Tadawul Block Trade in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Exchange (Tadawul) is the principal cash-equity venue of Saudi Arabia. Founded in 2007 (joint stock company; trading from 1985), it operates under the oversight of Capital Market Authority (CMA), and its leading benchmarks are TASI (Tadawul All Share Index), MT30. Listing standards are set out in the Listing Rules of the Saudi Exchange; CMA Rules on the Offer of Securities and Continuing Obligations.

Tadawul at a glance:

The largest equity venue in the Middle East and one of the largest emerging-market venues globally. Foreign ownership opened progressively from 2015; the Saudi Aramco listing remains the largest IPO in history. Sharia compliance considerations are central to position-level structuring.

On the Saudi Exchange a block moves as a negotiated deal reported off the order book. The exchange sets a minimum deal value that scales with the stock’s average daily traded value — grouped into size tiers — and keeps the negotiated price within the regular fluctuation band, so an off-market cross cannot print far from the screen. Size is judged against daily turnover: TASI and MT30 constituents absorb large lines readily, while a Nomu or thin name needs the print sized and sometimes staged. The change in holding then feeds the CMA’s 5%-and-1% ownership notifications, and foreign-ownership caps apply to the buyer.

The principal regulatory reference on Tadawul is CMA disclosure rules. How it applies to any single transaction — reporting levels, step thresholds — turns on the underlying rules and national-law overlays, which we map against your contemplated transaction at the structuring stage alongside the counsel you appoint.

The citations above are public regulatory references, given for orientation only and not as legal advice. Take independent legal advice in the relevant jurisdiction for any specific transaction.

See the full process →