Alwaleed Philanthropies

11/01/2026

Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Nears Massive $2 Billion Al Hilal Takeover

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is close to completing the purchase of Al Hilal football club, with an official announcement expected before the end of December.

Negotiations have been ongoing for nearly a year between Prince Alwaleed and the Public Investment Fund (PIF), which currently owns 75% of Al Hilal.

The remaining 25% is held by a non-profit organization that already receives significant funding from Prince Alwaleed.

The deal is valued at around SAR 7.5 billion (USD 2 billion), making it one of the largest transactions in Saudi sports history.

If finalized, this would mark the first full private acquisition of a major Saudi football club under the Kingdom’s sports privatization program.

The initiative, launched in 2023, aims to attract private investment, improve club management, and boost the competitiveness of Saudi football globally.

While Al Hilal’s sale is nearing completion, other clubs are moving more slowly. Al Ittihad, Al Nassr, and Al Ahli remain under PIF ownership, with negotiations involving multiple investors expected to take months.

Al Shabab and Al Ettifaq are even further behind, with talks unlikely to conclude before late 2026.

Al Hilal, based in Riyadh, is Saudi Arabia’s most decorated club, with 19 league titles and four AFC Champions League trophies.

The acquisition would give Prince Alwaleed full control of a team that has become a symbol of Saudi football dominance, both domestically and in Asia.

The deal reflects Saudi Arabia’s broader push to privatize sports and attract global attention, especially after the country’s heavy investment in football through player transfers and sponsorships.

For Al Hilal fans, the move could mean more financial stability and ambitious projects, though ticket prices and club policies may change under private ownership.

11/01/2026

Prince Alwaleed nears $400 million deal for Saudi soccer team

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is close to completing a deal to buy a 75% stake in Riyadh-based soccer team Al Hilal for around $400 million from the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, according to people familiar with the matter. The deal could be announced early next year, the people said.
Kingdom Holding Company, Prince Alwaleed’s investment vehicle, has been in talks with Saudi’s Public Investment Fund for several months. The remaining stake in the club is owned by a Saudi non-profit organization that’s mostly funded by Prince Alwaleed.

The deal could value the team — currently ranked second in the Saudi Pro League — at about 2 billion riyals ($530 million).

Prince Alwaleed is a longtime supporter of the team and has provided financial support in the past. If finalized, the deal would mark the kingdom’s biggest club privatization so far, bolstering Saudi’s multibillion-dollar bet to turn its league to one of the top 10 globally through investments in high profile players like Cristiano Ronaldo.

PIF, which owns a 17% stake in Kingdom Holding, took control of four Saudi teams in 2023 to develop more commercial and investment opportunities with an eye toward privatization at a later stage. US sports executive Ben Harburg is the only foreign investor to buy a Saudi soccer team — and he recently told Semafor he’s considering buying a women’s club in the kingdom.

15/10/2025

15/10/2025

Saudi Prince Alwaleed in Talks With PIF to Acquire Al Hilal FC

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal is in talks with the Public Investment Fund to acquire a majority of Al Hilal Football Club, in what would mark one of the most high-profile privatization efforts in the kingdom’s football sector.

The founder of Saudi conglomerate Kingdom Holding Co. is negotiating with the sovereign wealth fund for its 75% stake, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing private information.

Talks are still at too early a stage to determine the value of any potential deal and negotiations could still fall apart, the people said.

The other 25% of Al Hilal is owned by a Saudi non-profit organization that gets most of its funding from Alwaleed, one of the people said. Kingdom Holding and PIF declined to comment.

Saudi Arabia has struggled to transform its domestic Saudi Pro League into a commercial powerhouse as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s economic diversification drive. The kingdom has invested heavily in clubs, signed international stars including Cristiano Ronaldo and secured deals to broadcast games more widely to boost global attention and appeal.

It has also opened up to foreign investment and aims to privatize more clubs in the future. Saudi Arabia saw its first foreign acquisition of a local football team in July, when Harburg Group bought Al-Kholood FC. The deal value was not disclosed.

Riyadh-based Al Hilal is widely considered one of the most prestigious football clubs in Saudi Arabia, having won numerous domestic titles. It is one of four clubs in which the PIF holds an ownership stake.

15/10/2025

Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal Raises Snapchat Stake to 2.8% with USD 133.5M

Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal has increased his investment in Snapchat (Snap Inc.). by purchasing 15.2 million shares. This brings his total stake to 40.8 million shares, representing approximately 2.8% of the company’s total shares..

