Saudi Arabia is today one of the most dynamic markets in the Middle East, in a phase of structural transformation that has significantly modified the context in which international companies operate in the country. Vision 2030 — the economic and social reform program launched in 2016 — has opened sectors that until recently were closed to foreign investment, attracted international capital on an unprecedented scale, modified social and commercial practices in ways that continue to evolve. For Italian companies interested in the Saudi market, the contemporary context is significantly different from the one that older operators remember.
This doesn't mean tradition has lost weight. It means that tradition coexists with a rapid modernization, and understanding how the two dimensions articulate in the practice of contemporary business is the first step to operating well in the country. The etiquette practices that apply in the private sector of Riyadh in 2026 have elements of continuity with those of twenty years ago, but also significant differences — particularly in the sectors that the transformation has modernized most rapidly, like technology, finance, tourism, entertainment.
It's worth articulating five operational dimensions of business in Saudi Arabia with the level of precision they deserve, without reducing them to generalities.
The religious dimension as an operational variable
Islam in Saudi Arabia isn't one cultural factor among others — it's a frame of reference that operates actively in professional contexts, with operational implications that deserve informed attention.
The five daily prayers punctuate the working day. At prayer times, commercial activity stops for about fifteen to twenty minutes. Scheduling meetings that overlap with prayer times is an error of cultural respect that's noticed. Prayer times vary with the season and with the location, and it's standard practice to verify them when planning travel agendas. The Friday prayer at midday is the most significant religious moment of the week — commercial activities are reduced or suspended on Friday, and in many companies the weekend is Friday-Saturday rather than Saturday-Sunday (even if some companies that operate internationally have adopted the Saturday-Sunday weekend).
Ramadan is the period of the year with the greatest operational impact. During the month of Ramadan, the daytime fast profoundly modifies the working rhythms: hours compress significantly, the energy of the days is lower, social meetings shift to the evening hours after iftar (the breaking of the fast). Scheduling significant commercial activities during Ramadan without considering these constraints is the first cause of slipped timeframes. Business meetings are held anyway, but with adapted times and with the awareness that important decisions tend to be postponed to the end of the period. For foreign guests, it's considered courteous not to eat or drink in public during the fasting hours, even if you aren't Muslim.
The main religious holidays — Eid al-Fitr (the festival at the end of Ramadan) and Eid al-Adha (the festival of sacrifice) — are periods of complete interruption of commercial activity that last several days and can extend in operational contexts. Planning significant operations requires awareness of the Islamic calendar, which, being lunar, shifts by about eleven days each year relative to the Gregorian calendar.
The dietary habits require attention: alcohol is prohibited in the country, and this means it isn't present in business contexts, not even in the most informal business dinners. Pork-derived products are also absent. The meats are halal — prepared according to Islamic practices. For Italian companies that invite Saudi counterparts to Italy, organizing restaurants that can accommodate these needs is a concrete operational courtesy.
Hierarchy, and the real decision-maker
Saudi companies have clear hierarchical structures, and understanding how they operate in practice is essential to not waste time talking with the wrong people.
Significant partnership or investment decisions in Saudi Arabia generally pass through the top — owner, president, managing director, possibly figures of the owning family in family-controlled companies (which are the majority in the Saudi private sector). Intermediate technical and managerial figures play an important role in preparing decisions, but the final decision is the prerogative of the top.
This has practical operational consequences. Identifying who's effectively the decision-maker — who isn't always the person with the highest title on the org chart, but whoever has substantial authority over the specific decision — is the first step. Building the relationship directly with that figure is important. At the same time, the figures who prepare and support the decision deserve attention: often it's they who evaluate the technical quality of the proposal, and a negative evaluation from them can block access to the real decision-maker.
The honorific title Sheikh is used for people of high rank — tribal leaders, religious figures, personalities of particular prominence. It isn't a generic title equivalent to Sir. Using it correctly when appropriate is a sign of cultural awareness; using it for people who don't specifically merit it can appear clumsy. For most business counterparts, the use of professional titles (Director, President, Engineer — the latter particularly used for those with engineering training) accompanied by the name is appropriate. The name used is generally the given name, not the surname, even in formal contexts — a linguistic practice that differs from that of many other countries and that's worth knowing.
Age has a weight that's added to that of the role. A Saudi counterpart older than the foreign counterpart expects a deference that includes their role but isn't exhausted in it. Sending very young figures to a first meeting in front of older Saudi leadership can be perceived as a signal of little respect, regardless of the technical competences.
