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  • Saudi banks post $1.95 billion in aggregate profits for May 2024, reaching 14-month high

    The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) reported that these profits are before zakat and taxes. Cumulatively, banks recorded a total profit of SAR34.78 billion ($9.27 billion) in the first five months of 2024, compared to SAR31.12 billion in the same period last year.

  • Banks drag Saudi down, Qatar hits 3-month high

    The Saudi index closed lower on Sunday, with the financial sector leading the losses, while the Qatari index hit a three-month high having risen consistently through the month. Saudi Arabia's benchmark stock index (.TASI), opens new tab, which recorded its first monthly gain after three months of consecutive losses, dropped 0.4%. The losses in the index were driven by Saudi Arabia's two biggest lenders, with Al Rajhi Banking And Investment Corporation (1120.SE), opens new tab declining 1.8% and Saudi National Bank (1180.SE), opens new tab dipping 1.2%.

  • Saudi Islamic Banks Supported by Solid Operating Environment; Liquidity Tighter

    Saudi Islamic banks are well-placed in the banking sector, with larger retail franchises supporting higher margins, a lower cost of funding, and better asset quality. In general, financing growth has outpaced lending over the past few years, supported by the requirement for residential mortgages to all be sharia-compliant. Islamic banking is dominant in Saudi Arabia, with the largest proportion of Islamic financing (85%) of any country that allows conventional banks to operate alongside Islamic banks.

  • Saudi banks witness 8 percent surge in Q1 earnings, reaching $4.97 billion

    Saudi Arabia’s top 10 listed banks saw  their earnings surge in the first quarter (Q1) of 2024 by 8 percent to reach SAR18.65 billion ($4.97 billion), compared to the same period the previous year. This increase can be attributed to several factors, including an 11 percent growth in lending and a rising interest rate environment that has heightened the cost of credit.

  • Saudi Banks Profit from Rising Lending, Deposit Volumes

    Financial analysts connect the 8.2% increase in net profits for Saudi banks in the first quarter of 2024 to strong lending, higher demand for loans, and increased deposits. They point out that rising interest rates in recent years have boosted bank profits, especially from long-term loans with fluctuating interest rates. By the end of the first quarter of 2024, the top 10 Saudi banks listed on the Saudi stock market (Tadawul) saw their combined net profits rise by 8.2 percent, reaching about 18.65 billion Saudi riyals ($5 billion).

  • Saudi Banks Profit from Rising Lending, Deposit Volumes

    Financial analysts connect the 8.2% increase in net profits for Saudi banks in the first quarter of 2024 to strong lending, higher demand for loans, and increased deposits. They point out that rising interest rates in recent years have boosted bank profits, especially from long-term loans with fluctuating interest rates. By the end of the first quarter of 2024, the top 10 Saudi banks listed on the Saudi stock market (Tadawul) saw their combined net profits rise by 8.2 percent, reaching about 18.65 billion Saudi riyals ($5 billion).

  • Saudi banks’ aggregate profit down 7% to SAR 6.9B in March

    Banks operating in Saudi Arabia reported a 6.7% decline in aggregate net profit before Zakat and tax to nearly SAR 6.93 billion in March, compared to SAR 7.4 billion a year earlier, monthly data issued by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) showed.

  • Saudi banks’ foreign assets surge by 22%, reflecting robust international investments

    The foreign assets of Saudi Arabia’s commercial banks surged by 22 percent in February, reaching a total of SR347.63 billion ($92.7 billion), compared to the same month of the previous year. This notable increase, as reported by recent data from the Kingdom’s central bank, also known as SAMA, reflects a significant expansion in the institution’s international holdings and investments. Conversely, Saudi banks witnessed a 38 percent surge in foreign liabilities over the same period, increasing to SR288.22 billion. This rise, which encompasses various financial obligations to banks outside the Kingdom, resulted in the calculation of net foreign assets amounting to SR59.41 billion.

  • Saudi Arabia make up a third of Forbes Middle East’s 30 Most Valuable Banks

    Saudi Arabia is home to a third of Forbes Middle East’s “30 Most Valuable Banks,” with a 25 percent annual rise in the Kingdom’s entities’ accumulative market value. The 10 Saudi entries on the list — the same number as in the 2023 ranking —have a combined weighting of $279.5 billion, according to a statement.

    Al Rajhi Bank was placed top, having seen its market value grow by $21.7 billion over the last 12 months to hit $96.6 billion.

  • Solar Spider Targets Saudi Arabia Banks via New Malware

    The sophisticated threat group behind a complex JavaScript remote access Trojan (RAT) known as JSOutProx has released a new version of the malware to target organizations in the Middle East. Cybersecurity services firm Resecurity analyzed technical details of multiple incidents involving the JSOutProx malware targeting financial customers and delivering either a fake SWIFT payment notification if targeting an enterprise, or a MoneyGram template when targeting private citizens, the company wrote in a report published this week. The threat group has targeted government organizations in India and Taiwan, as well as financial organizations in the Philippines, Laos, Singapore, Malaysia, India — and now Saudi Arabia.