The value of the purchased shares is estimated to be USD 133.5 million based on Snap’s stock price as of Monday morning’s share price.

Prince Al Waleed first disclosed his stake in Snapchat in 2018 and since then its shares have fallen by approximately 20%. Furthermore, its shares are down almost 90% from its record high in 2021.

Alwaleed, is world’s 156th-richest person with a $16.5 billion net worth per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He is a seasoned investor and chairs the publicly listed Kingdom Holding Co. and also holds a stake in Elon Musk’s xAI.

With TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube pulling in users and advertisers, Snap’s revenue growth has taken a hit. In fact, according to Bloomberg, the company has not reported an annual profit since going public in 2017.

This comes amid US President Donald Trump’s recent move to bring TikTok’s U.S. operations under domestic control. This could add more pressure on Snap which competes with the platform in the realm of youth-dominated short-form video.

Snapchat still holds a solid North American user base and appeals to young people as a private messaging hub. However, a stronger U.S. footing for TikTok could see advertisers redirect more spending its way once the threat of a ban disappears.

24/09/2025

Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal Raises Snapchat Stake to 2.8% with USD 133.5M

Prince Al Waleed Bin Talal has increased his investment in Snapchat (Snap Inc.). by purchasing 15.2 million shares. This brings his total stake to 40.8 million shares, representing approximately 2.8% of the company’s total shares..

The value of the purchased shares is estimated to be USD 133.5 million based on Snap’s stock price as of Monday morning’s share price.

Prince Al Waleed first disclosed his stake in Snapchat in 2018 and since then its shares have fallen by approximately 20%. Furthermore, its shares are down almost 90% from its record high in 2021.

Alwaleed, is among the richest people in the world with a $16.5 billion net worth. He is a seasoned investor and chairs the publicly listed Kingdom Holding Co. and also holds a stake in Elon Musk’s xAI.

With TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube pulling in users and advertisers, Snap’s revenue growth has taken a hit. In fact, according to Bloomberg, the company has not reported an annual profit since going public in 2017.

This comes amid US President Donald Trump’s recent move to bring TikTok’s U.S. operations under domestic control. This could add more pressure on Snap which competes with the platform in the realm of youth-dominated short-form video.

Snapchat still holds a solid North American user base and appeals to young people as a private messaging hub.

However, a stronger U.S. footing for TikTok could see advertisers redirect more spending its way once the threat of a ban disappears.

24/08/2025

Who Is Alwaleed Bin Talal?

Alwaleed bin Talal is a businessman, investor, philanthropist, and member of the royal family of Saudi Arabia. He is the founder and majority shareholder of the Kingdom Holding Company, a Saudi Arabian conglomerate that invests in hotels, real estate, and publicly traded companies worldwide. He's regarded as one of the wealthiest global investors. His net worth was $17.4 billion as of June 2025, according to Bloomberg.

Alwaleed bin Talal was born on March 7, 1955 into the House of Saud in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He's a member of the royal family of Saudi Arabia, making him a prince. He is the grandson of Saudi Arabia’s first monarch, King Ibn Saud, and the nephew of the nation’s last king, Abdullah Saud. His mother, Princess Mona Al Solh, was the daughter of the first Prime Minister of Lebanon.

Alwaleed bin Talal traveled to the United States to pursue his education in 1975. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Menlo College in California in 1979 and a graduate degree in social sciences from Syracuse University in 1985. Bin Talal returned to Saudi Arabia to launch a business career after he graduated.

Alwaleed's maternal grandfather was Riad El Solh, the first prime minister of Lebanon.

Bin Talal founded the Kingdom Holding Company in 1980. A devout value investor, Alwaleed uses Kingdom Holding as a vehicle to hold an internationally diverse portfolio of businesses operating in many sectors including banking, real estate, and healthcare.

When Kingdom Holding launched, Saudi Arabia required foreign companies to have partners and representatives who were citizens of the kingdom. Bin Talal represented international companies and claimed ownership stakes in the projects he helped to facilitate. He amassed a personal net worth of $1 billion by 1989.

24/08/2025

Scouting empowering Saudi women on global stage

Scouting is more than just a youth activity; it is a universal language that connects young people from diverse cultures, developing their leadership, belonging and a sense of responsibility. In Saudi Arabia, Scouting has emerged as a vital platform for empowering youth, especially women, in alignment with Vision 2030, which places youth at the heart of the nation’s transformation.

