During the 54th Annual Meeting of the Arab Financial Institutions, Badr Al-Saad, Director General of the Arab Fund for Economic & Social Development (AFESD), announced a 50 million Kuwaiti dinar ($162.5M USD) bond issuance, leveraging the Fund's AA- credit rating to finance development projects across Arab nations.

Financial Highlights:

• Bond Terms: 3-year maturity at 4.25% yield

• Strategic Goal: Increase private sector engagement from $500Mto$1B by 2030

• Portfolio Status: Maintains AA- rating despite 29% non-performing loans

• Market Share: Accounts for 27% of all Arab development financing

Regional Context:
Al-Saad addressed significant challenges:
✓ Ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria
✓ 23% decline in Arab tourism sectors
✓ 1.8 million new displaced persons in 2024
✓ AFESD's emergency response mechanisms activated

Institutional Responses:

• AFESD: Accelerated project disbursements ($287M in Q2 2024)

• Kuwait Fund: Committed to collective development strategies

• Coordination: Joint initiatives with 7 major Arab financial institutions

Participating Organizations:

1. Arab Monetary Fund

2. Arab Investment & Export Credit Guarantee Corp.

3. Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa

4. Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment