Arab News | Saudi banking strength amid global uncertainty

Amid an uncertain global economic environment shaped by geopolitical tensions, trade fragmentation, inflationary pressures, volatile energy markets and the possibility of further interest rate increases, Saudi Arabia’s banking sector continues to demonstrate resilience while playing a vital role in supporting the Kingdom’s economic transformation under Vision 2030.

Recent data from the Saudi Central Bank’s Monthly Statistical Bulletin for July 2026 underscore the strength of the Kingdom’s banking sector, supported by ample system-wide liquidity, strong capitalization, prudent regulation and sustained lending activity.

One of the clearest indicators of this strength is the expansion of broad money. Money supply, M3, reached approximately SR3.36 trillion ($897 billion) in July 2026, up 8.2 percent year on year, while bank deposits rose 8.6 percent to SR3.11 trillion. This substantial domestic liquidity was complemented by SAMA’s net foreign assets, which increased 10 percent year on year to SR1.83 trillion, providing an important buffer against external financial shocks.

Supported by strong liquidity across the monetary and banking systems, Saudi banks have continued to finance major development projects aligned with Vision 2030 while expanding credit to the private sector.

The expansion in liquidity reflects confidence in the financial system and strengthens its capacity to finance government projects, private-sector investment and household spending — all essential to sustaining economic growth.

Bank lending to the private sector increased approximately 6 percent to SR3.37 trillion in July 2026, highlighting the banking sector’s continued role in supporting businesses and broader economic activity.

Banks’ claims on the public sector, including government and quasi-government entities, reached SR944.7 billion in July 2026, an increase of 9.8 percent year on year. This growth reflects the banking sector’s expanding role in financing national development priorities and investing in government debt instruments. At the same time, maintaining a balanced allocation of credit remains essential to ensure that public-sector financing does not constrain funding available to the private sector.

The banking sector’s support for small and medium-sized enterprises is also becoming increasingly significant. Credit facilities extended to SMEs reached SR489.2 billion in the first quarter of 2026, representing an annual increase of approximately 27.6 percent and accounting for 11.8 percent of total credit facilities.

This expansion reflects the financial sector’s growing support for SMEs and advances two key Vision 2030 objectives: increasing their contribution to the Kingdom’s non-oil GDP from 20 percent to 35 percent and raising their share of total financing from 2 percent in 2016 to 20 percent by 2030.

Real estate lending also remained an important component of banking activity. In the second quarter of 2026, real estate loans increased approximately 5.3 percent year on year to SR979.7 billion, supporting housing demand and real estate development while advancing the Vision 2030 objective of increasing Saudi homeownership to 70 percent by 2030.

Consumer lending continued to expand as well. Consumer loans rose 4.5 percent to SR491.1 billion in the second quarter of 2026, while credit card loans increased 12.2 percent to SR34.1 billion. These trends point to continued access to consumer finance, while also underscoring the importance of prudent credit assessments and responsible lending to contain household indebtedness and credit risk.

Importantly, the continued expansion of private sector lending has not come at the expense of banks’ liquidity position. The regulatory loan-to-deposit ratio declined from 81.85 percent in July 2025 to 80.68 percent in July 2026.

This improvement indicates that funding growth has kept pace with credit expansion, allowing banks to maintain reasonable liquidity buffers while continuing to support private-sector activity and economic growth.

The sector’s capital position provides another important layer of resilience. Banks’ aggregate capital and reserves reached SR604.5 billion in the second quarter of 2026, representing an annual increase of approximately 8 percent. These substantial buffers strengthen banks’ capacity to absorb unforeseen external shocks while maintaining confidence in the Kingdom’s financial system and broader economic stability.

This resilience is further reflected in a capital adequacy ratio of 20.9 percent — comfortably above domestic regulatory requirements and Basel III standards. The ratio provides banks with considerable capacity to absorb potential losses while continuing to extend credit during periods of financial stress.

Taken together, these indicators point to a banking sector with strong liquidity, solid capitalization, prudent regulation and sustained credit growth. These fundamentals strengthen the sector’s ability to withstand external shocks while continuing to finance households, businesses and national development priorities.

As global economic uncertainty persists, the strength of Saudi Arabia’s banking sector will remain an important pillar of the Kingdom’s economic transformation. Its capacity to channel liquidity and capital toward productive activity, while maintaining appropriate financial buffers, positions the sector to continue supporting growth and diversification under Vision 2030.

X:@TalatHafiz