NCB, Samba Complete Largest Banking Merger in Saudi Arabia

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (AFP)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (AFP)
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NCB, Samba Complete Largest Banking Merger in Saudi Arabia

A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (AFP)
A general view of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (AFP)

The Saudi National Commercial Bank (NCB) and Samba Financial Group (Samba) announced Thursday the formal completion of the biggest merger in the Middle East to create a new Saudi banking champion and a regional powerhouse.

Operations under the new combined entity name, Saudi National Bank (SNB) became effective as of April 1, and the two banks will continue to serve customers as normal while progressing the full integration of products and services.

Customers should continue to bank as normal with their respective banks and will not experience any difference in their banking services.

In case of any updates to products, services, or if any action is required from a customer, the bank will communicate in advance to advise of any changes.

The new bank began trading as a single listed entity on the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) on April 1, while Samba shares had been de-listed, and all its assets, liabilities, and operations transferred into the Saudi National Bank, which will continue to honor Samba’s obligations going forward.

Saudi National Bank is the largest bank in Saudi Arabia with a 30 percent market share across all metrics. It has over $239 billion in total assets, $34 billion in shareholders’ equity, and a combined net profit of $4.2 billion.

As a strong bank with a robust capital position and strong liquidity, SNB is optimally positioned to finance economic development and enable the delivery of Vision 2030 by leveraging its increased scale, enhanced capabilities, and unparalleled employee talent.

SNA chairman, Ammar al-Khudairy explained that the formation of Saudi National Bank signals a new era of banking for the Kingdom.

He asserted that SNB is in prime position to compete regionally and locally, ultimately creating a positive impact for all of our stakeholders while accelerating the Kingdom’s journey toward Vision 2030.

SNB CEO Saeed al-Ghamdi noted that the legacy NCB and Samba served the Kingdom over the last 68 years and now, they combine their respective strengths to lead the future of banking that is committed to creating value for the nation and its people.

“Our customers remain our priority, and we look forward to ensuring a smooth transition as we enter into the integration process.”

Following earlier approval from the CMA for NCB to increase its capital to 44.78 billion, Samba shareholders will receive 0.739 ordinary shares in SNB as consideration for every ordinary Samba Financial Group share held.



Japan’s Ishiba Heads to G7 to Press Trump to Drop Auto Tariffs

US President Donald Trump welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House in Washington, US, February 7, 2025. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House in Washington, US, February 7, 2025. (Reuters)
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Japan’s Ishiba Heads to G7 to Press Trump to Drop Auto Tariffs

US President Donald Trump welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House in Washington, US, February 7, 2025. (Reuters)
US President Donald Trump welcomes Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at the White House in Washington, US, February 7, 2025. (Reuters)

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba heads to Canada on Sunday for trade talks with US President Donald Trump, hoping to persuade him to drop trade tariffs that have imperiled Japan's auto companies and threaten to undermine his fragile government.

The two are expected to meet on the sidelines of a summit of the Group of Seven nations in Kananaskis, Alberta, for their second in-person encounter. It follows a sixth round of high-level trade talks in Washington on Friday.

Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, said he explored the possibility of a deal in detailed meetings with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

"I will make every possible effort to reach an agreement that benefits both Japan and the United States," Ishiba told reporters before leaving Japan. The timing of his meeting with Trump was still being discussed between the two countries, he added.

The trick for Ishiba, who spoke with Trump by phone on Friday, will be to get the president to drop the 25% tariff he imposed on Japanese cars, as well as a paused 24% across-the-board levy that Trump calls a reciprocal tariff, without making concessions that could hurt the prime minister's public support at home.

Returning to Tokyo with no deal would be better politically than conceding too much, analysts say.

"If it goes badly, it could even be seen as a positive for Ishiba, standing up to Trump and standing up for his country when he's under assault," said Michael Cucek, a political science professor at Temple University in Tokyo.

Ishiba and his ruling Liberal Democratic Party face an upper house election next month that comes after a lower house loss in November that left him reliant on the support of other parties to stay in power. Another poor electoral result could bring down his government and would force Trump to reset trade talks with a new Japanese administration.

"The most important thing is that Ishiba does not cave in for a bad (auto) deal," said Joseph Kraft, a financial political analyst at Rorschach Advisory in Tokyo. "I expect there will be some kind of deal, although it could be haphazard. Trump needs some good news and I don't think he has much interest in G7 activities."

Failing to reach an agreement in Canada might not have an immediate economic impact on Japan, but tariffs that stay in place will eventually drag down growth, said Asuka Tatebayashi, senior analyst at Mizuho Bank.

"If you look at the data for car exports to the US for April, it was quite striking. The volume in dollars was down by nearly 5%, but the number of cars has increased a lot," she said.

"It means either they are only selling cheap cars or the manufacturers are absorbing the cost. I think the latter is the case and this is not very sustainable."

Tariffs could shave 0.9% off Japan's gross domestic product, Mizuho Research & Technologies estimated in a report in April.