Women Shaping Wealth Summit positions Riyadh as a global meeting point for women and capital

The inaugural Women Shaping Wealth Summit opened in Riyadh with more than 3,000 investors, founders, executives and business leaders convening for two days of discussion, investment and networking focused on the rising influence of women over capital and wealth. Organized by PLAYBOOK and hosted by H.E. Deemah Al Yahya, Chairwoman of the Advisory Board of Women Spark, the event brought 240 speakers from more than 20 countries to The Garage at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and featured 80 sessions, 12 workshops and a Power Pitch stage hosting 39 women-led startups.

“Over the next decade, more women will control more capital than any generation before them. The question is whether they will be in the rooms where it gets deployed,” said H.E. Deemah Al Yahya, framing Riyadh as “a place where Gulf, international and emerging-market capital increasingly converge.”

Details of the summit and organisers

The Summit is presented by PLAYBOOK, a wealth tech platform for women that connects more than 11,000 members across 120 countries and has facilitated over 800 speaking opportunities and 150 workshops across the MENA region. Women Spark, now part of PLAYBOOK, has funded more than 20 startups and served as the originating partner for the Women Shaping Wealth Summit.

Wafa Al Obaidat, Founder and CEO of PLAYBOOK and co-founder alongside Shreya Rammohan, Nada Darwish and Ismahan AlSaad, described the event as the evolution of a platform created “to give women greater access to the conversations, networks and opportunities surrounding wealth.” She said the Summit is intended to be an annual experience and “one of the defining gatherings for women and wealth in the region.”

Programme focus and participants

The two-day programme moved from framing the wider “Wealth Shift” — including a McKinsey-cited projection that women could control large portions of the roughly US$30 trillion expected to change hands in the United States by 2030 — into sessions on deploying capital, governance, investment strategy and legacy. Core themes included Money in Motion (investment, entrepreneurship and capital), Power in Networks (relationships and leadership) and Wealth in Wellbeing (health and longevity).

• Strategic partners included the Ministry of Investment through Invest Saudi, UBS, Range Rover and Saudi Awwal Bank.
• Additional partners named at the summit included Vista Equity Partners, Floward, Tarmeez Capital, Vennre, FinBursa, Alpaca, BALINCA, AlHashimi Pearls, Strategy&, the World Bank Group and Andersen.
• Notable participants and panelists included Rama Chakaki (Qatar Science & Technology Park), Amal Dokhan (500 Global), Afnan Ababtain (Ministry of Investment) and Muna AbuSulayman.

The Summit also translated conversation into direct funding opportunities through the Power Pitch stage where 39 women-led startups presented to investors and industry leaders, and hosted a dedicated panel from the Ministry of Investment highlighting Saudi Arabia’s sector and regional investment potential. Sara Al Sayed, Senior Executive Advisor to the Minister of Investment, delivered the Summit’s opening address on behalf of the ministry.

Outlook

Organisers signalled plans to make Women Shaping Wealth an annual fixture. The second day of the inaugural event concluded with the Power Pitch final and a private Gala and Awards ceremony at Kimpton KAFD Riyadh in the King Abdullah Financial District, intended to recognise individuals and organisations contributing to the evolving landscape of women, wealth and investment. PLAYBOOK’s stated ambition is to expand the network’s role in connecting capital, knowledge and opportunity as more women assume control of significant financial assets globally.