RIYADH: Residents of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including expatriates, can now directly invest in Saudi Arabia’s main stock market for the first time, under new regulations announced by the Capital Market Authority (CMA) on Sunday.

The reform removes previous restrictions that limited access to swap agreements or required investors to go through licensed intermediaries. It applies to current and former residents of Saudi Arabia or other GCC states.

In a post on X, CMA Chairman Mohammed El-Kuwaiz said the move “promotes the openness of the market internationally, while at the same time building a long-term investment relationship with wider segments of investors around the world, within the framework of a more flexible and attractive regulatory environment.”