Saudi Arabia raised $49.3bn in H1 bond and sukuk issuance, 48 percent of the Persian Gulf market

Saudi Arabia raised $49.34 billion through 58 bond and sukuk issuances in the first half of 2026, up 1.6 percent from a year earlier. The figures come from a report by Kuwait Financial Center, known as Markaz, reported on Sunday 26 July 2026.

According to the same report, total issuance across the Gulf Cooperation Council states reached $102.69 billion over the six months across 161 deals, up 6.5 percent from the first half of 2025. Saudi Arabia accounted for 48 percent of that market.

Debt markets in the region have expanded in recent years as governments and companies increasingly tap bond and sukuk markets to finance economic diversification projects and infrastructure investment.