Saudi listed banks’ investments top SAR 1 trillion for first time

Investments by Saudi banks listed on the Saudi Exchange reached an unprecedented level, surpassing the SAR 1 trillion mark for the first time at the end of the second quarter of 2026. This milestone was supported by increased investments from most banks, led by Saudi National Bank, Riyad Bank, Banque Saudi Fransi, and Arab National Bank.

According to statistics compiled by Al Arabiya Business based on disclosures from the banks on the Saudi Exchange website, the total investments of 10 listed banks rose by 4.9% to SAR 1.005 trillion at the end of Q2 2026, compared to SAR 958.51 billion in the same period of 2025.

Bank investment details

Saudi National Bank led the sector, accounting for 32.05% of total investments with SAR 322.22 billion, marking a 2.14% annual increase. Al Rajhi Bank and Saudi Awwal Bank ranked second and third, despite their investments declining to SAR 174.99 billion and SAR 99.82 billion, respectively.

Riyad Bank recorded the fastest growth among the banks, up 26.5% to SAR 92.47 billion. Investments by Banque Saudi Fransi rose 17.34% to SAR 74.21 billion, Arab National Bank increased 17.74% to SAR 64.7 billion, and Alinma Bank grew 9.6% to SAR 56.62 billion. The Saudi Investment Bank posted an 8.9% increase to SAR 47.33 billion, followed by Bank AlJazira with 8.96% growth to SAR 40.96 billion, and Bank Albilad with a 12.1% rise to SAR 32.11 billion.

On a quarterly basis, investments by listed banks increased by 1.35% compared to the first quarter of 2026, when they stood at SAR 992.05 billion.

Net special commission income and profits

The statistics showed that net special commission income from investments rose by 16.2% during Q2 2026 to SAR 4.28 billion, compared to SAR 3.68 billion in the same period last year.

Al Rajhi Bank achieved the highest net special commission income from investments at SAR 1.02 billion, up 3.46% year-on-year, followed by Saudi National Bank with SAR 839 million, a 139% jump from the same period in 2025. Net special commission income from investments for listed banks increased by 27.15% compared to Q1 2026.

During the first half of 2026, net special commission income from investments reached SAR 7.72 billion, up 3.69% from the same period last year. Al Rajhi Bank led with SAR 1.94 billion, followed by Saudi National Bank with SAR 1.2 billion, and Arab National Bank with SAR 1.1 billion.

Government investments and net profits

The cumulative investments of commercial banks in Saudi Arabia in government and quasi-government bonds reached SAR 662.97 billion at the end of May 2026, a 6.43% annual increase.

The growth in investments and net special commission income was reflected in the sector’s profits, as net profits of listed banks rose by 8.2% in Q2 2026 to SAR 24.87 billion, marking a record quarterly high. Net profit attributable to shareholders in the first half of 2026 increased by 7.9% to SAR 48.82 billion, up SAR 3.57 billion from the same period last year.