The sixth edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) began on Tuesday in Riyadh, under the theme of ‘Investing in Humanity: Enabling a New Global Order’, with groundbreaking discussions, major announcements, and thought-provoking workshops.
Officials, C-suite executives, and other dignitaries from around the world attended the first day if the conference, including President of Senegal, Macky Sall; Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Shari; Greek Minister of Development and Investments, Adonis Georgiadis; and Finnish Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Ville Skinnari; among others.
CEO of the FII Institute, Richard Attias, opened the conference with a promising message on the importance of sustainability and inclusivity. He said, “Our world is facing unprecedented threats, but it is also a unique time of new opportunities. We are on the road to a new global order. FII is proud to make our contribution to this conversation. We have created a unique format worthy of the incredible contributors we will hear this week, curating more than 180 sessions which are all designed to lead to action.”
The first day also saw the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) launch the largest ever carbon credit auction, held by the Voluntary Carbon Market, involving a total of one million tons of carbon credits. FII6 has so far seen a focus on sustainability, and the auction will play an important part in the PIF’s efforts to drive the investment required to address the global impact of climate change and achieve net zero carbon emissions in Saudi Arabia by 2060.
Governor of PIF, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, welcomed guests and delegates to the 6th Edition of FII commenting, “FII plays a unique role as a catalyst for global cooperation, an ideal I am deeply committed to.” Al-Rumayyan also chaired a plenary session titled ‘The New Global Order: View From the Board of Changemakers’ moderated by CNN Anchor, Richard Quest, which featured a riveting discussion about the global economic challenges.
Also in attendance are among changemakers including Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director & Group CEO of Mubadala Investment Company; Ray Dalio, Founder and CIO Mentor and Member of the Board of Bridgewater Associates; Jamie Dimon, Chairman & CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co.; Catherine MacGregor, CEO of ENGIE; Sara Menker, Founder & CEO of Gro Intelligence; Dr. Patrice Motsepe, Founder and Executive Chairman of African Rainbow Minerals; Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman, CEO & Co-Founder of The Blackstone Group; and David Solomon, Chairman & CEO of Goldman Sachs.
Delegates also witnessed the signing of important deals between the Saudi Ministry of Investment and its strategic partners, including biotech company Gingko Bioworks, manufacturing company Taihan, Latin American investment bank BTG Pactual, and an agreement on space tourism with Orbite.
Over 6,000 delegates from leading organizations across the globe attended the first day of the conference to hear business and political leaders discuss their thoughts on the ‘New Global Order’. FII 6th Edition will end on 27 October, with more key announcements and vital conversations taking place over the next two days.
The Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute is a new global nonprofit foundation with an investment arm and one agenda: Impact on Humanity. Global, inclusive and committed to Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles, we foster great minds from around the world and turn ideas into real-world solutions in five critical areas: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics, Education, Healthcare and Sustainability.