Saudi Arabia's Securities Depository Center Discusses Opening Capital Markets to Foreign Investors

Hanan Mohammad AlShehri, CEO of Saudi Arabia's Securities Depository Center Company (Edaa), discussed the kingdom's plans to open its capital markets to foreign investors during Bloomberg Invest 2026 in Hong Kong. The discussion focused on market infrastructure and capital flows as part of Saudi Arabia's broader economic diversification efforts. Opening capital markets to foreign investment could increase liquidity and attract international capital to Saudi markets.
At Bloomberg Invest 2026 in Hong Kong, Hanan Mohammad AlShehri, CEO of Edaa (Securities Depository Center Company), a subsidiary of Saudi Tadawul Group, discussed Saudi Arabia's strategy to open its capital markets to foreign investors. The conversation with Bloomberg's Lulu Chen centered on market infrastructure improvements and capital flow mechanisms necessary to facilitate international investment. This initiative aligns with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 economic diversification program, which aims to reduce dependence on oil revenues and develop the financial sector. Opening markets to foreign investors could enhance market liquidity, improve price discovery, and attract international capital flows to Saudi equities and fixed-income securities.
What's missing
The article does not specify what timeline or regulatory changes are planned for opening the markets, what specific barriers currently exist for foreign investors, or what the current level of foreign participation is in Saudi capital markets.
What different sources said
- BloombergCenter
Edaa on Market Infrastructure and Capital Flows
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