Aramco completes $4bn sukuk issuance in London
3 February 2026
Saudi Aramco has completed the issuance of a $4bn international sukuk (Islamic bond), spread across four tranches on the London Stock Exchange.
The transaction, under Aramco’s global medium-term note programme, was priced on 26 January and consists of:
- $500m senior notes maturing in 2029, with a coupon rate of 4%
- $1.5bn senior notes maturing in 2031, with a coupon rate of 4.375%
- $1.25bn senior notes maturing in 2036, with a coupon rate of 5%
- $750m senior notes maturing in 2056, with a coupon rate of 6%.
In a statement from Aramco, Ziad Al-Murshed, Aramco’s executive vice-president of finance and chief financial officer, said: “This issuance is part of Aramco’s focused strategy to further optimise its capital structure and enhance shareholder value creation. The attractive pricing achieved on the transaction reflects global investors’ continued confidence in Aramco’s financial strength and resilient balance sheet. We remain firmly committed to maintaining disciplined capital management and delivering long-term value to our shareholders.”
Prior to its first sukuk issuance in 2026, Aramco made two US dollar-denominated issuances last year. The Saudi energy giant issued its first sukuk of the year in May, totalling $5bn in three separate tranches of five-, 10- and 30-year maturities.
In September, Aramco completed the issuance of a $3bn international sukuk, spread across two tranches on the London Stock Exchange.
Aramco raised a total of $9bn from two separate bond issuances in 2024. The world’s biggest oil exporter completed a $6bn bond issuance in July that was listed on the London Stock Exchange and comprised three $2bn tranches of US dollar-denominated senior unsecured notes.
Aramco then completed a $3bn issuance of international sukuk in October of that year, comprising two US dollar-denominated tranches, also listed on the London Stock Exchange.
The first tranche, worth $1.5bn, matures in 2029 and carries a profit rate of 4.25% a year. The second $1.5bn tranche matures in 2034 and carries a profit rate of 4.75% a year.
The two sukuk issuances in 2024 marked Aramco’s return to the debt market after a three-year gap. The last time the state enterprise tapped the global debt markets was in 2021, when it also raised $6bn from a three-tranche sukuk.
READ THE FEBRUARY 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF
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Exclusive from Meed
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SAR tenders design review consultancy for GCC rail link18 September 2026
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Tender issued for Libyan gas project17 September 2026
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Nakheel awards $218m Dubai Islands buildings deal17 September 2026
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Aldar and Mubadala acquire Masdar City Square17 September 2026
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Neom tenders Oxagon highway contract17 September 2026
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SAR tenders design review consultancy for GCC rail link18 September 2026

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Saudi Arabia Railways (SAR) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a design management and review consultant to oversee engineering works on the GCC railway network, the latest step in advancing the long-delayed regional rail link.
The RFP was issued on 9 September, with a submission deadline of 18 October.
The tender seeks a consultant to manage, audit and verify deliverables produced by SAR's separately appointed design services consultant, rather than carry out the design itself. The tendering for the design services consultancy is currently in progress.
Construction will be tendered separately through competitive bidding once designs are approved.
The GCC railway will run for about 672 kilometres (km) inside Saudi Arabia, linking the kingdom's existing network to Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE and Bahrain, with four sections of about 141km, 200km, 151km and 21km, respectively.
The line is planned as a single-track, non-electrified corridor for mixed freight and passenger traffic, with a maximum axle load of 32.4 tonnes and passing loops for bidirectional working.
The appointed consultant will develop a design management and review plan covering governance, interdisciplinary coordination and stage-gate approvals, and will issue formal review and audit reports against SAR's requirements and international standards.
The scope also covers stakeholder engagement, interface management and oversight of land acquisition activity tied to the design consultant's land acquisition plan.
Key design stages are expected to take about 16 months: four months for concept design, six for preliminary design and six for issued-for-construction design, each with four weeks of contingency.
SAR has asked bidders to mobilise a core team from day one. These must include a project director, engineering and design manager, stakeholder manager and lead document controller, all based at SAR's offices, with minimum experience thresholds ranging from three years for junior operators up to 25 years, including 15 in rail, for the project director role.
GCC railway line
Under the overall plan, the railway will run from Kuwait, pass through Dammam in Saudi Arabia, reach Bahrain via a planned causeway, and continue from Dammam to Qatar, the UAE and, ultimately, Muscat via Sohar in Oman. The railway is reported to cover about 2,186km in total.
The route length within each member state is as follows:
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The railway is designed for passenger trains travelling at 220 kilometres an hour (km/h) and freight trains operating at 80km/h–120km/h.
With high levels of project activity, governments in spending mode and renewed cooperation under the Al-Ula Declaration, the latest efforts to restart the GCC railway project may make more progress than previous attempts. If completed, the railway could prove transformational for a region that is globally connected but still divided by national borders.
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Tender issued for Libyan gas project17 September 2026
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The bid submission deadline is 2pm today (17 September) Libyan time.
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MOG is based in Tripoli and operates both onshore and offshore oil and gas facilities.
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Security issues and political instability have been a major problem for Libya’s oil and gas sector since the country’s civil war started in 2011.
Earlier this month, the Mellitah oil and gas complex was forced to shut down temporarily due to a protest over deteriorating public services.
The existing onshore complex includes housing, processing units, storage facilities and export facilities.
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Nakheel awards $218m Dubai Islands buildings deal17 September 2026
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Dubai-based developer Nakheel, now part of Dubai Holding, has awarded a main construction contract worth more than AED800m ($218m) for phases one and three of Bay Grove Residences at Dubai Islands.
The contract was awarded to the local firm Metac General Contracting Company.
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