The Capital Market Authority Calls for Public Consultation on Enabling the Public Offering of Financing Investment Funds
The Capital Market Authority (CMA) called upon relevant and interested persons participating in the capital market to share their feedback on enabling investors in the capital market to invest in financing investment funds, which were previously offered through private placements, under the regulatory framework for financing investment funds. The consultation period will last for 30 calendar days, ending on 18/03/1447H, corresponding to 10/09/2025.
The proposed draft aims to develop the regulatory framework for financing investment funds and introduce new products in the Saudi capital market by allowing investment funds that are established to engage in direct and indirect financing activities to be publicly offered. This would contribute to providing an additional financing channel that supports economic growth and meets its financing needs, enables the growth of the asset management industry, increases total managed assets, and diversifies the investment products available to public investors in the Saudi capital market.
The main elements of the proposed draft include allowing additional structures for financing investment funds by permitting their public offering and listing on both the Main Market and the Parallel Market, as they are currently limited to private placements. The proposal also includes the development of regulatory requirements for financing investment funds.
At the legislative and regulatory level, the proposed framework includes consolidating the provisions governing financing investment funds into a single regulatory document. This aims to unify the regulation of financing investment funds and enhance the clarity of legislation, thereby strengthening investor and market participant protection in the Saudi capital market.
The proposed amendments also include a number of newly introduced requirements related to the risk management of public financing funds, including a restriction that prohibits a public financing fund from having exposure to a single beneficiary or multiple beneficiaries belonging to the same group amounting to 25% or more of the fund’s total size.
The proposed draft included defining the investment areas of financing investment funds, which consist of financing activities, money market transactions, bank deposits, and money market funds, in accordance with the provisions related to the investment areas of financing investment funds in the proposed regulatory framework. This is to avoid the fund’s exposure to highly volatile investment assets and other low-liquidity assets.
The proposed draft also clarified that engaging in indirect financing activities within the Kingdom shall be carried out through financing funds by purchasing financing portfolios from entities supervised by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), or by entering into agreements or partnerships with financing companies licensed by SAMA to practice one or more financing activities to provide joint financing, or by investing with financing companies licensed by SAMA, whereby the credit granting decision is made by the financing companies.
The regulatory framework defines a direct financing fund as an investment fund established for the purpose of engaging in direct financing activities for legal persons and investment funds , while an indirect financing fund was defined as an investment fund established for the purpose of carrying out the indirect financing activities stipulated in Clause (Sixth) of Chapter One of these Instructions.
Financing investment funds are distinguished by their ability to provide continuous cash flows to unit holders. They also offer a mix of risks and returns that enable investors to diversify their investment portfolios, with the possibility of listing the fund on the capital market.
Once approved, the draft is expected to contribute to increased momentum and accelerated growth in the assets under management of financing investment funds, with the total value of private financing funds reaching approximately SAR 2.8 billion by the end of 2024.
The introduction of this type of financing also provides more diverse financing options and enables the collection of sufficient subscriptions to cover the fund’s size, allowing the fund manager to establish larger funds with the capacity to diversify their financing portfolios, thereby reducing the fund’s overall risk level.
The CMA emphasized that the comments of relevant and interested persons shall be taken into full consideration for the purpose of approving the final Proposed Amendments, which in turn shall contribute to the aim of enhancing and developing the regulatory environment. Opinions and comments can be received through any of the following:
The Unified Electronic Platform for Consulting the Public and Government Entities (Public Consultation Platform), affiliated with the National Competitiveness Center through the following link: (istitlaa.ncc.gov.sa).
The prescribed form through the following email: (Laws.Regulations@cma.org.sa)
The Draft can be viewed via the following link:
The Draft Regulatory Framework to the Financing Investment Funds
Prescribed form for providing comments