The ongoing liberalisation of capital markets provides a positive long-term outlook for Saudi Arabia’s alternative investment segment. The Kingdom is a regional leader in mutual fund activity, with the deepest and most varied investment pool in the GCC. Nevertheless, some structural hurdles remain to fund expansion in Saudi Arabia. The lack of arrangements for the mutual recognition of fund...
Financial Services
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Chapter | Alternative Investments from The Report: Saudi Arabia 2020
Chapter | Capital Markets from The Report: Saudi Arabia 2020
Recent and ongoing reforms of Saudi Arabia’s capital markets have seen the Kingdom gradually liberalise its investment framework and overhaul the operations of the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) – the largest exchange in the GCC by market capitalisation. Looking to initial public offerings, the state’s privatisation programme – a central component of Saudi Vision 2030 – is likely to generate...
The Kingdom’s banking sector started 2020 on a promising note, with 13 local banks serving a population of over 30m people. However, low oil prices and the disruptive effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are likely to undermine asset growth over the course of the year, though the Kingdom’s banks have previously demonstrated the ability to remain profitable despite difficulties. Looking to the...
Saudi Arabia’s decision to weaken the link between hydrocarbons and economic growth, and pursue a policy of diversification has seen a wide range of projects come to fruition in the last several years. While at present the Covid-19 pandemic and the unprecedented plunge in oil prices are causing significant short-term uncertainty, the reforms that have been put in place in recent years should stand the Kingdom in good stead over the longer term.
What role can the banking sector play in helping realise Vision 2030’s goals, particularly in terms of expanding the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)?
Articles & Analysis | Qatar's insurance market driven by new regulations and wider economic growth from The Report: Qatar 2020
It was the domestic oil boom that first gave impetus to the Qatari insurance sector in the 1950s, when protection against risk in such operations became essential. Foreign insurers dominated the landscape in the early years, but the arrival of the first domestic insurer in 1964, Qatar Insurance Company (QIC), heralded a change in direction...