Saudi Summit Loses Its Swagger as Elites Question Kingdom
- Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan and BlackRock CEOs have pulled out
- Organizers say they will have 120 speakers at three-day event
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It’s an investment summit in the shadow of a killing: stripped of the glitz and glamour of business titans who last year flew in to woo a young prince and be a part of his grand plans to transform Saudi Arabia’s economy.
Hosted by the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, the three-day conference that kicks off in Riyadh on Tuesday was meant to showcase the opportunities created by efforts to break the economy’s dependence on oil and unveil billion-dollar contracts. That is, until the killing of government critic Jamal Khashoggi prompted dozens of business leaders to pull out.