Robert Friedland, Founder and Co-Chairman of Ivanhoe Mines, speaking at the 2022 Future Minerals Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Credit: FMF
Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s oil powerhouses, boasting the second-largest proven reserve of the slick stuff. Still, as the inaugural Future Minerals Forum recently held in Riyadh heard, the kingdom is prepping for a pivot to embracing metals essential to developing the future global economy.
Saudi Arabia is looking to invest its massive capital potential to not only develop its industry, from exploration to downstream battery metal processing. Perhaps more impactfully, the country has an opportunity to become the hub for mineral knowledge and finance for the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia region.
