U.S.-Saudi Business Council

What U.S.-Saudi Business Council does

The U.S.-Saudi Business Council is a bilateral, non-governmental, non-profit organization established in 1993 by Saudi Royal Decree and concurrent action of the U.S. Treasury Department to advance private-sector business, investment, and partnership between the two countries. It operates from a U.S. headquarters in Vienna, Virginia, and a regional office in Riyadh, and serves approximately 250 leading U.S. and Saudi companies across energy, finance, defense, technology, infrastructure, and healthcare. The Council is governed by a bilateral Board of Directors co-chaired by Lubna S. Olayan (Olayan Group) and Jane Fraser (Citi) and led operationally by President and CEO Charles S. Hallab. Its core offerings fall into four service families: strategic introductions to vetted business contacts and decision-makers; in-market expertise comprising tailored market intelligence, cultural insight, and regulatory guidance; hands-on support including trade missions, delegations, and deal facilitation; and access to a trusted network of senior executives through roundtables, forums, and events such as the Future Investment Initiative and the Global Health Exhibition. The Council additionally provides Saudi business visa processing, including five-year multiple-entry business visas, and acts as a convening body for high-level government engagement between the two countries.

The Council's revenue mechanics combine recurring membership subscriptions with non-dues income from research products and event sponsorships. Membership is sold to enterprise-scale corporations and government entities and bundles together access to the trusted network, market intelligence, cultural insight, regulatory guidance, trade missions, deal facilitation, and visa services. Non-membership revenue is generated through economic publications—Monthly Economic Briefs at $250 per issue, Quarterly Contract Awards Index Reports at $350 per issue, and Industry Sector Reports at $500 each—and through paid sponsorships of high-profile events such as the 30th Anniversary Gala. Distribution is direct and enterprise-focused: members apply online, the Council curates introductions through its two offices, and research products are sold through an online storefront. The Council does not sell software, has no proprietary technology platform, and operates as a pure facilitation, intelligence, and convening body. Its reported commercial impact includes facilitating more than $240 million in known cross-border trade and investment agreements over the last decade and contributing to $12.7 million in known U.S. export sales in 2020.

Name

U.S.-Saudi Business Council

Legal name

U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council

Website

https://ussaudi.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The U.S.-Saudi Business Council is a non-profit bilateral organization chartered by Saudi Royal Decree and U.S. Treasury action in 1993, facilitating U.S.-Saudi trade and investment through membership services, strategic introductions, market intelligence, trade missions, and events for approximately 250 leading companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vienna

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: The Council operates a membership program with approximately 250 leading U.S. and Saudi companies. Members receive access to vetted business contacts, market intelligence, cultural insight, regulatory guidance, trade missions, deal facilitation, and visa services.
2. Economic Reports and Sector Briefs: The Council publishes Monthly Economic Briefs, Quarterly Contract Awards Index Reports, and industry-specific sector reports available for purchase or included in membership.
3. Event Participation and Sponsorships: Revenue generated from exclusive gala events, trade missions, roundtables, and sponsorship opportunities such as the 30th Anniversary Gala.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The U.S.-Saudi Business Council is a bilateral, non-governmental non-profit organization that facilitates U.S.-Saudi commercial engagement through strategic introductions, market intelligence, cultural and regulatory guidance, trade missions, deal facilitation, visa services, and subscription-based research reports. Its core product is a membership-based service portfolio for approximately 250 leading U.S. and Saudi companies seeking cross-border business, investment, and partnership opportunities.

