Aramco’s 2019 IPO saw just 1.7pc of the firm listed on the Tadawul
Letter from the Middle East: Saudi Arabia ponders oil privatisation
The Kingdom is weighing up a potential midstream asset sale following an innovative funding move in the UAE
Saudi Arabia took the unprecedented step back in 2001 of offering rights for hydrocarbons development to international companies, following a decade-and-a-half of fiscal stringency. Two decades later, seven years into a prolonged oil price slump, and after more than a year of a pandemic and steep production cuts, major asset sales and other fund-raising schemes are again on the table. The challenge for the Kingdom is whether these will represent a change in mindset, rather than just a cash grab for the restructuring of the country’s economy. The 2001 Gas Initiative featured Shell, ExxonMobil, Total and other luminaries, but state oil company Saudi Aramco staged a campaign of passive resistan
Also in this section
9 January 2026
OPEC+ remains on track as output falls, with only Gabon failing to hit its output targets in December, although Kazakhstan’s compliance was involuntary
9 January 2026
The Latin American producer’s crude prospects rely on a multi-pronged approach where even the relatively easy wins will take considerable time, effort and cost
9 January 2026
While many forecasters are reasserting the importance of oil and gas, petrostates should be under no illusion things are changing, and faster than they might think
8 January 2026
Indonesia and Malaysia are at the dawn of breathtaking digital capabilities. Their energy infrastructure must keep up with their ambitions
