Executive Summary
The Saudi Arabian Capital Market is the largest in the GCC region. Saudi Stock markets dwarfs its GCC counterparts in Market Cap and Traded Value. The dominant position could be attributed to the listing of Saudi Aramco in December 2019. Major Saudi Banks have been providing investment banking services since the 1970s oil boom. The Saudi Capital market ecosystem comprises of the regulator -Capital Market Authority (CMA), Investment banks, asset management companies, and custodians.
With the establishment of the Capital Market Authority (CMA) in the year 2003, many regulations were put in place to restraint speculative trading in the stock market post the Tadawul market crash of 2006. Following the crash, many Saudi Banks spun off their investment banking divisions into a separate entities. Leading Investment Banks established during this time include Samba Capital, HSBC KSA, NCB Capital, JP Morgan KSA and GIB Capital. Leading Saudi AMCs include NCB Capital, Alinma Investment Co, Riyad Capital, Al Rajhi Capital and Samba Capital. Among public funds, Islamic funds and money market funds dominate in terms of assets under management (AuM).
