There were four privately negotiated block trades carried out on Tuesday at the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul) that totalled approximately SAR111.5 million in total value, signalling continuous institutional activity in the Saudi stock market.
This included stocks from Saudi National Bank (SNB) and the Saudi Investment Bank (SAIB). Unlike regular exchange transactions, block trades are arranged directly between buyers and sellers and are carried out at mutually agreed prices that comply with Tadawul’s regulations. As a result, the agreed prices may differ from those seen during normal market trading.
These transactions are reported separately from routine trading activity and are widely used by institutional investors and large shareholders to transfer significant stakes without creating major price movements in the open market.
According to exchange data, two of the four transactions were carried out on shares of Saudi National Bank. One was executed at SAR39.22 per share, while another matched the market price of SAR39.44 per share. The remaining trades involved shares of The Saudi Investment Bank, contributing to the day’s overall value of negotiated transactions.
Block trades play an important role in Saudi Arabia’s capital market by enabling sizeable transactions to be completed without significantly affecting price movements in the open market. Such transactions are frequently undertaken by institutional investors, investment funds and major shareholders seeking to adjust their holdings while limiting market volatility.
The disclosure of negotiated transactions forms part of Tadawul’s transparency framework, allowing investors to monitor significant share transfers alongside regular trading activity. While these deals may indicate portfolio rebalancing or strategic ownership changes, they do not automatically signal shifts in a company’s financial performance or business outlook.
Saudi Arabia’s capital market has continued to attract increasing institutional participation as the Kingdom advances financial sector reforms under Vision 2030, with enhanced liquidity and improved market infrastructure supporting both domestic and international investment activity. Block trades remain a regular feature of the exchange, particularly in highly liquid banking stocks, where large investors often execute substantial transactions through negotiated deals rather than the open order book.
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