[Last updated: 1 January 2025, unless otherwise noted]

The Saudi Exchange ("Tadawul") is currently the only stock exchange in Saudi Arabia. The Merger and Acquisition Regulations ("MARs") were introduced by the Capital Market Authority ("CMA") in 2007 as a framework to regulate the takeovers of publicly listed companies in Saudi Arabia.

In October 2017, the CMA introduced extensive amendments to the MARs which aimed to address some of the ambiguities and perceived deficiencies in the regulations and facilitate public takeovers in the jurisdiction. The revised regime is the product of a comprehensive review of established practices in several international jurisdictions and aligns the principles of the MARs more closely with international best practices.

Only a few public M&A takeovers have been executed under the amended MARs, one of which was the merger of the Saudi British Bank (SABB) and Alawwal bank in 2019, which created the third largest bank by assets in Saudi Arabia at the time.