RIYADH: State-owned Saline Water Conservation Corporation (SWCC) has awarded a financial advisory mandate to Banque Saudi Fransi (BSF) for two greenfield projects. Patrice Couvegnes, BSF managing director, said: “The bank is committed to contributing to Saudi Vision 2030 with the objective of developing and delivering high-quality services to the private and government sectors.” He said that BSF and its subsidiary, Saudi Fransi Capital, has the distinction of being one of the most successful homegrown banks in the Kingdom besides being a leader in offering a wide range of financial and banking services.
The bank has assembled a team of professionals with vast experience in advisory, privatization and financial structuring, Couvegnes said. “After the announcement of Saudi Vision 2030, SWCC has become one of the first organizations to launch its privatization program,” said a statement issued after the deal was finalized. “With the Kingdom’s new 2030 vision, BSF’s role as a leading bank and a major financial institution has become more prominent, and the responsibility we carry has increased,” it added. The Riyadh-based SWCC is the largest desalinating corporation in the world besides being the second-largest power provider in Saudi Arabia. The SWCC, which has over 30 desalination plants and 14 transmission lines across the Kingdom, currently produces about 20 percent of the world’s desalinated water.
