Alula Emerging Markets Conference opens with calls for stronger policy coordination amid trade, finance reset

SPA

Riyadh, February 9, 2026 (SABN) – Saudi Arabia’s finance minister Mohammed Aljadaan and International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva opened the second edition of the AlUla Conference for Emerging Market Economies on Sunday, with officials and experts focusing on policy coordination as global trade and financial systems undergo rapid change.

Hosted by AlUla Governorate and organised by the Ministry of Finance in partnership with the IMF, the conference drew finance ministers, central bank governors and leaders of international financial institutions, alongside economists and policy experts.

Aljadaan said emerging market economies played a growing role in supporting global growth and called for policy efforts that keep pace with shifts in trade and financial systems, while highlighting debt sustainability pressures stemming from higher public debt, rising borrowing costs and reduced access to concessional finance.

He referenced G20 initiatives on debt, including the Debt Service Suspension Initiative and the Common Framework, and said faster implementation, stronger transparency and improved creditor coordination were needed to support effective debt solutions.

Georgieva said emerging markets had strengthened policy frameworks in recent years, pointing to more independent central banks, clearer inflation targets and stronger fiscal frameworks, and highlighted priorities including private-sector-led growth and deeper regional and cross-regional integration.

The first day included a keynote session featuring China’s finance minister Lan Fo’an and Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, and a research session on global trade moderated by IMF Economic Counsellor Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas, with participation from Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim and other policymakers and economists.

Islamic Development Bank Group President Mohammed Aljasser inaugurated the IDB’s Concessional Finance Fund during the conference. On the sidelines, Georgieva also signed a memorandum of understanding with Arab Monetary Fund Director General Fahad Alturki to strengthen cooperation.

The conference is being held under the theme “Policies Amid a Reset of the International Trade and Financial Systems.”