Riyadh closed the curtain on Biban Forum 2025 with more than 10 billion dollars in financing agreements, a figure that positions the event as one of the largest entrepreneurship gatherings in the Middle East this year. Over four days, the Saudi capital’s Exhibition and Convention Center became a global meeting point for founders, investors, and policymakers from more than sixty countries. Organized by the Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority (Monsha’at) under the theme “A Global Destination for Opportunities,” the forum served as a showcase of Saudi Arabia’s growing coordination among its financial, regulatory, and innovation agencies.
The numbers were as striking as the scale. On the opening day, Monsha’at and major Saudi banks, including Riyad Bank, Al Rajhi Bank, and Saudi National Bank, launched portfolios exceeding 22 billion riyals (about 5.9 billion dollars) to finance small and medium enterprises. Bank Albilad announced a 2.9 billion riyals portfolio for entrepreneurs, while the Saudi National Bank committed 5 billion riyals in flexible funding solutions. As the forum continued, further agreements worth 7.6 billion riyals (2 billion dollars) were signed with financial firms such as Tarmeez Financial Company, Al-Taysir Arabia Finance, and Alpha Arabia Finance Company. By the final session, total deals and commitments had surpassed 10 billion dollars.
The government’s coordination across its institutions was central to this outcome. Monsha’at, working with the Ministry of Investment, the Saudi Development Bank, and the National Technology Development Program, established frameworks for easier access to capital, mentorship, and export support for entrepreneurs. This integrated model—bringing together policy, finance, and private capital—underpinned much of Biban’s activity.
The forum drew more than 1,000 startups from across the globe, alongside venture funds, accelerators, and corporate partners. Sessions covered financing, technology adoption, artificial intelligence, creative industries, and e-commerce. More than 80 workshops and 1,000 mentorship sessions took place, while the “Investors Arena” provided direct pitching opportunities that led to several cross-border partnerships.
International collaboration featured prominently. Agreements were signed with entities from South Korea, Japan, Sweden, India, and the United Kingdom, focusing on technology transfer, incubation, and training. These partnerships reflect a shift toward positioning Riyadh as a global hub for entrepreneurship rather than a regional stopover.
The forum also emphasized inclusion, with dedicated tracks for women entrepreneurs, youth founders, and social enterprise leaders. The “Women in Tech” program highlighted female-led ventures in fintech, e-commerce, and design, while regional entrepreneurs from Africa and Asia explored market access through Saudi partnerships.
Biban 2025 was not simply a conference but a coordinated effort to demonstrate how state institutions, private investors, and global partners can converge around a single entrepreneurial agenda. The results suggest that the framework for sustained collaboration is in place: government funding channels have been linked to private capital, startup ecosystems are gaining international exposure, and regulatory pathways are being simplified.
The forum’s legacy will be measured less by the size of the announced deals and more by their conversion into active projects, jobs, and cross-border ventures. For now, Biban 2025 stands as a benchmark for how large-scale public-private coordination can translate vision into capital and create a durable infrastructure for innovation.
Saudi Institutions unite to power $10 Billion in Entrepreneurial financing at Biban 2025