Riyadh: Under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Development Fund (NDF), the Development Finance Conference (MOMENTUM 2025), hosted by the NDF, inaugurated under the theme “Where Development Finance Meets Action,” from 9 to 11 December 2025 at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh.

The opening ceremony was attended by His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Riyadh Region; His Excellency Mohammed bin Mazyad Al Tuwaijri, Vice Chairman of the National Development Fund (NDF); and Dr. Stephen Groff, Governor of the NDF, along with a number of Royal Highnesses, ministers, CEOs, and local, regional, and international development and economics leaders and experts.

In his opening remarks, His Excellency Mohammed Al Tuwaijri stated that the generous patronage of the conference reflects the Kingdom’s leadership's belief that investing in human capital is the most important investment to ensure a prosperous and sustainable future. He highlighted the Kingdom's leading role in reshaping the global development finance landscape, noting its alignment with the objectives of Vision 2030.

He explained that the National Development Fund presents valuable insights, contributing to renewed momentum for development. He added that the NDF reaffirms its commitment, as outlined by the leadership, to strengthen collaborative efforts aimed at building a thriving society and enabling a more sustainable future.

His Excellency also said that since its establishment, the NDF has worked to stimulate financing and empower vital sectors through twelve development funds and banks that operate in close alignment to serve people, enhance the economy, and support environmental sustainability. He pointed out that the ecosystem provided financing exceeding SAR 52 billion in a single year and contributed approximately SAR 47 billion to non-oil GDP, demonstrating the transition from financing to development and from support to sustainable impact. It also served more than one million beneficiaries, raised development finance efficiency, enabled thousands of citizens to access financing and entrepreneurship opportunities, and launched high-profile projects that contributed to economic diversification and sustainable job creation.

His Excellency stated that, at the international level, the Fund has financed more than 800 projects and programs across 100 countries, with a total value exceeding USD 21 billion. More than 20% of the Industrial Fund’s portfolio has been allocated to sustainable energy projects, including green hydrogen, with a capacity of 3.8 gigawatts, and solar energy projects with a capacity of 2.6 gigawatts, reflecting Saudi Arabia’s commitment to advancing the global green economy.

MOMENTUM 2025 aims to support the strategic directives of the National Development Fund and its affiliated development funds and banks by enriching the development sector, enhancing ecosystem efficiency, strengthening capacity to meet national priorities, and improving coordination to ensure a unified and sustainable development impact on society and the economy.