DUBAI: Al Rajhi Bank, Saudi Arabia’s second-largest lender by assets, reported double-digit growth in first-quarter net profit on Tuesday, helped by higher special commission income and fees.
Saudi Arabia’s biggest Islamic lender said net profit rose 21 percent in the three months ended March 31 to 2.89 billion riyals ($771 million). It made net profit of 2.38 billion riyals in the same perioda year earlier.
The bank aims to boost its mortgage lending as more affordable housing comes on the market, Chief Executive Steve Bertamini told Reuters this month.
Al Rajhi, which has traditionally focused on consumer banking, has been cautiously expanding its exposure to the private sector, Bertamini said, amid expectations that government employment may not rise much in the future.
Saudi banks’ performance in 2019 should be boosted by a surge in liquidity and an anticipated recovery in lending against a backdrop of higher oil prices.
Saudi Arabia’s economy grew in the fourth quarter of last year at its fastest rate since early 2016 due to an expansion in the oil sector, while non-oil growth was sluggish, statistics agency data showed in March.
Al Rajhi attributed its performance to an increase in total operating income, due to special commission income and fees.
Operating income for the quarter rose by 12 percent year-on-year to 4.64 billion riyals, while profits from special commissions increased 15 percent over the same time frame to 3.94 billion riyals.
Loans and advances at the end of March stood at 236.42 billion riyals, up 3.6 percent year-on-year, while deposits rose 3.4 percent to 293.5 billion riyals over the same period.
Saudi’s Al Rajhi Bank Q1 net profit rises 21% on higher fees
Saudi’s Al Rajhi Bank Q1 net profit rises 21% on higher fees
- The bank aims to boost its mortgage lending as more affordable housing comes on the market: CEO
Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 10,847
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index dipped on Wednesday, losing 58.51 points, or 0.54 percent, to close at 10,847.93.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR3.78 billion ($1 billion), as 73 of the listed stocks advanced, while 187 retreated.
The MSCI Tadawul Index decreased, down 7.09 points or 0.48 percent, to close at 1,472.98.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu lost 178.75 points, or 0.77 percent, to close at 22,916.83. This comes as 30 of the listed stocks advanced, while 37 retreated.
The best-performing stock was the Power and Water Utility Co. for Jubail and Yanbu, with its share price surging by 8.47 percent to SR31.24.
Other top performers included Saudi Paper Manufacturing Co., which saw its share price rise by 6.13 percent to SR53.70, and Jamjoom Pharmaceuticals Factory Co., which saw a 4.58 percent increase to SR137.
On the downside, the worst performer of the day was CHUBB Arabia Cooperative Insurance Co., whose share price fell by 5.14 percent to SR17.53.
Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. and Arabian Internet and Communications Services Co. also saw declines, with their shares dropping by 4.87 percent and 4.43 percent to SR4.88 and SR181.40, respectively.
On the announcement front, Saudi Kayan Petrochemical Co. announced its annual financial results for 2025, with sales dropping 3.06 percent year-on-year to SR8.45 billion. The company also recorded a net loss of SR893.86 million.
In a Tadawul statement, the company said the net loss and decline in annual sales were driven by a drop in average selling prices, despite higher sales volumes.
