Cultural Investment Conference 2025 opens in Riyadh under Crown Prince’s patronage

📷SPA

Riyadh, September 29 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, the Cultural Investment Conference 2025 opened on Monday at the King Fahd Cultural Center in Riyadh.

Organized by the Ministry of Culture, the two-day event brings together more than 1,500 participants and over 150 speakers, including senior decision-makers, cultural leaders, and investors from Saudi Arabia and abroad.

In his opening remarks, Minister of Culture Prince Bader bin Abdullah bin Farhan announced the upcoming launch of the Riyadh University of Arts, envisioned as a cornerstone of creative education and innovation in partnership with leading global academic and cultural institutions. He said the university aims to be ranked among the world’s top 50 institutions specializing in arts and culture, reflecting the leadership’s commitment to building national cultural capabilities.

Prince Bader noted that the Saudi cultural sector has undergone a historic transformation since the launch of Vision 2030. Its contribution to GDP has risen to 1.6%, employment has increased to 234,000, and financial support to the sector reached nearly $2 billion in 2024. Infrastructure investments exceeded SAR81 billion. He also announced that the conference would see the signing of 89 agreements with an estimated total value of SAR5 billion, emphasizing the private sector’s strategic role.

The conference program includes more than 38 dialogue sessions and workshops. Notable participants include Minister of Investment Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Economy and Planning Faisal Alibrahim, and global cultural figures such as Sotheby’s CEO Charles Stewart and Art Basel CEO Noah Horowitz.

Topics under discussion cover global trends in cultural investment, strategies to finance creative industries, reducing investment risks, and developing emerging markets. Sessions will also address the role of artificial intelligence and interactive technologies, the importance of philanthropy, creative entrepreneurship, and international cultural investment funds.

The inaugural Cultural Investment Conference is positioned as a global platform to present culture as an attractive investment opportunity, supporting Vision 2030 objectives to diversify the national economy and strengthen Riyadh’s role as an international hub for culture and investment.