Saudi Arabia establishes its open banking framework

Barkha Doshi of Pinsent Masons, who specialises in technology-driven innovation in monetary companies within the Center East for Pinsent Masons, stated the transfer ought to encourage fintech innovation and improved data-driven companies for shoppers.

Open banking is an idea that’s gaining rising traction globally amongst policymakers, regulators, and monetary companies corporations. It includes liberating the info held by monetary establishments in order that it’s made obtainable to 3rd events for the needs of offering rival services or products.

Probably the most mature open banking regimes globally are in Europe, the place the dialog has already turned to the institution of broader ‘open finance’ frameworks.

Within the EU, account info service (AIS) suppliers and cost initiation service (PIS) suppliers can get hold of entry to cost information held by banks and different account servicing cost service (ASPS) suppliers underneath the phrases of the second Cost Companies Directive (PSD2). Regulatory technical requirements that construct on the PSD2 provisions round entry to information purpose to reinforce the safety of funds and restrict fraud by making certain there’s a safe mechanism for sharing funds information.

Within the UK, an analogous open banking framework has been developed that aligns in some ways with the PSD2 regime. The UK framework was initially a product of a evaluation performed into retail banking by the Competitors and Markets Authority however has advanced subsequently. There are long-term plans to develop a brand new regulatory framework for open banking within the UK.

Different open banking regimes have been established in different jurisdictions too, together with Australia, Bahrain and Hong Kong.

The brand new open banking framework in Saudi Arabia was introduced by SAMA, the Saudi Central Financial institution, which stated it’s primarily based on “worldwide finest practices”. SAMA stated its “monitoring the event of banks and fintechs to make sure their readiness to launch open banking companies inside the first quarter of subsequent yr 2023”. The preliminary focus shall be on the supply of AIS, with PIS to observe, it stated.

Like in different jurisdictions, the Saudi open banking framework units out necessities that each banks and fintechs should adhere to, to help open banking companies. The brand new requirements which have been developed include buyer expertise pointers in addition to specs for the applying programming interfaces banks should present third occasion entry by way of.

The Saudi open banking framework is an output of the open banking program, which is itself part of a broader fintech technique in Saudi Arabia that’s linked to the Saudi Imaginative and prescient 2030. Some fintechs have already been testing open banking companies by way of SAMA’s regulatory sandbox.

Doshi stated: “Saudi Arabia has positioned itself as a entrance runner within the Center East fintech market by way of its new open banking program. By way of this system, new partnerships can begin between banks, monetary companies corporations and clients. From the shopper’s perspective, the brand new program additionally ensures higher use of their monetary information. It goes with out saying that open banking, and open finance usually, will enhance Saudi’s present monetary infrastructure and gasoline fintech progress within the area.”