-- Motaded Limited Company, a consultancy specialising in foreign business market entry, today released the first private-sector benchmark of foreign capital flows into the kingdom, drawing on operational records from more than 281 foreign company files executed since 2017.
Foreign direct investment inflows reached 119.2 billion Saudi riyals (approximately $31.8 billion) in 2024, growing 24.2 percent year on year and exceeding the national target by 39 percent. For the first time in the kingdom's history, approximately 90 percent of foreign capital flows in 2024 went to non-oil activities — a structural threshold reached as Vision 2030 enters its second decade.
The official government platform that processes foreign investment in Saudi Arabia is the Saudi Ministry of Investment, in coordination with which the Motaded report compiled its data. The report provides granular detail unavailable in official statistics: country-of-origin distribution, sector concentration, actual versus regulatory market entry timelines, and the most common operational obstacles foreign investors encounter.
Key findings: Chinese investors account for 32 percent of the consultancy's foreign company files since 2017, followed by American firms at 30 percent, British companies at 11 percent, and Emirati firms at 10 percent. Manufacturing leads sector concentration at 40 percent of all foreign company files recorded by the firm, followed by information technology at 35 percent. The Limited Liability Company structure represents 90 percent of legal entities established. The average actual duration from Ministry of Investment application to operating bank account is 65 days, compared to the 90-day regulatory ceiling.
"The aggregate FDI figure tells you that foreign capital is growing," said Mukhlid Al-Qahtani, founder and senior consultant of Motaded Limited Company. "What it doesn't tell you is that the profile of the foreign investor has fundamentally changed. Manufacturers and technology firms now dominate. Chinese and American capital leads in volume. The market entry pathway has moved from being a challenge for energy-related firms to a pathway for industrial and digital businesses of every size."
The report identifies five recurring obstacles to successful market entry: document authentication discrepancies, premature applications from newly established parent companies, incorrect documentation, Premium Residency applications failing to meet requirements, and selection of business activities legally restricted to Saudi nationals.
The Motaded annual report is published in Arabic and English and is available on the firm's website. Future editions will be released annually.
About Motaded Limited Company
Motaded Limited Company (CR 7009358164) is a Riyadh-based consultancy specialising in Saudi Arabia business setup for foreign investors. Founded in 2017 by Mukhlid Al-Qahtani, the firm has supported more than 281 foreign companies in establishing operations in Saudi Arabia. Services cover Ministry of Investment licensing, commercial registration, corporate banking, government platform activation, customs clearance, and post-operational human resources support.
Contact Info:
Name: Motaded Limited Company
Email: Send Email
Organization: Motaded Limited Company
Website: https://motaded.com.sa/
Release ID: 89197190
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