainable and 
comprehensive economy. The IMF staff also commended the Kingdom's efforts to 
mitigate the economic, social, and health effects of Covid-19 Pandemic. 

It is notable that the IMF staff mission has issued previously a statement at 
the conclusion of the 2021 Article IV consultation for the Kingdom of Saudi 
Arabia, which was held during April of 2021. This Concluding Statements affirms 
the initial results that the previous statement reached.

SOURCE  Saudi Ministry of Finance