SNB Begins Transferring Customers’ Accounts to New Bank

Saudi National Bank (SNB) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi National Bank (SNB) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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SNB Begins Transferring Customers’ Accounts to New Bank

Saudi National Bank (SNB) (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi National Bank (SNB) (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Samba Financial Group, which recently merged with the National Commercial Bank, began transferring customers' accounts to the new National Bank of Saudi Arabia, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The transfer will be done gradually, and it will not affect the customer’s operations, as all clients will be contacted regarding their accounts and the monthly wages of employees.

Asharq Al-Awsat learned that Samba Financial Group informed its clients of the procedure. The group will contact them upon the transfer completion to start activating their accounts following simple steps online or by visiting the nearest SNB branch. They will then receive a ‘Mada” card which will be activated via SMS.

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

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.

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.

It is noteworthy that the Saudi National Bank appointed Ammar al-Khudairy as chairman and Yazeed al-Humied as vice chairman of the new company’s board.

The decision also included the appointment of Saeed al-Ghamdi as Managing Director and CEO of the Bank.



Oil Falls as Traders Weigh Potential US-China Trade Talks

Oil Falls as Traders Weigh Potential US-China Trade Talks
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Oil Falls as Traders Weigh Potential US-China Trade Talks

Oil Falls as Traders Weigh Potential US-China Trade Talks

Oil prices fell on Friday as traders squared positions ahead of an OPEC+ meeting and amid some scepticism about a potential de-escalation of the trade dispute between China and the United States.

Brent crude futures were down 23 cents, or 0.4%, to $61.90 a barrel at 1105 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude futures fell 24 cents, or 0.4%, to $59 a barrel.

For the week, Brent was on track for a 7% drop and WTI was down 6.5% so far, the biggest weekly declines in a month, Reuters reported.

China's Commerce Ministry said on Friday that Beijing was "evaluating" a proposal from Washington to hold talks aimed at addressing US President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, signalling a possible easing of the trade tensions that have rattled global markets.

"There is some optimism when it comes to US-China relations but the signs are only very tentative," said Harry Tchilinguirian, group head of research at Onyx Capital Group. "It's still very fluid, a one step forward, two steps back situation when it comes to tariffs."

Concerns that the broader trade war could push the global economy into a recession and crimp oil demand, just as the OPEC+ group is preparing to raise output, have weighed heavily on oil prices in recent weeks.

Complicating any talks was a threat from Trump to impose secondary sanctions on buyers of Iranian oil. China is the world's largest importer of Iran's crude.

Trump's comments followed a postponement of US talks with Iran over its nuclear program. He had previously restored a "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran, which included efforts to drive the country's oil exports to zero to help prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

Oil prices gained late in Thursday's session to settle nearly 2% higher on Trump's remarks, erasing some of the losses recorded earlier in the week on expectations of more OPEC+ supply coming to the market.

Several OPEC+ members are set to suggest the group accelerates output hikes in June for a second consecutive month, Reuters previously reported. Eight OPEC+ countries will meet on May 5 to decide a June output plan.