Status: Researched · 2 July 2026 — from Derayah’s own FAQ/foreign-investor pages and the CMA’s February 2026 framework; onboarding not personally tested.
What it is
Derayah Financial is a CMA-licensed Saudi digital broker and Saudi Exchange member — one of the Kingdom’s mainstream retail platforms. It’s profiled here because it is the local broker that publicly answers the foreigner question with a yes: its FAQ states plainly, “Yes. Derayah enables international investors to open investment accounts,” routed through a dedicated Foreign Investors onboarding track.
Why this matters now
Until 2026, a foreign individual’s only real Tadawul route was IBKR (via SNB Capital, since October 2024) — local brokers sat behind the institutional-only QFI framework. On February 1, 2026 the CMA scrapped QFI and opened the Main Market to all categories of foreign investors. Derayah is the named local broker whose public materials most clearly reflect the new regime — making it the natural first test of whether a Saudi-domiciled account is now practical for a foreign non-resident. The foreign-ownership caps survive the liberalization: 10% of a listed company per single foreign investor, 49% for all foreigners combined.
What it reaches
Tadawul — Main Market equities, REITs, sukuk and funds — plus an international offering (US markets) alongside the local account. By the registry’s count, two markets; the local one is the point.
Who can open an account
Per Derayah’s own FAQ: international investors, including non-residents, through its Foreign Investors track. What the registry can’t yet tell you is how the onboarding actually goes — document list, whether a Saudi bank account or in-person step sneaks in, timelines. Treat it as open in principle, unverified in practice, and expect some first-mover friction while local systems catch up with the February 2026 rules. If you complete one, that reader report would upgrade this page.
Use it / skip it
Use it if you specifically want a Saudi-domiciled account — local custody, sukuk/funds access, or IPO participation that offshore routes don’t carry. Skip it if you just want Saudi stocks with minimal friction: IBKR’s Saudi Exchange permission is the proven route, and the KSA/FLSA ETFs cover diversified beta with none of this.
Verdict
The most promising local answer to the post-liberalization question “can a foreigner now open a Saudi broker?” — Derayah says yes in its own words, which is more than any peer states that clearly. Until an onboarding is verified end-to-end, it sits as the route to test, with IBKR the route to use. Researched, not tested.
Sources
Public sources checked (July 2026):
- Derayah FAQ — non-residents/foreign investors eligibility (“Yes. Derayah enables international investors…”): https://web.derayah.com/en/faq/are-non-residents-of-saudi-arabia-or-foreign-investors-eligible-to-open-an-investment-account/
- CMA — “The CMA Opens the Capital Market to All Categories of Foreign Investors” (effective Feb 1, 2026); Latham & Watkins client note on the framework and ownership caps
- Saudi Exchange member materials; Saudi Arabia country page for the full access picture