Saudi Arabia Opens Capital Market to All Foreign Investors Starting February 1

On Tuesday, the Saudi Arabian Capital Market Authority (CMA) announced the opening of its market to all foreign investors starting February 1, 2026. This became possible after the CMA board approved changes to the regulatory framework, allowing non-residents to invest directly in the main market, Bloomberg reports.

Thus, all segments of the capital market will become accessible to international investors, enabling them to participate directly. The approved amendments aim to expand and diversify the pool of investors eligible to invest in the main market, which in turn will contribute to increased investment inflows and improved liquidity in the Saudi market.

In its press release, the CMA emphasized that the new changes eliminate requirements for Qualified Foreign Investors (QFI) in the main market, ensuring access for all categories of foreign investors without the need to meet specific conditions.

By the end of the third quarter of 2025, the volume of investments by international investors in the capital market exceeded 590 billion Saudi riyals, while in the main market, this figure approached 519 billion riyals during the same period.