RIYADH: Saudi Arabia plans to make its capital market more accessible to foreign investors by giving them full access to NOMU, a parallel market recently launched for small and medium-sized enterprises, Mohammed El-Kuwaiz, chairman of the Capital Market Authority (CMA) said Thursday.
Non-resident foreign investors will be able to invest directly in the parallel market starting from Jan. 1 next year, he said during an investment conference taking place this week in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia’s reforms to develop and open up its capital markets are part of Vision 2030, an economic reform plan aimed at boosting growth in the private sector and at diversifying the country’s economy beyond oil.
Qualified foreign institutions were allowed to start investing directly in Saudi Arabia’s stock market in 2015, and qualification requirements were eased in 2016.
Saudi Arabia has now over 100 qualified foreign institutional investors, of which more than 20 percent registered in the past month, El-Kuwaiz said.
Foreign investors in NOMU will no longer have to meet requirements to qualify as foreign institutional investors, but will have to continue to obey limits on foreign ownership of stocks, the chairman said.
As part of its efforts to open up the Saudi capital market, the CMA is reviewing issuing and listing rules to make the listing of stocks and debt instruments easier, he said.
As to new listings, around five to six initial public offerings are currently being reviewed by the authority, El-Kuwaiz said.
When asked about the IPO of oil giant Saudi Aramco, El-Kuwaiz said that foreign investors could participate in IPOs within Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities have said Saudi Aramco would be listed on both the Saudi stock exchange, called Tadawul, and on one or more international exchanges.
During the same investment conference in Riyadh this week, the CEO of Tadawul said the Saudi stock exchange could absorb the entirety of Saudi Aramco’s IPO.
Foreign investors to be given full access to Saudi parallel market
Foreign investors to be given full access to Saudi parallel market
Saudi Arabia expresses concern over UAE pressure on STC, warns against threats to its security
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia on Tuesday expressed regret over what it described as pressure by the United Arab Emirates on Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces to carry out military operations in Yemen’s Hadramaut and Al-Mahra governorates, warning that such actions pose a direct threat to the Kingdom’s national security and regional stability.
In a statement, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the reported moves were inconsistent with the principles of the Arab Coalition that supports the internationally recognised government of Yemen and undermined ongoing efforts to achieve security and stability in the country.
#Statement | Pursuant to the statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 25/12/2025 corresponding to 5/7/1447 regarding the Kingdom’s concerted efforts, working with the brotherly United Arab Emirates, to end and contain the escalatory steps taken by the Southern… pic.twitter.com/lTyU0gLgpf
— Foreign Ministry (@KSAmofaEN) December 30, 2025
The ministry referred to earlier statements by the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and the coalition leadership concerning the movement of ships carrying weapons and heavy vehicles from Fujairah port to Mukalla without official authorization.
Saudi Arabia stressed that any threat to its national security constituted a “red line,” adding that it would not hesitate to take all necessary measures to confront and neutralize such risks.
The Kingdom reaffirmed its support for Yemen’s security, stability, and sovereignty, as well as its full backing of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council and its government. It also reiterated that the southern issue is a just cause that can only be addressed through dialogue as part of a comprehensive political solution involving all Yemeni parties, including the STC.
Riyadh further emphasized the importance of the UAE responding to Yemen’s request to withdraw its military forces within 24 hours and to halt military or financial support to any Yemeni faction. The statement called for wisdom to prevail in order to preserve Gulf unity, bilateral relations, and the shared goal of regional stability and development.
