Sahm Capital, one of the fastest-growing fintech companies in the Kingdom, successfully concluded the first Sahm Investment Strategy Summit in Riyadh, which brought together more than 200 investors, decision-makers, and representatives of financial institutions in a day full of qualitative discussions about the future of capital markets and the wealth industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The summit was held under the theme “With Sahm, Own the Summit,” where the slogan reflected the scale of available opportunities by gathering Sahm’s rapidly growing user community with representatives from the Capital Market Authority (CMA), Saudi Tadawul Group, the Financial Academy, Nasdaq, and other leading entities and institutions.
Rapid Growth of the Platform
In his opening speech, Mohammed Assiri, CFO of Sahm Capital, reviewed the strong momentum the company has achieved since its launch two years ago. He highlighted Sahm’s rapid rise to become one of the fastest-growing trading platforms in the Kingdom, including surpassing the one-million-user mark during its first year and achieving annual user growth of nearly 70% in its second year. Assiri also noted that the continuous launch of advanced trading tools and integrated social trading features played a pivotal role in reshaping how individual investors participate in the Saudi capital market.
Assiri emphasized that the summit reflects Sahm’s ongoing commitment to transforming data and technology into accessible opportunities for individual investors, confirming that the company will continue its focus on empowerment, accessibility, and continuous innovation to support every investor on their journey toward growing personal wealth.
Global and Local Outlook for 2026
The summit began with a forward-looking global presentation by Rami El-Dokany, Secretary General of the Arab Federation of Capital Markets, addressing how changing macroeconomic policies are reshaping investor strategies as 2026 approaches. El-Dokany highlighted declining inflation rates in the United States, the expected path of interest rate cuts, escalating geopolitical and trade tensions, and the ongoing boom in AI-enhanced productivity as four key forces that will define global asset trends in the coming year.
He also reviewed four strategic investment themes for 2026 aligned with these trends, including: diversifying portfolios toward emerging markets, increasing exposure to fixed-income instruments, increasing allocations to gold and precious metals amid market volatility, and early positioning in the AI sector as a multi-year structural growth path.
This was followed by a detailed analysis of the Saudi economy by Dr. Adnan Abu Al-Haija, Associate Professor of Finance at Alfaisal University, addressing the momentum of accelerating economic growth in the Kingdom under Vision 2030, and how ongoing reforms overseen by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz and HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman are driving broad economic diversification including tourism, entertainment, technology, renewable energy, logistics, and digital infrastructure.
Dr. Adnan explained that structural integration places the Kingdom in a leading regional and global position, noting that these sectors do not grow in isolation, but rather as interconnected ecosystems that attract global expertise, generate new income sources, and provide a stimulating environment for investors, innovators, and entrepreneurs.
Digital Assets and Artificial Intelligence at the Forefront
Digital transformation was a major focus at the summit, where Dr. Gunsel Topbas, Co-founder and Head of Fintech at Manifest Executive Consulting, provided a deep analysis of the next phase of web3-based fintech innovations, driven by blockchain infrastructure, stablecoins, and tokenized real-world assets. Topbas explained how global and GCC institutions have moved from experimentation to large-scale adoption of these technologies as regulatory frameworks evolve and infrastructures transition to full institutional readiness. He emphasized that tokenization is no longer a theoretical concept; it enables fractional ownership, 24/7 cross-border settlement, improved operational efficiency, and new liquidity models that could reshape how institutions and individual investors access assets over the next decade.
In a separate keynote, Sam Chang, Head of the Investment Decisions Committee at RUIDU, reviewed how AI, alternative data, and systematic models have become new foundations for decision-making in markets. He explained that quantitative investing is moving from being a specialized strategy to a fundamental requirement given the complexity of markets and their increasing reliance on data.
Chang noted that the Middle East is emerging today as a global hub for quantitative innovation, thanks to support at the level of sovereign wealth funds, regulatory openness, and strong digital infrastructure.
Market Structure and Regulatory Developments
The summit also explored how structural modernization is reshaping capital markets in Saudi Arabia. In a session featuring leaders from Wamid, Saudi Awwal Bank (SAB), and Nasdaq, experts discussed the accelerating role of AI in market analytics, the impact of advanced matching engines and data platforms on liquidity levels, and the importance of enhancing seamless cross-border connectivity to attract international capital.
In a subsequent session featuring representatives from the CMA, ewpartners, and the Financial Academy, light was shed on how national and global trends affect the Saudi investment landscape, emerging sectors linked to Vision 2030, and the skills and capabilities required to support long-term sustainable development. Speakers noted that strong macroeconomic fundamentals place the Kingdom in a position to be one of the fastest-growing stock markets globally in 2026, with a significant expansion in the role of both corporate and individual investors alike.
About Sahm Capital:
Sahm Capital is a Riyadh-based company, fully licensed by the Capital Market Authority to provide securities services, including: dealing, advising, custody, arranging, investment management, and operating investment fund activities (License No. 22251-25). The company has established its position as one of the fastest-growing companies in the Saudi financial market, relying on innovative technologies and advanced financial solutions, allowing it to provide integrated and seamless financial services through a single platform. For more information, please visit the link.
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