Product overview

The U.S.-Saudi Business Council serves as a bilateral business organization facilitating trade and investment between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Rather than a unified software product, it offers a portfolio of services including Strategic Introductions, In-Market Expertise, Hands-On Support, and access to its Trusted Network. The Council also provides subscription-based research products including Monthly Economic Briefs and Quarterly Contract Awards Index Reports, along with Industry Sector Reports, Visa Services, and Events & Programs such as trade missions and executive roundtables.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Introductions Access to vetted business contacts, decision-makers, and key stakeholders in both the United States and Saudi Arabia to facilitate bilateral business relationships for member companies.
• In-Market Expertise Tailored market intelligence, cultural insight, and regulatory guidance to help companies move confidently in the Saudi and U.S. markets.
• Hands-On Support Comprehensive support including trade mission organization and deal facilitation throughout the business journey for member companies.
• Monthly Economic Briefs Monthly economic briefs highlighting the latest economic developments in Saudi Arabia with sector-specific briefs based on current market trends, available by subscription at $250.00.
• Quarterly USSBC Contract Awards Index Reports Quarterly reports providing deeper analysis of major construction projects and contract awards in Saudi Arabia, available by subscription at $350.00 per quarterly report.
• Industry Sector Reports Comprehensive industry reports covering sectors including healthcare, mining, defense, infrastructure, and petrochemicals, available for $500.00 per report.
• Visa Services Assistance with processing business visa applications to Saudi Arabia, including five-year multiple entry business visas for corporate clients.
• Events & Programs Trade missions, executive roundtables, business forums, and networking events connecting U.S. and Saudi business leaders, including the 30th Anniversary Gala.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $240 million in known cross-border trade and investment agreements facilitated in the last 10 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM Bank)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026The U.S.-Saudi Business Council convened a high-level EXIM Bank Roundtable on April 29, 2026, in Washington D.C., bringing together senior U.S. and Saudi government officials, export credit leaders, and private sector stakeholders. The event featured the signing of a major reinsurance agreement between EXIM and Saudi EXIM Bank to support financing for U.S. exports to Saudi Arabia.
• Saudi Export-Import Bank (Saudi EXIM Bank)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026The Council facilitated the signing of a major reinsurance agreement between EXIM and Saudi EXIM Bank to support financing for U.S. exports of capital goods and production inputs to Saudi Arabia, enhance credit coverage, and strengthen supply chain resilience.
• Saudi Arabian Government Ministries and EntitiescoreOthersThe Council partners with numerous Saudi government entities including Ministry of Investment, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Health, General Authority of Civil Aviation, Saudi Aramco, and others to facilitate bilateral business engagement.
• U.S. Government EntitiescoreOthersEstablished through the U.S. Treasury Department, the Council maintains relationships with U.S. Department of State, Department of Commerce, and other federal agencies to support bilateral trade and investment.
• U.S. State Government PartnershipsminorOthersThe Council operates a state initiative program with partnerships across multiple U.S. states including Pennsylvania, Florida, Oregon, and Washington to promote bilateral trade.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• U.S.-China Business Council: Bilateral business council focused on U.S.-China commercial relations with membership from major U.S. and Chinese firms. Mirrors USSBC's operating model at much larger scale and a more geopolitically complex bilateral context.
• U.S.-India Business Council: Operated under the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, it promotes bilateral U.S.-India commercial engagement through member services, policy advocacy, and trade missions — the same value-chain blueprint as USSBC at greater scale.
• U.S.-UAE Business Council: Bilateral business council facilitating U.S.-UAE trade and investment. Same charter structure as USSBC — bilateral, government-endorsed, membership-funded — making it the closest structural peer.
• National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC): Bilateral/multi-country U.S.-Arab business promotion body headquartered in New York with a similar membership, missions, and trade-facilitation model. Directly comparable non-profit chamber promoting U.S. commercial engagement with the Arab world.

Broad incumbents

• Council of Saudi Chambers: Saudi national umbrella for chamber of commerce activities; broader in scope than USSBC but overlapping on bilateral trade facilitation and member services.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce: Largest U.S. business federation; runs multiple bilateral councils (U.S.-India, U.S.-Korea, U.S.-China) with the same membership, events, and advocacy playbook as USSBC, at substantially larger scale and budget.

Regional players

• German Business Council Saudi Arabia: German chamber in Saudi Arabia offering membership, market access, and trade-mission services — runs the exact same operating model as USSBC but for German-Saudi engagement.
• Saudi British Business Council: Bilateral Saudi-UK business promotion body offering membership, trade missions, and market intelligence — directly comparable services to USSBC but with a different partner country.
• Saudi-U.S. Trade & Investment Network (Industry-Focused Forums): Adjacent U.S.-Saudi bilateral engagement efforts (think tanks, chambers) that produce policy briefings and convenings on the same corridor — partial overlap with USSBC's policy/intelligence function.

Others

• Public Investment Fund (PIF) - International Engagements: Saudi sovereign wealth fund increasingly running direct U.S. deal sourcing, partnerships, and capital deployment — overlapping with USSBC's 'introductions and market access' value proposition from the Saudi-capital-deployed-into-U.S. side.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/us-saudi-arabian-business-council

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about U.S.-Saudi Business Council