Panel, Conference Presentation
Pioneering Progress: Investments Stemming from the Middle East | Global Conference 2025
Milken InstituteDiane Brady, Majid Alfayyadh, Nayef Alhajraf, Majid Mufti, Sara Nooruddin, Shiv Srinivasan
- Saudi Arabia aims to leverage healthcare as an innovation and economic driver by 2030, with the King Faisal Specialist Hospital utilizing 25 years of structured electronic medical records and genomic data to advance research, while anticipating a shift where the government transitions to a regulatory role and the private sector leads service provision.
- Genetic disease rates in the region are projected to remain seven times higher than in the U.S. and Germany due to 52% consanguinity rates, creating a unique environment for discovery, with genome mapping costs predicted to drop to $10 or less to make analysis a standard procedure.
- The region is expected to combine artificial intelligence, large datasets, and processing capabilities to solve complex health challenges, including robotics for liver and heart transplants, with AI potentially generating significant value and returns in the near future.
- Capital Asset Management in Kuwait anticipates a "golden window" for GCC investment over the next 10 to 15 years, positioning the region to lead growth toward Africa, supported by a young population where more than 50% is under 35 and strategic proximity to India.
- The NEOM Investment Fund plans to continue de-risking early investments and localizing technologies across 15 economic sectors, aiming to make NEOM the largest global construction project with hundreds of billions in dedicated capital over the coming years.
- NEOM partnerships are expected to achieve an 80% reduction in labor for rebar steel fabrication through robotics and automation, while requiring new micro-mobility technologies and pods for vertical movement within the "Line" city.
- OSUL Asset Management expects to allocate approximately 50% of investments into the GCC region while remaining geographically agnostic for the remainder to seek global fundamentals, anticipating that market volatility and uncertainty regarding interest rates and inflation will create niche opportunities in the U.S.
- The Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADRIC) maintains a long-term focus on the U.S., where more than 50% of capital is deployed, and anticipates generating double-digit net absolute returns, while participating in a $100 billion collaborative initiative with Mubadala, BlackRock, Microsoft, NVIDIA, XAI, and GIP to build AI and data infrastructure.
- Trade wars and tariff uncertainties from the U.S. administration over the last 100 days are expected to create ambiguity that complicates business planning, though they may also open opportunities for traditional manufacturing and supply chains to localize in the Middle East as safe havens.
- The upcoming U.S.-Saudi Arabia Investment Forum is expected to be a critical moment for discussing economic agendas, with a significant U.S. business delegation anticipated to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE to foster trade.
- ADRIC expects to capitalize on market volatility to capture value in biotech and AI public stocks, leveraging its portfolio of hedge funds to exploit opportunities from both winners and losers in liquid markets.
- GCC regions are expected to remain stable and resilient despite global market volatility, backed by strong regulatory policies, ease of doing business, and a shift in the government's role toward regulation and enforcement while the private sector leads national objectives.
- Businesses in the Middle East are expected to attract European companies seeking to extend operations due to data advantages and unique regional archetypes, while the region continues to leverage its young population and strategic location to become a land of hope.
- The Saudi FDA is expected to continue supporting and crediting products emerging from the region, facilitating scientific collaboration and data sharing between the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and international partners to improve patient outcomes.
- The GCC is expected to benefit from regional visions including Saudi Vision 2030 and Kuwait Vision 2035, with continued investment in healthcare, innovation, and the AI life sciences ecosystem to drive personalized medicine and targeted drug development.