Elm, backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign Public Investment Fund, expresses strong ‘appetite’ for engaging with Northern Metropolis project
A Saudi Arabian tech giant has made Hong Kong its first stop on its maiden visit to Asia, expressing strong interest in partnering with local authorities to co-develop a smart city and establish a strategic gateway to the broader regional market.
The remarks on Wednesday followed the opening of LEAP East 2026, the inaugural Hong Kong edition of the global tech event, where Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po highlighted deepening ties between the two regions. Chan said he would lead a business delegation to Saudi Arabia later this year.
The three-day technology conference in Wan Chai has already drawn about 35,000 participants from more than 30 countries and territories to Hong Kong.
“This is my first time in Asia and the start is in Hong Kong,” said Majid Saad Al-Arifi, executive vice-president of marketing at Elm, in an interview with the South China Morning Post.
He added that the visit was the firm’s first step towards entering the Asian market.
Elm is backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign Public Investment Fund and serves as the digital solutions provider for governments and businesses.
Al-Arifi noted that while company executives had only brief discussions with Hong Kong officials during the exhibition, the firm had a strong “appetite” for exploring how to engage with the Northern Metropolis project.