logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2025
18m 59s

Saudi Arabia's Megaproject Disaster!

PATRICK BOYLE
About this episode

Saudi Arabia's Neom megaprojects are running into major financial problems according to The Wall Street Journal.After more than $50 billion dollars has been spent the fantasy city has collided with reality.Costs have soared, delays are constant, and the capital expenditure estimates to complete the projects by 2080 have ballooned to $8.8 trillion dollars, which is over 25 times the kingdom's annual budget.Patrick's Books:Statistics For The Trading Floor: https://amzn.to/3eerLA0Derivatives For The Trading Floor: https://amzn.to/3cjsyPFCorporate Finance: https://amzn.to/3fn3rvC Ways To Support The ChannelPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/PatrickBoyleOnFinanceBuy Me a Coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/patrickboyleVisit our website: https://www.onfinance.orgFollow Patrick on Twitter Here: https://bsky.app/profile/pboyle.bsky.socialBusiness Inquiries ➡️ sponsors@onfinance.org

Up next
Oct 18
Did Ukraine Just Bomb the Russian Bots?
In October 2026, Ukrainian drone strikes knocked out three of Yandex’s six major data centers, and a viral chart claimed that Russian bots had vanished from social media overnight. They hadn’t. In this video, we look at what the strikes actually hit: Yandex’s search crawlers, Rus ... Show More
36m 23s
Oct 11
The French Bond Market Is on Fire
France now pays more to borrow than Greece and Italy, and French bond yields have hit their highest level in almost a quarter of a century. In this video, I look at why the French debt crisis is happening now: a global bond market selloff driven by AI spending and the Iran energy ... Show More
30m 8s
Oct 4
Turkey's $20 Billion Fund Collapse Explained
In September 2026, Turkey's investment fund industry collapsed, after funds run by Tera and Pusula failed to meet redemptions and regulators froze and liquidated 131 funds holding about $20 billion of savings belonging to more than 455,000 investors. In this video, Patrick Boyle ... Show More
33m 35s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2024
Analysis: Saudi Arabia's Economic Plans Stumble
One pillar of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious Vision 2030 development plan is NEOM, a land development, tourism, and model city project that is projected to cost at least a half a trillion dollars. Last week, NEOM’s CEO left suddenly. Asher Grant-Sasson speaks with Jon Alterman, directo ... Show More
4m 15s
Oct 2022
Why The Gulf States Need To Keep Building Big Dumb Mega Projects
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and other oil rich Middle Eastern states have announced plans to collectively invest trillions of dollars in new megaprojects, the most extreme of which is Saudi Arabia's $1 trillion 170km skyscraper called The Line. Why are these countries spending s ... Show More
23m 36s
Jun 2023
Why big projects go wrong
From the Sydney Opera House to a basic kitchen renovation there are thousands of examples of construction projects large and small which go horribly over budget.Professor Bent Flyvbjerg has compiled a database of 16,000 projects, and by his reckoning only 8.5% them meet their ini ... Show More
18m 11s
Jul 2024
Saudi Minister Urges Aramco Investment; Talaat Moustafa Controversy; Egypt Tourism Surge
Headlines: "Those Who Miss Out on Aramco Shares Will Regret It," Says Saudi Minister as Kingdom Unearths Oil & Gas RichesControversy Sparks Over Talaat Moustafa Group's $21 Billion MegaProject Amid Economic Struggles andMurder Case HistoryEgypt Hits Record 7.1M Tourists, $6.6B Re ... Show More
19m 55s
Jul 2024
Tech Turmoil, Saudi Growth Slowdown, and Dubai's Mental Health Initiative
Headlines: - Tech Glitch Sparks Cash Chaos at Starbucks: Digital Dependency Exposed -Saudi Arabia's GDP Growth to Lag Behind GCC Neighbors in 2024 -Dubai Allocates $28.5 Million for Mental Wealth Framework to Boost Community Well-Being 
15m 27s
Nov 2022
82 - Saudi Arabia: A Global Economic Powderkeg
Saudi Arabia is experiencing numerous simultaneous challenges at the moment, ranging from royal infighting, a rearming Yemen, a diverging population, and a growing threat from Iran. Tasked with guiding the Saudis through this storm is MBS, a leader whose track record leaves a bit ... Show More
1h 39m
Dec 2024
Indonesia Is Building a New Capital. It’s Not Going Well
Indonesia has embarked on an ambitious project to build a new capital city from scratch because Jakarta is overcrowded, polluted and sinking, fast. But the multibillion dollar new city, Nusantara, was plagued with problems from the very start. On today’s Big Take Asia Podcast, ho ... Show More
15m 57s
Mar 2024
Shocker: This $1T Saudi Arabian desert colony has a golf course
Neom is a $1T, 10.2k mile utopia currently being built in the Saudi Arabian desert. This luxury area will, of course, also now have a large golf “community” that looks straight out of a billionaire's dream sequence. Seems nice, but what are the issues with creating this giant adu ... Show More
16m 2s