Saudi CMA posts SAR 826 mln revenue in 2017

The Saudi market regulator, the Capital Market Authority (CMA) has reported SAR 826.36 million in revenues, up by 13 percent year-on-year (YoY) in FY17, the CMA’s annual report showed.

The CMA’s budget expenses edged down by 1 percent YoY to SAR 550.6 million last year.

Surplus from core operations stood at SAR 275.7 million in 2017, according to the regulator’s annual report.

The market regulator generated SAR 536.9 million in revenue from stock trading commissions – around 65 percent of total revenue— up by 8 percent YoY.

Also, revenue recorded from market violation fines and penalties stood at SAR 139.8 million, jumping 22 percent YoY.

The CMA’s employee expenses were close to SAR 382.8 million, or nearly 70 percent of total spending last year.

The regulator has 679 employees, up by 4.1 percent YoY in 2017.

The CMA was founded in 2003 and it is a government organization applying full financial, legal, and administrative independence, and is directly subject to the Prime Minister.

The financial resources of CMA comprise fees of services as well as commissions charged by CMA, charges for using its facilities, returns on its funds and proceeds of the assets’ sale, fines and financial penalties imposed on market violators, government funds to CMA, and any other resources determined by the board including (registration, listing or trading of securities, brokerages’ licensing and investment funds’ registration).