Saudi reserve assets rise to $459bn in May on foreign deposit surge.

  • July 21, 2025

Saudi Arabia’s official reserve assets reached SR1.72 trillion ($459 billion) in May, marking a roughly 4.5 percent increase from the previous month.

Data from the Saudi Central Bank, also known as SAMA, shows the reserve boost was primarily driven by a jump in foreign currency and deposits held abroad, which surged 15.5 percent from April to SR671.27 billion — the highest level in nearly six years.

The rise in reserves comes as Saudi Arabia navigates a shifting global economic landscape marked by volatile oil prices and rising project-driven imports.While oil revenues remain a core contributor to external inflows, the Kingdom has also seen growing non-oil export activity and expanding tourism receipts under its Vision 2030 diversification push.

These factors, along with disciplined financial account management, have supported external balances and bolstered reserve accumulation, even as the current account surplus narrows.

Despite this sharp monthly uptick, reserves were still about 2 percent lower compared to May of the previous year, according to SAMA data. The central bank’s largest reserve component — investments in foreign securities — fell by roughly 2 percent month on month to around SR955 billion.

Other components include monetary gold, which has remained unchanged at SR1.62 billion since 2008; Special Drawing Rights, or SDRs, steady at SR80.16 billion; and Saudi Arabia’s reserve position at the International Monetary Fund, totaling SR12.65 billion.

The IMF reserve position reflects the amount the Kingdom can access on demand from the fund without any conditions attached.

Source: Arabnews

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *