Abdullah E. Al-Ayadhi

Public Investment Fund (PIF) was originally established by Royal Decree in 1971 to facilitate the development of the Saudi Arabian economy. In 1974, PIF was mandated to hold equity positions in Saudi Arabian joint-stock ventures and in 2008 they began managing a new sovereign wealth fund. Based in Riyadh, PIF's sole function is to finance investments in productive commercial projects which belong to the government and its industrial lending institutions or to public enterprises. They invest in projects undertaken independently or in partnership between the administrative authorities and private institutions. PIF's funding is handled through loans or guarantees, and in special cases, through allocations of public funds to specific projects. The secretariat general verifies applications and reviews studies of proposed projects in order to ensure their feasibility and profitability with respect to the Saudi Arabian economy. They also propose allocations to be earmarked in the budget to replenish the PIF. PIF provides capital to Saudi Arabian corporations in a range of sectors including cement manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, electricity and services. In addition, they fund a number of bilateral and Arab corporations on behalf of the Saudi Arabian government.