Jadwa sets up $266m fund to invest in Riyadh property

Saudi asset management and advisory company Jadwa Investment set up a property fund worth 1 billion Saudi riyals ($266 million) to develop prime residential projects in the kingdom.

Al Dar Investment Fund will develop more than 1,500 residential units in Riyadh, through several apartment complexes aimed at medium- to high-income households.

Jadwa, which set up the closed-end investment vehicle with Al Majdiah Group and Riyad Bank, manages assets worth 35bn riyals.

The assets are in the public market, private equity, property, private credit and fixed income segments.

The Sharia-compliant fund has a provision for two oneyear extensions.

Jadwa chief executive and managing director Tariq Al-Sudairy said it was set up in line with the company’s “policy of pursuing diversified investment opportunities across asset classes”.

“We have been very active in the local real estate market where we see strong investment fundamentals,” said Mr Al-Sudairy.

The investment vehicle has been set up to capitalise on growing demand for residential property in the kingdom.

Home ownership in Saudi Arabia is one of the central planks of Vision 2030, the kingdom’s economic and social transformation programme.

The country has exceeded its 2020 target of raising the percentage of home ownership among Saudis to 60 per cent and plans to boost it to 70 per cent by 2030.

The kingdom plans to turn Riyadh into one of the top 10 city-economies in the world.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said in January that the government plans to double the city’s population by 2030.

Riyadh has a population of 7.5 million. The kingdom is investing $220bn to transform the capital and expects to attract a similar level of investment from the private sector, according to Fahd Al Rasheed, president of the Royal Commission for Riyadh City.

Jadwa’s managing director and property boss Haitham Al Ghannam said the record demand shown during the fund’s offering period demonstrated “the attractiveness of the local residential real estate market today, particularly in Riyadh, where we intend to expand further”.

Home ownership is one of the central planks of the Saudi economic and social transformation programme, Vision 2030