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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
With three of its domestically licensed institutions in the regional top 10 in terms of net assets, Saudi Arabia’s banking sector is one of the largest and most vibrant in the Middle East. Historically it has thrived on the rise of high-value lending derived from the government’s infrastructure programmes, but recent years have also seen local...
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