RIYADH: Saudi Tadawul Group finds itself in a “fortunate” position amid the Kingdom’s rapidly growing industries, said a senior executive.   

On the sidelines of the Capital Market Forum 2024 held in Hong Kong, Nayef Al-Athel, group chief of sales and marketing officer at Tadawul Group, highlighted the company’s aim to attract global investors by sharing compelling success stories at international forums.  

Speaking to Arab News, Al-Athel explained the dual nature of the group’s goals, emphasizing commercial targets focused on maximizing revenues as a listed company.   

He said: “I think we are very fortunate as a capital markets group, fortunate in the sense that a lot is going on in the Kingdom. There’s unbelievable momentum in various facets of this country, and we are fortunate to be at the juncture of spillover from all these industries and all these new sectors being unraveled and unveiled in Saudi Arabia.”   

Al-Athel added: “The story of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is very attractive, and that attraction then translates to us being very attractive as a capital market.”  

Additionally, he emphasized Saudi Arabia’s geographic and time zone position, acting as a bridge between the East and West.   

“If you take that from a geographical standpoint, time zone perspective, that can be straightforwardly translated into capital markets narratives of connecting East to West,” Al-Athel said.   

He added: “If you look at the conference that we’re in here at CMF Hong Kong, it’s literally an attempt, which we think is very successful of us, connecting East to West.” 

Commenting on his statement from the previous CMF in February held in Riyadh, Al-Athel explained how Tadawul Group is at the forefront of global capital market leaders. 

“We are a top 10 stock exchange when it comes to market cap, to continue to propel ourselves high incomes to market cap rankings. That, of course, means more IPOs and more capital market transactions, more interest from investors all over the world,” he said.

Al-Athel further explained that the group’s success is building itself as an equity capital market powerhouse in Saudi Arabia, particularly through a significant number of IPOs in recent years. There’s a focus on expanding into debt capital markets and derivatives to diversify their offerings.  

“We’ve worked hard on building ourselves as an equity capital market powerhouse. The number of IPOs has been staggering over the last three to four years in the Kingdom,” Al-Athel stated. 

However, he mentioned that there are currently no specific announcements to make. 

“We’re living in a very exciting situation as we speak, hosting 300 investors from 44 companies at the Capital Market Forum in Hong Kong,” said Al-Athel, adding that it’s the first cross-border capital market event, with participation from entities in Saudi such as the CMA and the Ministry of Investment. 

He continued: “This is the flavor of where we are at the moment. This is where we are focused. Again, for sure there will be activity in the foreseeable future.” 

Furthermore, Al-Athel mentioned that the group has celebrated 400 securities listed on Tadawul.  

“Among those 400 listed securities, we find many success stories, and those success stories do sell themselves internationally. We have more than 22 companies traveling with us to Hong Kong, and the sole purpose of those companies, the Saudi corporates, is to tell their success stories to investors from Asia. 

Al-Athel concluded his statement by highlighting the significant transformation undergone by the capital market, particularly with the achievement of 400 listed securities and a diverse investor base spanning Saudi Arabia, the region, and globally. 

He noted that the rise in institutional investment and increasing numbers of IPOs signal a healthy market environment. 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index slipped on Thursday, losing 175.70 points, or 1.41 percent, to close at 12,284.41.    

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR7.31 billion ($1.94 billion) as 41 of the stocks advanced, while 184 retreated.  

On the other hand, the Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu rose 199.85 points, or 0.74 percent, to close at 27,086.44. This came as 20 of the stocks advanced, while as many as 45 retreated. 

Meanwhile, the MSCI Tadawul Index slipped 19.92 points, or 1.28 percent, to close at 1,537.54. 

The best-performing stock of the day was Al-Babtain Power and Telecommunication Co. The company’s share price surged 7.77 percent to SR45.75. 

Other top performers include Retal Urban Development Co. as well as Tanmiah Food Co. 

The worst performer was Gulf Union Alahlia Cooperative Insurance Co. whose share price dropped by 10 percent to SR22.68. 

Other worst performers were Allied Cooperative Insurance Group as well as Al-Etihad Cooperative Insurance Co. 

On the announcements front, Jamjoom Pharmaceuticals Factory Co. has announced its interim financial results for the period ending on March 31. 

According to a Tadawul statement, the company’s net profit hit SR102.9 million in the first quarter of 2024, reflecting a 22 percent surge when compared to the similar quarter last year. 

The increase was mainly driven by an increase in sales, which were slightly offset by the devaluation impact from the Egyptian pound. 

Moreover, the National Gas and Industrialization Co. also announced its interim financial results for the first three months of 2024. 

A bourse filing revealed that the firm’s net profit reached SR78.6 million by the period ending on March 31, up 7.6 percent in comparison to the corresponding period in 2023. 

The increase in net profits is primarily attributed to a surge in gross profit by SR9 million due to increased revenues, alongside a rise in investment and finance income by SR2 million. Additionally, there was an increase in other income by SR1 million, coupled with a decrease in zakat expense by SR2 million. 

Furthermore, Modern Mills for Food Products Co. also announced its interim financial results for the first quarter of the year. 

According to a Tadawul statement, the company’s net profits climbed 1.3 percent to reach SR64.9 billion in the first three months of 2024 compared to the same period a year earlier. 

This rise is mainly owed to revenue growth as well as improving efficiency. 

Additionally, Saudi Industrial Investment Group also announced its interim financial results for the period ending on March 31. 

A bourse filing revealed that the firm’s net profit stood at SR28 million at the end of the first quarter of 2024, compared to a net loss of SR242 million recorded in the same quarter a year ago. 

The increase in net profit is attributed to SIIG’s higher share of profit from joint ventures, coupled with a reduction in zakat expenses.