Saudi banking: Saudi Hollandi brings RBS some cheer

It is not all bad news at Royal Bank of Scotland. At least its Saudi franchise is improving, which might ultimately fetch the troubled UK bank a higher price if it decides to sell the stake it inherited from ABN Amro.

Saudi Hollandi Bank boasted strong net profit growth in the fourth quarter even as bigger local rivals reported increased provisions and falling profits. The bank made a net profit of a riyal equivalent of $82 million in the fourth quarter, against a loss of $28 million in the same quarter in 2007 because of provisions unrelated to the sub-prime crisis. Al Rajhi and Saudi British Bank, on the other hand, reported net profits in the fourth quarter of 2008 down by almost 10% and almost 7% respectively.

Access intelligence that drives action

To unlock this research, enter your email to log in or enquire about access