Closing Bell: Saudi main index slips to close at 12,409

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was $1.35 billion, as 108 of the stocks advanced and 118 retreated. Tadawul
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Updated 02 February 2025
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Closing Bell: Saudi main index slips to close at 12,409

  • Parallel market Nomu lost 145.58 points, or 0.47%, to close at 31,105.07
  • MSCI Tadawul Index gained 1.59 points, or 0.10%, to close at 1,54561

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index slipped on Sunday, losing 5.62 points, or 0.05 percent, to close at 12,409.87.

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR5.09 billion ($1.35 billion), as 108 of the stocks advanced and 118 retreated. 

The Kingdom’s parallel market, Nomu, lost 145.58 points, or 0.47 percent, to close at 31,105.07. This comes as 42 of the listed stocks advanced while 43 retreated. 

The MSCI Tadawul Index, however, gained 1.59 points, or 0.10 percent, to close at 1,54561. 

The best-performing stock of the day was Mutakamela Insurance Co., whose share price rose 9.74 percent to SR18.02. 

Other top performers included Allied Cooperative Insurance Group and Saudi Arabian Cooperative Insurance Co. whose share prices gained 8.55 percent to SR16 and 7.71 percent to SR17.88, respectively.

Thimar Development Holding Co. recorded the most significant drop, falling 7.5 percent to SR53.

Saudi Arabian Amiantit Co. also saw its stock prices fall 5.77 percent to SR29.40.

CHUBB Arabia Cooperative Insurance Co. saw its stock prices decline 4.26 percent to SR54.

Multi Business Group Co. announced its annual financial results for the period ending Dec. 31.

According to a Tadawul statement, the company reported a net profit of SR10.5 million last year, reflecting a 19.06 percent increase compared to 2023. 

The growth was driven by an 8 percent rise in total revenues, a 12 percent increase in gross profit, an 8 percent reduction in general and administrative expenses, and a 45 percent decrease in financing costs, despite a 161 percent surge in zakat expenses.

Multi Business Group Co. ended the session at SR18.80, up 10.43 percent.

Edarat Communication and Information Technology Co. announced its annual consolidated financial results for the period ending Dec. 31.

A bourse filing revealed that the firm recorded a net profit of SR24.6 million in 2024, reflecting a 41.98 percent rise compared to the previous year. 

The jump is primarily linked to a 31 percent rise in gross profit, which reached SR45.3 million in 2024, compared to SR34.6 million in 2023. Moreover, administrative expenses, as a percentage of revenue, dropped from 19.07 percent in 2023 to 16.71 percent in 2024, further leveraging the growth in net profit.

Edarat ended the session at SR671, up 1.55 percent.

The National Shipping Co. of Saudi Arabia announced its interim financial results for the period ending Dec. 31. According to a Tadawul statement, the firm recorded a net profit of SR2.16 billion in 2024, up 34.45 percent compared to 2023. 

The rise is owed to a surge in gross profit by SR627 million and an increase in the firm’s share in results of equity accounted investees by SR166 million. The increase in net profit was partially reduced by a decline in other income and a rise in general and administrative expenses compared to the same period last year.

National Shipping Co. of Saudi Arabia ended the session at SR29.95, down 0.67 percent.

Bank AlJazira has announced its annual financial results for the period ending Dec. 31. A bourse filing revealed that the firm recorded a net profit of SR1.23 billion in 2024, up 20.69 percent compared to 2023.

The bank ended the session at SR18.68, down 3.08 percent.

Saudi Awwal Bank also announced its annual financial results for the same period. According to a Tadawul statement, the firm recorded a net profit of SR8.07 billion in 2024, up 15.25 percent compared to 2023. This rise is due to a surge in total operating income, partially offset by a jump in total operating expenses and tax charges.

The bank ended the session at SR36.40, up 1.95 percent.


Islamic finance in Oman poised for 25% growth: Fitch 

Updated 01 February 2026
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Islamic finance in Oman poised for 25% growth: Fitch 

RIYADH: Oman’s Islamic finance sector is on track to reach $45 billion this year, rising from $36 billion at the end of 2025, supported by a favorable macroeconomic environment, according to a report by Fitch Ratings. 

The rating agency said the anticipated 25 percent year-on-year growth will be underpinned by increasing demand for sukuk as both a funding mechanism and a public policy tool, alongside government-led initiatives and growing grassroots demand for Shariah-compliant financial products. 

Sukuk accounted for around 60 percent of US dollar-denominated debt issuance in 2025, a sharp decline from 94.3 percent previously, with the remaining share comprising conventional bonds. Despite this progress, Fitch highlighted ongoing structural challenges, including the absence of Islamic treasury bills and derivatives, an underdeveloped Omani rial sukuk and bond market, and the limited role of Islamic non-bank financial institutions. 

The performance of Oman’s banking sector continues to reflect steady advancement toward Vision 2040, the country’s long-term development strategy focused on economic diversification, private sector expansion, and enhanced financial resilience. 

Operating conditions remain supportive for both Islamic and conventional banks in Oman, buoyed by elevated, though gradually moderating, oil prices, the report noted. 

Expanding credit flows — particularly to non-financial corporates and households — are helping drive the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises and boost domestic investment. These trends are reinforcing Oman’s efforts to reduce dependence on hydrocarbons and build a more diversified economic base. 

Fitch projects loan growth of 6 to 7 percent in 2026, fueled by rising demand across both retail and corporate segments. In addition, the proposed 5 percent personal income tax, scheduled for implementation from 2028, is expected to have only a limited overall impact on banks, according to the agency. 

Islamic banking in Oman was introduced following the Central Bank of Oman’s preliminary licensing guidelines issued in May 2011, which allowed the establishment of full-fledged Islamic banks and Islamic banking windows operating alongside conventional institutions. 

This regulatory framework was formally entrenched in December 2012 through a royal decree amending the Banking Law, requiring the creation of Shariah supervisory boards and granting the central bank authority to establish a High Shariah Supervisory Authority.