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# Riyadh to Host Major Global Defense Forum as Investment Flows Into Kingdom
- URL: https://www.adriadefense.com/riyadh-to-host-major-global-defense-forum-as-investment-flows-into-kingdom/
- Published: 2026-02-04T07:00:04.000Z
- Updated: 2026-02-04T07:00:03.000Z
- Description: Riyadh is set to host a major international defense exhibition with strong early participation, while a new $400 million real estate venture highlights foreign investor confidence in the Kingdom’s reforms.
- Author: AdriaDefense Desk
- Tags: Events, Industry, World Defense Show, WDS 2026, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, #Saudi Arabia defence news, #Saudi Arabia defence industry

**RIYADH** — Saudi Arabia is preparing to host one of the world’s premier defense exhibitions in February 2026, with organizers announcing that 90% of the event space is already booked nearly a year in advance. The World Defense Show (WDS) expects participants from approximately **80 countries**, including first-time national exhibitors like Japan and Finland.

The strong commitment underscores Riyadh’s ambition to become a central hub for the global defense industry. Notably, Türkiye has solidified its role as a key participant, becoming the third-largest exhibitor for the 2026 event.

In a separate development highlighting economic diversification, a new $400 million international investment platform for real estate and digital infrastructure was launched this week. The venture, named SL Property, is a partnership between Saudi Arabia’s Al-Saedan Real Estate and firms from the UK and Canada.

The investment platform is among the first to benefit from Saudi Arabia’s updated “Regulation on Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis,” which took effect in January. “We are pleased to be among the first beneficiaries of the promising new foreign investment system,” said Dr. Badr bin Ibrahim, chairman of Al-Saedan Real Estate.

The World Defense Show, themed “The Future of Defense Integration,” will be held from February 8 to 12, 2026, in Riyadh. It will feature new zones focused on unmanned systems and future technologies, alongside a conference program for industry leaders.