Time, described with precision
All the blogs talk about the "flexible perception of time" in Saudi Arabia. It's worth articulating what it concretely means, because the generic version can lead to misunderstandings.
Saudis aren't indifferent to time — punctuality is appreciated from those who come from abroad, and contemporary Saudi companies operate with structured calendars. What changes compared to more rigid contexts is the willingness to reorganize the agenda according to the priorities of the moment. A scheduled meeting can start late because the counterpart is managing something important. A meeting planned for forty-five minutes can extend to two hours if the conversation requires it, or conclude rapidly if the key points have been covered. Last-minute cancellations or postponements can happen.
For someone accustomed to more rigid calendars, this requires operational flexibility. Planning the agenda of a trip with time buffers, not scheduling several meetings too tightly in the same day, being available for reorganizations — are practical adaptations that reduce frustrations and misunderstandings. At the same time, one must maintain one's own punctuality: arriving on time or slightly early to meetings is the rule.
Decision times are longer than the average European ones. A significant partnership negotiation can require months of repeated meetings, progressive building of the relationship, articulate internal evaluations. Planning sales cycles with compressed timeframes is the first cause of disappointments. Strategic patience — the recognition that the long times are part of the process, not a hitch in it — is a prerequisite for operating well.
The personal relationship as foundation
As in other cultures of the Gulf, in Saudi Arabia the personal relationship precedes business. Not as a cultural option, but as a structural prerequisite. Personal trust toward the counterpart is the base without which the negotiation doesn't conclude, regardless of the quality of the proposal.
This translates into specific operational practices. The first meeting is rarely "productive" in the Italian sense of the term. You get acquainted. You talk about the person, the family (your own, never asking about the counterpart's family specifically — generic pleasantries about the family yes, direct questions about wives or daughters no), the trip, the hospitality received, common interests. For someone accustomed to meetings with a detailed agenda, this can seem like unfocused time. It's instead the way the negotiation begins.
Saudi hospitality is abundant and codified. The Arabic coffee (qahwa) served at the start of formal meetings is part of the welcoming ceremony — not a formality, but a signal that the conversation can begin. You accept it with the right hand, drink it in small quantities, lightly shake the cup when you've finished (a conventional gesture to indicate you don't want more). Refusing it is a rudeness that opens the relationship in the wrong way. It's often accompanied by dates, which are part of the traditional hospitality.
Invitations home or to formal meals are an expression of consideration and deserve to be accepted when possible. They're occasions in which the relationship deepens in ways that office meetings don't allow. At the same time, the separation between public contexts and private contexts can be significant — in some traditional family contexts, women may not be present at social meetings with male guests, in others they are. The operational rule is to observe the context and follow the host's indications.
The network of relationships — your own network of contacts — is the main map of Saudi business. Being introduced to a potential partner through someone who knows them and whom they trust is enormously more effective than introducing yourself cold. Investing time in quality introductions is worth more than investing in sophisticated commercial materials.
The contemporary transformation and what it means operationally
It's worth dedicating specific attention to the transformation the country is going through, because it has concrete operational implications that differentiate contemporary Saudi Arabia from that of a few years ago.
Economic openness is structural. Sectors that were closed to foreign investment have been progressively opened. The procedures for doing business in the country have been simplified. Facilitation instruments for foreign investors have been created. The regulatory framework for foreign companies is significantly more favorable than it was even just ten years ago.
Social modernization has had tangible effects on commercial life. Women are progressively more present in the workforce, including in roles of responsibility. Public entertainments — sporting events, concerts, festivals — have been introduced where they were previously prohibited. International tourism is today possible in ways that ten years ago it wasn't. For Italian companies that operate in sectors linked to these changes (entertainment, tourism, retail, hospitality, events), the context offers opportunities that until recently didn't exist.
The large infrastructure initiatives linked to Vision 2030 — projects like NEOM, Red Sea Project, Qiddiya, Diriyah Gate, Riyadh Metro — represent construction sites of international scale that attract investment, skills, and suppliers from all over the world. For Italian companies in sectors like architecture, engineering, construction, design, technology, these initiatives offer concrete opportunities for participation.
Modernization coexists with the continuity of tradition. Religious practices, the centrality of the family, the structure of social relationships, the founding elements of Saudi culture remain central. The error opposite to that of those who see only tradition is that of those who see only modernization and behave as if Saudi Arabia were "like Dubai" — much more similar to a generic international context. It isn't. Modernization articulates within a cultural framework that maintains its own specificity, and understanding this coexistence is part of the operational preparation.
