Saudi Arabia's Musanad platform reported that in H1 2026 the average domestic worker recruitment period was 50 days, at an average cost of SAR 6,681, with the service running across 39 countries. The platform handled more than 122,000 service transfer requests and more than 450,000 insurance contracts, working with approximately 6,164 approved external offices, and expanded wage payment channels to 16 digital options.
The state has made this market measurable, with transfers exceeding 122,000. Focus on preparing for customer transitions rather than prioritizing first-time recruitment.
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Three trillion riyals, out the door
Saudi listed banks' Q2 2026 numbers, per Al Rajhi Capital: net loans rose 7% year on year to SR3.25 trillion ($865.2bn), deposits rose 9% to SR3.15 trillion, pushing the loan-to-deposit ratio to 103%, while net interest margin improved 5 basis points to 2.96%.
On the surface deposits are exceeding loans even though the loan-to-deposit ratio is still rising above 100٪, so this year wholesale funding costs should be the figure you look at rather than headline loan growth.
Saudi carries half of Gulf tourism
Saudi Arabia's travel and tourism sector contributed $178 billion to the economy in 2025, 46% of the entire Middle East's travel and tourism economy, growing 7.4%, nearly double the global rate of 4.1%, with international visitor spending up 8.2% against a 3.2% global rate.
Nearly half of the entire region's tourism economy now lies in Saudi Arabia, growing at twice the global rate, a shift large enough that the map of Middle Eastern travel needs to be redrawn before the guidebooks catch up.
School fees hit the card data
Point-of-sale spending fell 2.8% to SR14.19 billion ($3.79 billion) in the week ended 15 August across 249.68 million transactions, down 1.5%, while education transactions jumped 62.7% week on week to SR446.08 million. Food and beverages led at SR2.2 billion, down 3.7%, and Riyadh accounted for SR4.84 billion across 79.80 million transactions.
The 62.7% increase in education spending, despite a 2.8% overall decline, reflects a calendar effect rather than increased consumer confidence. Households shifted funds rather than increasing total spending.
