The story of the Kingdom’s alternative investment market is one of potential. While Saudi Arabia is a regional leader in mutual fund activity and has led the recent GCC expansion of the segment both in terms of fund classes and volumes, in areas such as private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC), growth has been less brisk. Recent years,...
Tracking venture capital (VC) activity in the MENA region is a difficult undertaking. A recent report published by the MENA Private Equity Association (MENAPEA), the non-profit entity that represents the region’s most prominent alternative asset managers, estimated that up to 30% of MENA private equity (PE) and VC transactions are not...
While subdued oil prices have had a ripple effect on exchanges across the region, the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) has forged ahead with its bold strategy of reform. Having opened the door to direct foreign participation for the first time in 2015, in 2016 the exchange authorities and the market regulator are preparing for a new stage of...
The presence of 12 locally licensed commercial banks and the more recent arrival of 10 regional and global institutions, makes for a competitive banking sector in Saudi Arabia. Visibility is important when it comes to tapping into the Kingdom’s growing bankable population, and technology is playing a central role in the battle for market share...
It is often the case with major regulatory changes in capital markets that results precede implementation, and indeed, the effects of opening the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) to qualified foreign investors (QFIs) were seen in the months leading to formal implementation of the new mechanism. The arrival of international asset managers like...
One of the more interesting developments in Saudi Arabia’s financial sector in 2015-16 is the attention being paid by the regulator to the Kingdom’s nascent mortgage industry. As with many economies in the region, mortgages have traditionally played only a small part in the financial workings of the housing market, due largely to the precepts...
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