According to CoinMeta, as reported by FirstSquawk, Saudi Arabia has raised its forecast for the budget deficit in 2026 from 3.3% to 4.9%, with expected expenditures of around 1.4 trillion riyals, mainly for defense, infrastructure, and economic diversification. At the same time, Saudi Arabia has also lowered its forecast for actual GDP growth in 2026 from 4.6% to a contraction of 3.6% due to the pressure on the economy caused by the decline in oil and gas activities during the US-Iran war.