New regulations for finance companies in Saudi Arabia

King Salman bin Abdulaziz. (REUTERS)
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Updated 26 April 2020
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New regulations for finance companies in Saudi Arabia

  • Article 4 of the Finance Companies Control Law states that no finance activities, as specified under this law, may be engaged in without obtaining a license in accordance with the provisions of this law and other applicable laws

JEDDAH: King Salman on Saturday issued a royal order instructing the Ministry of Justice to put in place controls to limit the practice of financial activity by unauthorized persons, according to the Finance Companies Control Law. This seeks to accurately track down the offenders, promptly putting them on trial and inflicting penalties on them.
The minister of justice and the chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, Dr. Walid bin Mohammed Al-Samaani, said that the new regulations will help to reduce the exploitation of debtors’ default through illegal means that do not take into account the debtors’ credit status and their ability to repay the debt.
Furthermore, he pointed out that the royal order will guarantee the ministry’s online links to the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) so that it can put in place the necessary mechanisms and arrangements, in partnership between the two bodies.

HIGHLIGHT

According to the second clause of Article 35 any person violating any of the provisions of the law shall be subject, depending on the gravity of the violation, to a fine not exceeding SR500,000 ($133,000) and imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or either penalty.

Article 4 of the Finance Companies Control Law states that no finance activities, as specified under this law, may be engaged in without obtaining a license in accordance with the provisions of this law and other applicable laws.
It also states that an unlicensed person may not, by any means, indicate, explicitly or implicitly, the engagement in finance activities as specified under this law.
According to the second clause of Article 35 any person violating any of the provisions of the law shall be subject, depending on the gravity of the violation, to a fine not exceeding SR500,000 ($133,000) and imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or either penalty.


Saudi Arabia welcomes ceasefire agreement between Syrian Democratic Forces and Syria state

Updated 19 January 2026
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Saudi Arabia welcomes ceasefire agreement between Syrian Democratic Forces and Syria state

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has welcomed an agreement between the Syrian state and Syrian Democratic Forces.
In a foreign ministry statement early on Monday, the Kingdom said it had welcomed an deal between Damascus and Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces that was announced by the Syrian government on Sunday.
The agreement entails merging all SDF forces into the defense and interior ministries and means that Kurdish forces will redeploy to east of the Euphrates river.
The 14-point deal would also see the immediate administrative and military handover of Deir Ezzor and Raqqa governorates.
The Syrian state would regain control of all border crossings, oil fields, and gas fields in the region, with protection secured by regular forces to ensure the return of resources to the Syrian government, while considering the special case of Kurdish areas, the state news agency SANA reported.
The ceasefire comes after intense fighting between the SDF and government troops in Aleppo. But SDF troops have now pulled back from there and the Syrian army now controls most areas east of Aleppo.
The Saudi foreign ministry statement also thanked the US for the agreement. Washington is believed to have supported brokering the ceasefire between allies SDF and the Syrian government, who they have also backed diplomatically since the fall of long-time dictator Bashar Assad.
The Syrian state announced on Friday a raft of new directives to recognize Syrian Kurds, including making their language official and bolstering other rights for the minority group.