«السوق»: تسهيل إجراءات فتح الحسابات الاستثمارية وتشغيلها لعدد من المستثمرين

The Capital Market Authority Board has approved a number of amendments to facilitate the procedures for opening investment accounts for various categories of investor clients as part of the project "Amendment of Investment Account Instructions, the Rules Regulating Foreign Investment in Securities, and the Financial Market Institutions Regulations," to be implemented starting from the date of publication.

This regulatory framework was adopted to keep pace with regulatory and technological developments in the Kingdom and to facilitate investment in the Saudi financial market by developing the procedures for opening and operating investment accounts, including new categories of investors, as well as organizing the operations conducted on those accounts. This enhances the attractiveness of the Saudi financial market for both local and international investors, increases the level of investor protection in the financial market, and supports the confidence of its participants.

The main elements that have been approved include the development of requirements for opening an investment account for foreign individual investors (natural persons) residing in one of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, and expanding the range of securities in which they can invest directly to include shares listed on the main market. Previously, their presence was limited to the debt instruments market, the parallel market "Nomu," investment funds, and the derivatives market, while trading in the main market was conditional on investment contracts as a final beneficiary through a swap agreement concluded with a financial market institution or as a client of financial market institutions that make investment decisions on their behalf. This approval will add a new category of investors in shares listed on the main market and will provide that category with a new financial instrument in their investments in the Saudi financial market, contributing to attracting more foreign investments to the Saudi financial market, increasing liquidity, and enhancing support for the local economy.

The approved amendments allow foreign individual investors who have previously resided in the Kingdom or in one of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries to continue operating their investment accounts and investing in shares listed on the main market even after their residency ends and they return to their home country, provided they had previously opened an investment account in the Kingdom.

Moreover, the amendments aim to facilitate the procedures for opening and operating investment accounts for various categories of clients of financial market institutions.

The adoption of these amendments comes after the authority sought public opinions on November 20, 2024, regarding the amendment of the investment account instructions, the rules regulating foreign investment in securities, and the financial market institutions regulations, through the unified electronic platform for public opinion surveys and the government entities affiliated with the National Competitiveness Center (Survey Platform), and the authority's website before issuing them in their final form.