Driven by (Princess Lamia) a deep belief in the leadership potential of Saudi women, Alwaleed Philanthropies launched a strategic initiative in collaboration with the World Scout Foundation to expand young women’s participation in Scouting both within the Kingdom and internationally. This initiative has led to the establishment of the first women’s Scout units in leading Saudi universities, and authorities including Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, King Khalid University, Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal University and the Diriyah Gate Development Authority.

The focus is not on symbolic representation, but on true empowerment. To date, more than 400 Saudi Rovers have been supported, many trained to represent the Kingdom at global events, while others lead Scout teams on campus, strengthening their presence both nationally and internationally. In 2019, the initiative enabled the first official participation of young Saudi women at the World Scout Jamboree in the US, a historic moment that marked a new era for women in Saudi Scouting. This journey continued with active participation at the World Scout Jamboree in South Korea in 2023 and now we celebrate the participation of a female Saudi delegation at the World Scout Moot in Portugal in 2025.

We also launched the first Saudi edition of the “JOTA-JOTI” virtual program in collaboration with Princess Nourah University, opening new avenues for young women to connect globally and learn in innovative digital spaces.

As chair of the Girl Scouts Committee at the Saudi Arabian Scouts Association, my (Princess Sama) focus is on transforming empowerment into tangible opportunities for building female Scout leaders in the field. We have worked to establish women’s Scout teams in universities, open pathways for participation in national and international camps, and develop leadership and teamwork skills.

The committee’s vision is to make Scouting a genuine path to leadership, through specialized programs, global representation opportunities and community-driven initiatives that promote inclusion and equality. In every event, those taking part showcase the modern Saudi woman: empowered, proactive and responsible.

Today, we see the results of that commitment: young women leading teams, representing the Kingdom abroad and creating real impacts in their communities.

What we witness is only one milestone in a longer journey toward greater empowerment, broader inclusion and deeper impact. Saudi Scouting has moved far beyond its traditional role to become a strategic platform for shaping the leaders of tomorrow, both men and women.

We firmly believe that continued support for the empowerment of young women in Scouting will help cultivate a generation capable of representing Saudi Arabia at its best, while achieving their aspirations at home and abroad. In this defining national moment, where the roots of heritage meet the vision of the future, our hopes rest on the youth of our nation, both young men and women, to stand as a cornerstone in building our country’s future.

26/07/2025

Alwaleed Philanthropies Launches Atlai 2.0, AI-Driven Climate Intelligence for Global Action

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia--Building on its commitment to addressing critical environmental challenges through innovation, Alwaleed Philanthropies, chaired by HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal AlSaud, today announced the launch of Atlai 2.0, an enhanced version of its AI-powered platform to combat climate change and protect ecosystems.

Atlai 2.0 builds on the success of the previous version by integrating an advanced features covering monitoring, reporting, and the analysis of real-time data to address environmental challenges more effectively.

Atlai 2.0 aggregates even broader datasets on deforestation events and analyzes key climate indicators such as temperature changes and air quality, producing reports and facts, equipping policymakers, activists, and the public with the necessary data to take informed action.

With 40% of world’s land degraded, affecting 3 billion people and destabilizing communities, there is a need for data-driven climate advocacy. Atlai 2.0 is a critical resource offering accessible information globally, at no cost. Users can now receive comprehensive alerts on key climate incidents. The platform offers reports that are customizable by location and preferences, with multiple language options.

As part of Alwaleed Philanthropies’ mission to create sustainable impact, Atlai 2.0 reinforces the organization’s commitment to leveraging innovation for global progress. Atlai 2.0 works in support of the SDGs, by delivering tools that use data as powerful tool in reinforcing global efforts to protect communities in the face of an escalating climate.

Reflecting on the launch, the Secretary-General of Alwaleed Philanthropies HRH Princess Lamia bint Majed Al Saud said:
“At Alwaleed Philanthropies, we're focused on delivering real solutions that equip communities with the knowledge they need to make a difference. With Atlai 2.0, we’re empowering climate change advocates around the world with insights and information vital to strengthening environmental resilience. We are committed to driving this vision forward, driving progress for global challenges through innovative tools.”

About Alwaleed Philanthropies
For over four decades, Alwaleed Philanthropies has invested more than $5 billion in social welfare, launching over 1000 projects across 190+ countries. Managed by 10 Saudi women, the foundation has reached more than 1 billion people worldwide, regardless of gender, race, or religion. It collaborates with various philanthropic, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations to empower women and youth, develop communities, provide disaster relief, promote cultural understanding, and support healthier environment.