Overseas investors poured $1.6 billion into Saudi Arabia’s stock exchange in the second quarter, the only Gulf market to post an increase in net foreign buying, according to Kamco Invest’s latest trading activity report.
The interest was driven in part by the kingdom’s decision to open its market to all overseas investors from Feb. 1, helping to lift foreign net buying by 75% year-on-year in the first half of 2026. The prospects for the Tadawul, as the Saudi market is known, could be further enhanced if the kingdom’s regulator delivers on a promise to lift foreign ownership limits, currently capped at 49%.
The market’s performance also reflects the fact that Saudi Arabia has weathered the US-Iran war better than many other Gulf countries, and its economy is still expected to grow this year.