SAUDI ARABIA - Finance
Governor, Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA)
Bio
Dr. Ahmed Abdulkarim Alkholifey was appointed as Governor of SAMA, the Kingdom’s central bank, in May 2016, after previously serving as Deputy Governor responsible for Research and International Affairs. He holds a total of 15 years of experience in various departments within SAMA and was previously a legal specialist at the then Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources. He started his career at SAMA in 1995 as an economist. He holds a law degree from King Saud University, and an MBA and PhD in economics from Colorado State University.
We hope to increase the depth of the insurance market in the Saudi economy. Compared to other countries, this sector is currently smaller than it should be. At present, it is just 1.5% of GDP, while the global levels of this sector are much higher. We do not have an exact figure in mind, but we benchmark this with peer countries. Increased activities in the insurance sector will ultimately better serve the Saudi economy. We strive for a broadening of insurance offerings and our regulations are intended for that. Consolidation will also make the insurance industry stronger and ultimately better serve the Saudi economy. Thus far, four companies have approached us for a merger approval. One merger is at an advanced stage, while the others are currently still in the exploratory phase. Although we have issued more stringent regulations for companies operating in the insurance spheres, not all have yet responded to our message of exploring possible mergers to strengthen their financial positions. Therefore, we are now considering raising the capital requirements for individual companies.
Insurance fraud is all over the world, as well as in the Saudi Arabian insurance sector. The health and vehicle insurance activities are the most widespread, representing almost 85% of insurance fraud. We work with the insurance companies for the purpose of combating this, hoping that we will strengthen coordination with law enforcement bodies so that we eliminate or mitigate such fraud. It ultimately weakens the sector’s competitiveness, reduces sector confidence, and weakens the sector’s credibility. That also means higher prices for customers.
We recently issued a license to a British bank. We have also provided our recommendation for another one, also to a foreign bank, as the final approval is issued by the King. We also have two requests for national banks, but these are still in the initial stages.
We are working on a financial sector development program (FSDP) to strengthen the insurance sector by increasing insurance products. Compared to the much higher rates in many other countries, our production and saving programs are still weak. We need to promote awareness and the importance of saving and protection. We want to encourage people to take out insurance on properties, especially.
The purpose of the sandbox is to strengthen the work on financial technologies, giving all business people, in particularly small businessmen, the chance to enter the financial services arena. We have many participants in this field. But, more importantly, regarding the sandbox, it is a place to learn and exchange experiences for the academic, government, and private sectors, and the business community. Some of them may soon graduate and become entrepreneurs in the financial services industry.
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