Prime Highlights:
- Saudi banks’ total loans reached SR 3.2 trillion ($849.7 billion) in June 2025, marking a 15.8 percent year-on-year increase.
- Real estate lending surged 39 percent, making it the top-performing sector and reflecting strong corporate demand.
Key Facts:
- Corporate loans accounted for 76 percent of the total lending, while individual loans dropped to 44 percent of total loans.
- The fintech sector now has 317 active companies, with 86 firms raising $4.66 billion in venture capital, supporting digital payments and banking innovation.
Key Background:
Saudi banks’ total outstanding loans reached SR 3.2 trillion, or $849.7 billion, in June 2025, up 15.8 percent from the same period last year, the Saudi Central Bank reported.
The growth was largely led by corporate lending, which accounted for 76 percent of the total increase at SR 1.8 trillion. Loans to individuals stood at SR 1.4 trillion, though their share fell from nearly 50 percent last year to 44 percent.
Loans taken by businesses showed 22.5 percent growth in comparison to the same period in 2021, indicating high demand for businesses in sectors related to Vision 2030 activities. Real estate led corporate lending with SR 384 billion in financing, a 39 percent increase, making up nearly 22 percent of total corporate loans.
The rise in lending is helping Saudi Arabia diversify its economy by funding major projects, infrastructure, housing, and public services. Real estate lending is growing due to higher homeownership goals, city expansion, projects like NEOM, and better property finance regulations.
Digital banking and fintech continue to expand in the region. Electronic payments make up 79 percent of transactions in Saudi Arabia. The country has 317 active fintech companies, and 86 of them have raised $4.66 billion in funding. In the Financial Sector Development Program, the goal is to create 525 firms and 18,000 jobs by 2030.
The lending growth translated into record profits across banks. Saudi National Bank reported a profit of SR 6.1 billion, marking a 17.3 percent increase compared to last year. Al Rajhi Bank logged in with SR 6.15 billion, which rose by 31 percent, and Saudi Away Bank and Banque Saudi Fransi returned with 2.13 billion and 1.3 billion, respectively. The overall industry profit exceeded SR 23 billion, which is the maximum quarterly earnings by Saudi banks.
Read more : Dubai Records Over 4,000 New Real-Estate Activities in H1 2025 as Investor Demand Surges
