* The Saudi National Bank reported an attributable net income of 12.67 billion Saudi Arabian riyals for 2021, compared to 11.44 billion riyals in 2020, S&P Global Market Intelligence data shows.
The Saudi National Bank, or SNB, which was formed via the tie-up of National Commercial Bank and Samba Financial Group in April 2021, said some of the figures on its balance sheet have been reclassified to incorporate the impact of the merger.
SNB attributed the 10.7% rise in its net income to the 32.6% rise in its net operating income, which was primarily driven by higher net special commission income, investment-related income, fee income from banking services and foreign exchange income. The lender added its income was partially offset by a 63.2% rise in operating expenses, mainly due to higher impairments on expected credit losses pertaining to the merger.
SNB's net interest income for the year stood at 22.12 billion riyals, while operational income was 28.46 billion. Impairments on financial assets for the period amounted to 3.93 billion riyals.
Other news
* Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC is on the lookout for both organic and inorganic growth opportunities in Pakistan, Indonesia and Kenya, while three other markets — Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — are also on the United Arab Emirates-based bank's radar, CEO Adnan Chilwan told Bloomberg TV.
* Nayax Ltd., an Israel-based payments platform, confidentially filed for an IPO in the U.S., Globes reported. The company's shares have been trading in Tel Aviv since its IPO in May 2021, which marked the second-largest listing in the country ever.
* France and Luxembourg are seeking information from Lebanon on the bank accounts and assets of Riad Salamé, the governor of the Middle Eastern country's central bank, judicial sources told Reuters. The request from Luxembourg was a normal procedure and not a legal suit, Salamé told the newswire.
* Swiss bank Credit Suisse Group AG agreed to refer its private banking clients in nine non-core sub-Saharan African markets to U.K.-based lender Barclays PLC, which reportedly involves the transfer of roughly $2.5 billion of assets. The deal covers Botswana, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, Seychelles, Tanzania, and Zambia.
* Luno, the biggest cryptocurrency exchange in Africa, is studying the regulatory environment in all 50 states in the U.S. as it seeks to launch there within 2022, Marius Reitz, its general manager for Africa, told Bloomberg. The firm's valuation hit $10 billion in 2021 after raising $700 million in a funding round led by Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group Corp., according to the report.
* Gulf Bank KSCP Chairman Jassim Boodai said the Kuwait-based bank is planning to launch an investment arm to manage its assets and has already received regulatory approvals, Al-Anba reported.
* The UAE central bank will roll out new general terms and conditions for tapping its standing credit and liquidity insurance facilities, effective March 1. Financial institutions can access the regulator's reserves on an overnight or term basis by posting eligible collateral.
* Kuwait's central bank issued guidelines on the requirements for launching digital banks with the aim of supporting the development of the sector.
* U.K.-based Standard Chartered PLC said it is investigating potential misconduct by senior management of its Standard Chartered Bank Zimbabwe Ltd. unit following media reports that unit CEO Ralph Watungwa had been suspended, Bloomberg reported.
* Lawmakers in Botswana unanimously approved the Virtual Assets Bill, which will regulate cryptocurrency and digital token trading in the country in a bid to bolster anti-money laundering measures, Bloomberg reported.
