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The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority recorded net foreign assets of SAR 1.776 trillion or $473.57 billion at the end of March 2026. Private sector loans expanded by 7.4 percent from a year earlier while the broad money supply measure M3 advanced 8.23 percent over the same interval according to the central bank’s figures. These developments pointed to sustained domestic credit demand and ample liquidity as the kingdom pursued economic diversification initiatives.
SAMA’s bulletin for the preceding month placed total assets at SAR 1.905 trillion by the end of February. That stock reflected a 1.7 percent increase from SAR 1.872 trillion in February 2025 although it eased 1.5 percent from the month before. Foreign securities which comprised 55 percent of the total reached SAR 1.049 trillion after rising 5.78 percent year on year and 2.2 percent month on month.
Deposits held by the central bank abroad stood at SAR 434.66 billion in February according to the same SAMA statistics. The amount had surged 30.2 percent from the prior year even though it slipped 5.5 percent on a sequential basis. Such external buffers have helped reinforce monetary stability while supporting the expansion of domestic lending.
Subsequent SAMA releases indicated that M3 continued to climb reaching SAR 3.367 trillion by May 2026.[[1]](https://tradingeconomics.com/saudi-arabia/money-supply-m3) The central bank placed April 2026 growth in the broad money aggregate at 10 percent year on year. This liquidity trend has aligned with ongoing credit extension to the private sector amid broader non-oil activity.
Saudi Arabia posted 3 percent GDP growth in the first quarter of 2026 while inflation measured 1.8 percent in May according to SAMA indicators.[[2]](https://www.sama.gov.sa/en-US/pages/default.aspx) The central bank kept its repo rate at 4.25 percent and the reverse repo at 3.75 percent as of December 2025. These settings have contributed to a stable environment for banking operations and private investment.
Banking sector credit has exhibited steady expansion in recent periods consistent with the recorded loan growth rates. SAMA data have shown that such increases have been driven primarily by non-financial corporations and real estate activities. The overall framework continues to reflect coordination between external asset management and domestic monetary policy.
