Ratings of Riyad Bank Updated After Sovereign Action

23 December 2025

Capital Intelligence Ratings (CI Ratings or CI) today announced that it has affirmed the Long-Term Foreign Currency Rating (LT FCR) and Short-Term Foreign Currency Rating (ST FCR) of Riyad Bank (RB or the Bank) at ‘A+’ and ‘A1’, respectively. At the same time, CI Ratings has affirmed RB’s Bank Standalone Rating (BSR) of ‘bbb+’, Core Financial Strength (CFS) rating of ‘bbb+’ and Extraordinary Support Level (ESL) of High. The Outlook for the LT FCR and BSR remains Stable.

The Bank’s LT FCR is positioned three notches above the BSR, which is the maximum uplift permitted under our criteria when the ESL is assessed as High. This reflects our view that the authorities exhibit a strong willingness to provide timely extraordinary support if needed – particularly given RB’s 32.2% combined ownership by the Public Investment Fund and the General Organization for Social Insurance. This willingness is underpinned by the sovereign’s very strong…