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The Latest Breaking News from Saudi Central Bank

Saudi Central Bank releases bank holiday schedule through 2029

The Saudi Central Bank has released a 2026-2029 holiday schedule for financial institutions, aiming to enhance market transparency and operational continuity. This long-term plan provides advance notice for major religious observances like Eid Al Fitr and Eid Al Adha, alongside fixed national holidays, enabling better financial planning for businesses and…

The Times of India

Saudi Arabia Seeks to Accelerate Development of Digital Currency

As the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) said on Monday that it was carrying out experiments with a central bank digital currency and exploring the potential benefits and risks of its use, economists told Asharq Al-Awsat that the local market was ready and enjoyed the ability to deal with the project…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Interest Rates Put Pressure on Lending, Limit the Liquidity of the Saudi Financial Market

Financial specialists attributed features of liquidity scarcity in the Saudi financial and banking sector to the effects of raising interest rates and increasing the Saudi Interbank Offered Rate, or Saibor, along with the emergence of attractive investment opportunities. According to specialists, the interest rates rose in parallel with the decline…

Asharq Al-Awsat

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Arab Banks Maintain Capital Adequacy at Minimum Levels

Governors of Arab central banks and monetary institutions announced that central banks in the region have maintained capital and liquidity adequacy above the minimum limits established in the Basel Agreement, noting that the total debt in the sector exceeded $756 billion. For his part, the Governor of the Saudi Central…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Central Bank Facilitates Entry of Fintech Companies into Kingdom’s Market

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) on Wednesday announced that it has updated the Framework of its Regulatory Sandbox. The move is part of its efforts to achieve several national strategic goals by promoting the regulatory sandbox's involvement in the Financial Sector Development Program (FSDP), a key objective of the Saudi…

Asharq Al-Awsat

SAMA Assets Reach Highest Level in 5 Years

The total assets of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) surpassed SR2 trillion (USD535 billion) in July, for the first time in five years. According to the data announced in the monthly statistical bulletin issued by SAMA on Sunday, the assets of the Saudi Central Bank recorded a growth of SR156.7…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Banking Sector Stimulates FinTech, Entrepreneurship

The Saudi Central Bank inaugurated the HORIZON Center at al-Bilad Bank to create a coherent environment that ensures support for digital entrepreneurial projects. Last May, the Saudi Cabinet adopted the financial technology strategy so that the Kingdom would be among the leading countries in the field of FinTech, with Riyadh…

Asharq Al-Awsat

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Saudi Project to Develop Quality of E-Commerce Data

Considering the growth of e-commerce and the desire to improve the mechanism of data collection related to the sector, Saudi authorities informed all banks in the Kingdom of the need to abide by the operational framework and technical and operational rules for the data quality development project. The Saudi Central…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Non-government Members Appointed on Saudi Central Bank’s Board

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, has agreed to appoint five non-government members to the Board of Directors of the Saudi Central Bank to lead the Kingdom’s financial sector. Sheila Al-Rowaily, who worked with Saudi Aramco, has become the first woman to join the board…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia Is the World’s Largest Incubator of Islamic Financial Assets

Saudi Arabia is the largest incubator of Islamic finance in the world in terms of assets, ranking first with a total of nearly SAR3 trillion ($800 billion) that represents 28% of the total global assets, confirmed Ziad al-Yousef, Deputy Governor for Development and Technology at the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA).…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia Tops Islamic Financial Service Sector with $800 bln in Assets

The Islamic financial services industry in Saudi Arabia enjoys a prominent position globally, announced Deputy Governor of the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) for Research and International Affairs Dr.

Asharq Al-Awsat

SAMA Updates Regulations of Temporary Precautionary Procedures to Protect Bank Clients from Financial Fraud

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announced on Tuesday it was updating the regulations of the temporary precautionary procedures to protect bank clients from financial fraud, reported the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Banks were informed of these procedures on April 7, upon assessments and follow ups that had been made in…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia Issues Draft Resolution on Implementing Payment Service

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announced opening a public consultation on the draft implementing regulation of payments and payment services law. In the interest of transparency and broader participation, SAMA invites stakeholders and the public to provide suggestions and observations on the draft by visiting the Public Consultation Platform (Istitlaa)…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia Expands Licensing of Foreign Currencies Trade

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) announced on Wednesday the licensing of the Al Tabdeel Co.

Asharq Al-Awsat

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Asharq Al-Awsat

Venture Capital Investments on the Rise in Saudi FinTech

The governor of Saudi Central Bank (Sama), Fahad al-Mubarak, announced that growth in financial technology companies (FinTech) contributed to the provision of crowdfunding and deferred payment activity, amounting to $533 million. Mubarak noted that the participation of FinTech companies in payments increased the total number of operations in national payment…

Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Central Bank Licenses New Payment Financial Tech Company

The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) licensed a new payment financial technology company, "Moyasar Financial Company" to provide E-commerce payment services. With Moyasar, the total number of payment companies licensed by SAMA reaches 16 companies, in addition to nine companies that were granted an "in-principle approval." Moyasar provides e-payment solutions that…

Asharq Al-Awsat

E-Transactions Top 57% of Total Payments in Saudi Arabia in 2021

Electronic payments in the Saudi retail sector exceeded 57% of total transactions conducted in 2021, surpassing the 55% target set out by the Financial Sector Development Program (FSDP), the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) said in a statement. SAMA Governor Fahad al-Mubarak said the central bank is working on promoting e-infrastructure,…

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