The specific operational practices
Greetings. The handshake between men is standard practice in business contexts, accompanied by eye contact, often prolonged beyond what one is accustomed to. Always with the right hand. Sometimes followed by the gesture of the right hand to the chest, as a sign of respect. Between a man and a woman, physical contact in public contexts is generally avoided — you never initiate the handshake with a woman. If the woman extends her hand, you shake it lightly. If she doesn't extend it, a smile and a nod of the head are the appropriate default. The same logic applies in reverse for a Western woman who meets a Saudi man.
The standard verbal greeting is "as-salam alaikum" (peace be upon you), to which one responds "wa alaikum as-salam." It's a formula that always works, regardless of the context, and using it is appreciated as a sign of respect.
Clothing. For Western men, a full suit with tie is the standard for formal business contexts. For Western women, professional clothing that covers shoulders and knees, contained necklines. In the past foreign women were required to wear the abaya in public — this requirement has been progressively attenuated for foreign guests, but dressing conservatively remains the appropriate rule. In not strictly formal contexts and in cosmopolitan cities, the business dress code can be slightly more relaxed, but dressing a bit more conservatively than usual is always the safe choice.
Business cards. They're exchanged at the start of the meeting, with the right hand or with both. Bilingual English-Arabic versions are appreciated for meetings with high-ranking figures. They're received with attention, read visibly, placed on the table during the meeting. Receiving them and slipping them away without looking is a rudeness that's noticed.
Business meals. They're important in the building of the relationship. You eat with the right hand (the left has connotations of impurity in traditional Islamic practices). Meals can be long and rich, with meat and rice dishes that are a central part of the culinary tradition. Showing appreciation for the food is a courtesy that's noticed. The discussion of business during the meal happens when the host introduces it — you don't force the commercial agenda, you let the conversation flow.
Gifts. They're appreciated but must be calibrated. Quality Italian products — dates of particular value, alcohol-free perfumes, artisanal objects, art books — are consistent with the context. Avoid: products containing alcohol, pork derivatives, images of subjects potentially inappropriate in an Islamic context, excessively expensive gifts that could cause embarrassment or raise compliance questions. They're offered with the right hand or with both, accompanied by a small comment on the meaning.
What AI tools have changed for those operating in Saudi Arabia
Some operational changes deserve to be named.
Specific cultural preparation is progressively accessible. Before meetings with Saudi counterparts, building detailed briefings on the specific context of the sector, the province, the type of counterpart is today a rapid activity with AI tools. For companies that operate in Saudi Arabia without a structured local presence, this level of preparation produces tangible advantages.
Arabic-Italian translation has improved significantly. For years Arabic was a language where neural translations produced suboptimal results. Contemporary tools, integrated with LLMs for contextual review, produce professional-quality texts in rapid times. A final native-speaker review remains advisable for formal documents, but the base level is today much more accessible.
Analysis of the Saudi economic landscape. Understanding how specific sectors are evolving in the Vision 2030 context, what the active infrastructure projects are, who the main players are, what international partnerships are being structured, are activities that today are managed with the support of AI tools in ways that ten years ago required dedicated consulting.
Managing asynchronous relationships across time zones is facilitated by contemporary tools. The time-zone difference between Italy and Saudi Arabia (one hour or two, depending on the period) isn't particularly significant, but for companies that operate simultaneously with Saudi clients and other markets, the synthesis and communication-support tools facilitate operationally.
The dimension of personal relationships, of physical presence in the market, of building trust with specific counterparts, remains human — and indispensable. Saudi Arabia is particularly a context where repeated trips, direct presence, constant exposure produce value that no digital tool replaces.
Operating in Saudi Arabia today requires specific cultural preparation and a disposition to invest time in building relationships. The opportunities are significant, particularly for Italian companies that operate in sectors consistent with the priorities of the country's contemporary transformation. The structural economic growth, the openness to foreign investment, the large infrastructure initiatives compose a picture in which international companies — Italian included — find spaces that until recently didn't exist.
Respect for tradition and respect for the time that Saudi culture requires aren't obstacles to operability — they're the framework within which commercial relationships are built that, once consolidated, tend to last. For Italian companies that enter the market with the openness and patience that the context requires, Saudi Arabia can represent one of the most relevant international markets of their commercial horizon in the current decade.