Firm’s integrated smart city framework enables Saudi Arabia’s northern gateway to enter global rankings on its first appearance, reinforcing Mindsets’ position as a leading strategic partner for urban transformation in the Kingdom Ha’il, Saudi Arabia, 30 March 2026 — Mindsets, a leading investment and advisory firm, today announced that its client, the city of Hail, has secured 33rd place among 148 cities worldwide in the IMD Smart City Index 2026. The milestone marks Hail’s first-ever entry into one of the world’s most authoritative urban development benchmarks and positions the city alongside established global capitals as a model for citizen-centered smart city development. Working as a strategic advisor to the Municipality of Hail, Mindsets developed an integrated smart city framework aligned with the evaluation dimensions of the IMD Smart City Index: health and safety, mobility, activities, opportunities, and governance. The framework unified the city’s diverse modernization initiatives within a single strategic architecture, enabling clearer prioritization, stronger institutional coordination, and performance measurement tied directly to citizens’ lived experience. The achievement is particularly notable given Hail’s profile. A mid-sized city of approximately 500,000 residents in northern Saudi Arabia, Hail is historically celebrated as the cradle of Arab generosity and home to the UNESCO World Heritage Rock Art site spanning nearly 10,000 years. Its emergence among the world’s top-ranked smart cities demonstrates that innovation-led urban transformation is not exclusive to mega-cities—a narrative with powerful implications for sustainable development across the GCC and emerging markets. Under the Mindsets framework, Hail’s transformation has consistently placed residents at its center. The city has advanced digital municipal services, strengthened healthcare and public safety systems, expanded economic opportunity, and invested in environmental sustainability. The strategic architecture translates these efforts into an interconnected operating model with defined performance indicators, ensuring that progress is visible, accountable, and aligned with international evaluation