Kingdom Holding Company, the investment vehicle of Saudi billionaire Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, is moving to acquire a majority stake in Al Hilal, the Saudi Professional League football club. The deal marks a significant foray by one of the Arab world's most prominent private investment houses into Saudi sports ownership, a sector drawing intensifying capital amid the kingdom's broader Vision 2030 entertainment and sports expansion. Al Hilal is one of the most decorated clubs in Asian football history, with a deep domestic fanbase and growing international profile. Kingdom Holding's entry as a majority owner would give the club access to a well-capitalized principal with diversified investment experience across real estate, media, and financial services. The transaction's financial terms, including deal size and timeline to close, have not been disclosed. Analysts will watch whether the acquisition triggers further consolidation in Saudi club ownership and how Kingdom Holding structures the deal given Al Hilal's existing commercial partnerships and the Saudi Pro League's evolving governance framework.
HDFC Bank's board has approved Rajiv Kumar, former Chief Election Commissioner and financial services secretary, as its Part-time Non-Executive Chairman from June 30, 2026. His chairmanship still requires RBI approval, but the move ends the bank's prolonged search for a permanent board leader.
Indian startups raised $1.1 billion across 16 deals in the week of June 21-26, 2026, up 2.5 times from the prior week, with CRED's $900 million Series H led by Meta accounting for most of the total. Square Yards became India's 131st unicorn after closing a $95 million round.
Jet fuel costs dropped sharply after a US-Iran interim peace deal, but airlines are expected to use the savings to rebuild margins rather than cut fares. Tight capacity, aircraft delivery delays, and weak budget carriers give major carriers unusual pricing power heading into the second half of 2026.
Meta is investing $900 million in CRED at a $4.5 billion valuation, the largest Indian startup round of 2026, as founder Kunal Shah moves to a global leadership role at WhatsApp. Miten Sampat takes over as interim CEO, and a major employee stock buyback is expected within weeks.
