Growth of managed assets and their distribution by category
The Capital Market Authority stated that the total value managed by funds and institutions in the kingdom rose by 18% during 2025, surpassing the 1.2 trillion riyal mark. This increase was driven primarily by a notable rise in private real estate fund assets, which grew by 53% to reach 356 billion riyals, as well as public money market funds, which reached a value of 77 billion riyals after an annual increase of 57%. Additionally, public and private debt instrument funds expanded by 44%, while private equity funds grew by 31% by the end of the year.
Development of the sukuk and debt instrument market
According to the annual report for 2025, the total value of sukuk and debt instruments listed on the Saudi financial market rose by about 7.5% to reach 713.4 billion riyals, compared to 663.5 billion riyals at the end of 2024. The authority also launched the off-platform settlement service for debt instruments (OTC) and removed restrictions on public fund investments in private debt instruments. Meanwhile, total amounts raised from sukuk and debt instrument offerings for companies alone reached 50.7 billion riyals, marking the second time in the past four years that this value exceeded total equity market fundraising, which stood at 33.9 billion riyals, reflecting the growing attractiveness of the debt market as a financing source.
Licensing of financial institutions and their performance
The authority issued 32 decisions to license new financial institutions, bringing the number of licensed entities to 215 by the end of 2025. Revenues of these institutions rose by 19.4% compared to the previous year to reach 20.8 billion riyals, while their profits reached 10.2 billion riyals, an increase of 16% over 2024.
Investor protection and compensations
Regarding investor protection, compensations awarded in civil lawsuits issued by the judicial committees of the Secretariat of the Committees for the Resolution of Securities Disputes amounted to 124.6 million riyals. The authority established three compensation funds for those affected by financial market violations, benefiting more than 20,000 investors according to distribution lines approved by the Committee for the Resolution of Securities Disputes. The average time for processing violations from the moment suspicion is detected until closure and appropriate action is taken is about 3.2 months.
Financial technology and investor growth
The number of investors benefiting from financial technology services rose by 35% to reach more than 1.06 million investors by the end of 2025, compared to 789.8 thousand in 2024. The value of portfolios managed through robo-advisor platforms reached 6.4 billion riyals, an increase of 86% over the previous year. Regarding debt instruments, the value of offerings through specialized platforms rose by 48% compared to 2024, when it was 3.4 billion riyals, exceeding 5.1 billion riyals in 2025. The authority supported this sector by adopting a regulatory framework to graduate the debt instrument offering and investment model from the financial technology laboratory, and began its application in the financial market with the aim of creating a legislative and regulatory environment that supports financial technology products, attracts innovative business models and modern technologies, expands financing opportunities, and stimulates investment.
Foreign investment and related legislation
The report showed an increase in net international investment in the main market by about 20 billion riyals, after it was 204.3 billion riyals in 2024, reaching 225.2 billion riyals within one year. The number of international investors in the financial market rose by 8.8% to reach about 161,000 investors by the end of 2025, compared to 147.8 thousand in the previous year. The authority issued a decision allowing foreign investors to invest in shares of listed real estate companies that invest in Mecca and Medina, and published a public consultation on opening the main market to non-resident foreign investors, a measure adopted at the beginning of the current year.
Global competitiveness indicators
On the global indicators front, the kingdom’s ranking improved in five out of twelve indicators related to financial markets, reflecting a range of efforts and measures taken in the financial market during the recent period to develop the sector.</p
