RIYADH: The head of an Israeli bank appeared at a Saudi investor forum Thursday and hailed “amazing” opportunities in the kingdom, a sign of the business world’s interest in seeing diplomatic ties between the former enemies.

Samer Haj-Yehia, the Arab-Israeli chairman of Bank Leumi since 2019, was addressing the Future Investment Initiative, a three-day conference held in the Saudi capital and often referred to as “Davos in the Desert”. “The opportunities are amazing and the fintech industry in particular is on the rise,” he said during a panel discussion.