Key points
- Over 50 Pakistani IT firms attend Riyadh meetup
- Expats offer investment, partnerships and market-entry support
ISLAMABAD: More than 50 Pakistani information technology (IT) companies participated in a networking event in Riyadh, helping Pakistani technology firms and startups establish and expand operations in Saudi Arabia.
The prospective expansion looks promising, as Pakistani expatriate business leaders are offering investment, partnerships, financing and local market support.
The Pakistan Tech Meetup was hosted by Majlis-e-Pakistan, a Riyadh-based Pakistani professional forum, on September 4 on the sidelines of LEAP 2026. The event brought together Pakistani technology companies, entrepreneurs, investors and professionals to explore business and investment opportunities in the Kingdom.
Majlis-e-Pakistan Patron-in-Chief Saqib Zubair said the Pakistani technology and business community in Saudi Arabia was committed to providing strategic support to Pakistani IT companies and startups seeking to establish operations, access financing and raise funds.
He said the community would support Pakistani delegates in exploring business and investment opportunities across sectors of the Saudi economy, adding that greater cooperation could strengthen trade and business ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
Saad Shah, chief executive of Pakistani IT company Hexalyze, said Pakistani technology companies had significant opportunities to expand their offshore operations in Gulf markets, particularly Saudi Arabia.
He said partnerships with Pakistani businesses already established in the Kingdom could help new entrants navigate the local market and avoid some of the costs and difficulties with setting up operations in an unfamiliar country.
Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) Chairman Sajjad Syed said the growing number of Pakistani IT companies and startups establishing subsidiaries and offshore offices in Saudi Arabia was a positive development for Pakistan’s technology industry and exports.
Emerging tech market
Saudi Arabia has emerged as an increasingly important technology market as the Kingdom accelerates investment in digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data centres and technology manufacturing under its Vision 2030 economic diversification programme.
Nearly $15 billion in investments, agreements and other commitments covering artificial intelligence infrastructure, data centres, cloud computing, technology manufacturing and venture capital were announced during LEAP 2026, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The push for greater expansion in the brotherly Islamic country is to complement Pakistan’s strategy to sustain growth in its technology exports.
Pakistan’s IT and IT-enabled services exports reached a record $4.6 billion in the fiscal year ended June 2026, according to industry data.
For Pakistani technology companies, establishing a presence in the Kingdom offers access to a rapidly expanding digital economy and potentially larger corporate and government contracts. The expatriate business network can also provide local knowledge, partnerships and financing that may reduce the barriers faced by companies entering the Kingdom for the first time.
The Riyadh meetup thus provided a business-to-business platform for Pakistani technology companies to connect with an established Pakistani professional community in Saudi Arabia and explore opportunities beyond conventional remote IT exports.
