— Ministry of Investment revealed that foreign investments in new entities at the Kingdom soared 108 percent to reach 1,054 entities during the first half of 2021, compared to 509 a year earlier, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Sunday. The ministry said that foreign entities accounted for 55 percent of the total 1,054 entities in H1 2021, while joint ventures with Saudi partners dominated 45 percent of the total. Meanwhile, foreign entities represented 73 percent of the total 509 in H1 2020, while joint ventures with Saudi partners accounted for 27 percent of the total. The second quarter of 2021 witnessed a remarkable improvement in the total number of issued licenses by 21 percent compared with the first quarter, the ministry stated. The retail sector ranked first in the number of licenses with 24 percent, followed by the industrial sector with 20 percent.