Samer Choucair: Record Banking Liquidity Reflects Economic Strength and Supports Vision 2030
When time and savings deposits reach 42.8% of total banking sector deposits — their highest structural share in years — investment entrepreneur Samer Choucair sees a signal that goes well beyond a monthly data point. He affirmed that this rise, according to Saudi Central Bank "SAMA" data for May 2026, represents an important structural shift in the nature of liquidity within the financial system, and reflects an advanced level of maturity and confidence in the national economy.
He explained that total deposits reaching roughly 3.11 trillion riyals with annual growth of approximately 9.3% (equivalent to 264 billion riyals), alongside banking credit growth of roughly 7.1% reaching approximately 3.39 trillion riyals, points to strong dynamics in the financial cycle within the Kingdom, strengthening banks' ability to finance long-term development projects.
He noted that this shift in deposit structure reflects a change in individual and corporate behavior, with liquidity increasingly moving toward yield-bearing savings and investment vehicles instead of low-yield current accounts, driven by an interest rate environment still at relatively attractive levels compared to historical rates, despite the recent decline in the average interbank rate (SAIBOR).
Choucair said: "What we're witnessing today isn't just a short-term financial movement, but a reshaping of the financing structure within the Saudi economy, where long-term deposits have become a primary support base for financing infrastructure projects and economic transformation within Vision 2030."
He added that this shift strengthens the banking sector's ability to support major projects, reduces liquidity risks, and raises the quality of financing available to strategic sectors such as tourism, entertainment, renewable energy, and modern technologies.
He noted that banking profits recording roughly 8.78 billion riyals in May 2026 with annual growth of approximately 7.7% reflect the sector's resilience, despite potential pressure on profit margins from rising deposit costs, requiring more efficient risk and balance sheet management.
He affirmed that long-term liquidity abundance represents a strategic opportunity for strengthening investment in giga projects such as NEOM, the Red Sea, and Qiddiya, alongside supporting the capital market and developing debt instruments and sukuk, contributing to deepening the Saudi financial market.
He concluded by affirming that the current phase represents an opportunity to redirect investments toward sectors with long-term impact, noting that "the Saudi economy is transitioning to a more stable, mature phase, and investors who read these shifts deeply will be best positioned to benefit from the next investment cycle within Vision 2030's targets."