RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index surged at opening on Jan. 7, posting its largest single-day gain since September 2025, following the Kingdom’s Capital Market Authority decision to fully open the market to all categories of foreign investors.
The benchmark index opened with a sharp rise, climbing 2.5 percent and breaking through the 10,500-point barrier. The rally was broad-based, with 260 listed companies advancing, while only three declined and three remained unchanged. The index later settled slightly below that peak, trading near 10,460 points.
The CMA announced that, effective Feb, 1, it will eliminate the previous framework that restricted direct market access primarily to Qualified Foreign Investors and those using swap agreements. The regulatory change will allow all international investors to participate directly in the Main Market without needing to meet prior qualification requirements.
“This is a historic decision and the most positively impactful market development in ten years,” Hesham Abou Jamee, chief adviser at Naif Al Rajhi Investments told Asharq Business. He emphasized that the market impact is immediate, despite full implementation being weeks away, and should help the market recover recent losses.
