12/06/2026 03:45 AST
Completed debt offerings reached SR16.13 billion ($4.29 billion) in Saudi Arabia in the first quarter of 2026, marking an annual rise of 22 percent according to the Capital Market Authority's quarterly statistical bulletin.
The figure for the first three months of the year also represented a SR1.14 billion rise from the previous quarter.
Private debt offerings accounted for most of the activity, rising to 55 offerings worth SR15.63 billion, compared with 46 offerings worth SR12.94 billion in the final three months of 2025.
The figures come as the Kingdom continues to develop its financial sector through measures designed to deepen liquidity, expand access to financing, and encourage greater institutional participation.
While debt markets and investment funds have recorded sustained growth, equity issuance activity has cooled from the elevated levels seen in recent years, reflecting changing market conditions and a more selective environment for new listings.
Public fund assets reached a record high in the first quarter of 2026, rising to SR231.69 billion from SR220.82 billion across the previous three months and SR193 billion in the same period a year earlier.
The rise was supported by foreign assets, which increased to SR39.60 billion from SR27.92 billion in the previous quarter.
Private funds also expanded during the period. Assets in private funds rose to SR700.69 billion from SR663.63 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025, while the number of private funds increased to 1,788 from 1,715.
Subscribers rose to 191,800, compared with 167,667 in the previous quarter.
The main Saudi stock market rebounded in the first three months of 2026. The main market index rose to 11,249.54 points from 10,490.69 in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The rebound came despite a weaker regional backdrop, with Kamco Invest reporting that five of the seven Gulf Cooperation Council exchanges declined in the first quarter of 2026.
According to Kamco Invest, Saudi Arabia remained the region's largest equity market by trading activity, with traded value rising to $77.5 billion from $75.1 billion in the fourth quarter of 2025, lifting its share of GCC traded value to 53.5 percent.
The Kingdom's market capitalization increased to SR9.86 trillion from SR8.82 trillion, while average daily traded value rose to SR5.02 billion from SR4.32 billion.
Public offering activity declined sharply. The total value of public offerings and share registrations fell to SR1.48 billion in the first quarter of 2026, down from SR13.53 billion in the previous three months and SR43.56 billion in the first quarter of 2025.
The number of public offering subscribers dropped to 45,216, from 311,056 in the previous quarter and nearly 2.95 million a year earlier.
Arab News
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