Saudi Arabia postpones its FII investor conference to 2027 amid Houthi attacks

Summary

Saudi Arabia has postponed its flagship investment conference, the Future Investment Initiative (FII), dubbed 'Davos in the Desert', until 2027. The event was scheduled for October 26 to 29, and organisers said the new dates would be announced very soon. The decision follows repeated missile and drone attacks on the kingdom by Iran-backed Houthi militants, which came after a deadly airport attack earlier this month. Security concerns remain over travel to Riyadh, and Al Jazeera reports that Riyadh also ordered government staff to work from home.

Timeline

1. CNBC

   19 Oct 2026, 16:12 UTCSource ↗

   CNBC reports that Saudi Arabia has postponed its major FII investor conference to 2027 as Iran-backed Houthis escalate missile and drone attacks on the kingdom, which followed a deadly airport attack earlier this month.

2. The Straits Times

   19 Oct 2026, 17:10 UTCSource ↗

   The Straits Times reports that the annual Future Investment Initiative, dubbed 'Davos in the Desert' and scheduled for October 26 to 29, has been pushed to 2027 after Houthi attacks.

3. Channel NewsAsia

   19 Oct 2026, 20:35 UTCSource ↗

   Channel NewsAsia reports that the Saudi flagship investment conference has been pushed to 2027 after Houthi attacks, with organisers saying new dates would be announced soon while security concerns remain over travel to Riyadh.

4. Al Jazeera

   20 Oct 2026, 01:05 UTCSource ↗

   Al Jazeera reports that Riyadh has postponed its flagship investment conference until 2027 amid Houthi attacks and ordered government staff to work from home.

5. South China Morning Post

   20 Oct 2026, 01:57 UTCSource ↗

   The South China Morning Post reports that organisers confirmed in a Monday statement that the FII, planned for October 26 to 29, will now take place in 2027 following deadly attacks in the kingdom.