SABB named ‘Best Consumer Digital Bank’ in Saudi Arabia

Basha’ar Al-Qunaibet, deputy managing director, retail banking and wealth management at SABB.
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Updated 20 September 2021
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SABB named ‘Best Consumer Digital Bank’ in Saudi Arabia

The Saudi British Bank (SABB) has won the “Best Consumer Digital Bank” award in Saudi Arabia for 2021 from Global Finance. This award recognizes the bank’s efforts in developing digitally innovative solutions that provide customers with a cutting-edge digital experience.

The award was given based on a number of criteria, including the strength of the company’s strategy in attracting and supporting digital customers, growth in the number of digital customers, the success of digital initiatives, as well as the design and functionality of websites and mobile applications.

Basha’ar Al-Qunaibet, deputy managing director, retail banking and wealth management at SABB, said: “We are honored to receive this award, especially during this challenging year, which reinforces SABB’s ambition to be the best bank in the Kingdom, especially post the historic successful merger between SABB and Alawwal Bank. Considering that digital banking is one of our main pillars to support competitive strength and to improve customer experience, SABB will continue to focus on expanding its digital banking and developing solutions to provide customers with a pioneering banking experience.”

SABB has recently achieved a significant increase in the number of digital channel users, and has successfully migrated a wide range of services and manual processes to its digital platform, which has resulted in the bank’s strong position in attracting customers to its digital services and offers. Notably, SABB’s active digital customers reached 78 percent of the total active customers, with SABB’s mobile application accounting for 85 percent of total active digital customers. The bank’s adoption of digital mobile payments is also developing positively, with more than 1 million cards via mobile wallets.

In addition to that, the bank is working to strengthen its relationship with fintech companies, and is actively working with more than 15 companies in various areas of digital banking.


25,000 attend Social Development Bank’s DeveGO25 forum

Updated 27 December 2025
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25,000 attend Social Development Bank’s DeveGO25 forum

The Social Development Bank concluded the second edition of the Entrepreneurship and Modern Business Practices Forum — DeveGo 2025 — announcing the achievement of high-impact outcomes that further reinforced the forum’s position as the largest national platform in the region dedicated to entrepreneurship, innovation, and freelance work in Saudi Arabia and beyond. 

The forum witnessed broad participation from local and international experts, investors, entrepreneurs, and representatives of local, regional, and international institutions.

Over three days at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center, the forum drew 25,000 participants and visitors, who benefited from over 45 specialized workshops and over 2500 advisory sessions delivered by more than 70 consultants and experts. 

The sessions covered key areas including entrepreneurial planning, business models, venture capital, digital platforms, freelancing, and emerging technologies. 

The forum also featured 20 panel discussions with leading local and international speakers, addressing major global trends in entrepreneurship, including the future of artificial intelligence, the creative economy, digital transformation, and venture investment. 

The forum saw the launch of the Saudi Empretec Fellowship, in the presence of Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the UN Conference on Trade and Development. 

The partners in success within the Social Responsibility Portfolio supporting entrepreneurs were honored. 

It also saw the honoring of 13 winners of the Handicrafts Competition, representing various regions of the Kingdom, the announcement of winners of the Salam Award for Promising Projects, and the recognition of leading entrepreneurial projects fund under the Enterprises Track. 

In addition, the NEXT UP Challenge concluded on the third day of the forum with 20 startups presenting their projects to more than 500 investors, enhancing opportunities for networking and partnership building.

As part of efforts to strengthen the support ecosystem, the forum witnessed the signing of 51 agreements, along with the launch of a suite of new financing products. These included the Capital Expansion Product with a ceiling of up to SR10 million, the Payroll Product with a ceiling of SR2 million, and the Rental Product with a ceiling of SR1.5 million, aimed at supporting enterprises in asset development and covering operational costs. 

This reflects the bank’s direction toward offering more specialized financing tools that respond effectively to market needs.

The forum concluded by reaffirming its role as a unifying national platform for entrepreneurship, where accompanying activities and events provided direct engagement opportunities between entrepreneurs, investors, and experts. 

The forum also highlighted success stories and practical experiences that reflect the scale of entrepreneurial momentum in the Kingdom and the growing role of the Social Development Bank in supporting a national economy driven by innovation and knowledge.