RIYADH: Underscoring international confidence in the Saudi economy, global consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal has become yet another company to have opened its regional headquarters in Riyadh.

In a press statement, the US firm stated that the inauguration of the new regional headquarters underscores its commitment to contributing to the country’s transformation agenda. 

“As the company continues to deepen its roots in the country, with expertise across various sectors — from banking and tax to healthcare and disputes and investigations — this strategic move aims to leverage local insights in the Kingdom to drive sustainable growth and innovation.” the company said. 

Additionally, A&M announced that it has included 13 skilled Saudi graduates in the inaugural batch of its Bidayah Graduate Program. 

The company stated that these candidates were selected from a competitive pool of applicants, describing the chosen individuals as representing the bright future of the Kingdom and reflecting the potential that A&M sees in local talent. 

James Dervin, managing director of A&M in the Middle East and co-head in the region, stated that the program is designed to develop the next generation of execution-focused leaders in management consulting. It is guided by the A&M principles of leadership, action, and results. 

“Over the course of 12 months, participants will undergo rigorous training, engage in live project work, and receive mentorship from seasoned industry experts,” he said. 

Dervin added: “Coupled with the incorporation of our regional headquarters in Saudi Arabia, the program underscores A&M’s commitment to investing in the professional development of Saudi nationals and aligning with the Kingdom’s ambitious Vision 2030,” 

He further noted that the new graduates will have a significant, positive impact on his firm and the clients it serves. 

Commenting on the close alignment of A&M’s global brand with the local market dynamic in Saudi Arabia, Bryan Marsal, A&M’s CEO and co-founder, said: “The all-encompassing nature of the Saudi Arabian transformation is driving significant demand for A&M’s distinctive ‘get-stuff-done’ brand of services — for our ability to fix problems, our ‘skin in the game’, and our freedom from audit conflicts.” 

With over 9,000-strong workforce across six continents, A&M generates tangible results for corporations, boards, private equity firms, law firms, and government agencies grappling with intricate challenges, according to its website. 

More than 180 major global companies and organizations have already established regional headquarters in the Saudi capital. These include Apple, Microsoft and Alibaba, as well as the IMF, IBM, and Google.  

Other notable entities on the list include German consultancy firm TUV Rheinland, PwC Middle East, Aramex and Amazon. 

RIYADH: UAE-based banks’ aggregate capital and reserves reached 501.5 billion dirhams ($136 billion) at the end of February, up 14.4 percent year-on-year, according to new data. 

The latest statistics from the Central Bank of the UAE showed that on a monthly basis, the total capital and reserves grew 0.95 percent, reflecting an increase of approximately 4.7 billion dirhams, according to the Emirates News Agency, also known as WAM. 

This rise in figures falls in line with the central bank’s goal of enhancing monetary and financial stability in the country. 

Moreover, the data indicated that national banks accounted for around 86.5 percent of the aggregate capital and reserves of banks operating in the UAE. At the end of February, they recorded a total of 433.7 billion dirhams, an annual rise of 14.6 percent.

On the other hand, the share of foreign banks settled at 13.5 percent, hitting 67.8 billion dirhams at the end of the same month, reflecting a 13.2 percent surge compared to the same period a year earlier.  

Furthermore, at the end of February, the total capital and reserves of banks operating in Dubai alone stood at 246.4 billion dirhams, logging a year-on-year growth of 15.1 percent. 

Additionally, banks operating in Abu Dhabi recorded around 217 billion dirhams, up 13 percent from the corresponding period in 2023.  

Meanwhile, the cumulative capital and reserves of banks operating in other emirates combined reached an estimated 38.1 billion, reflecting a 15.5 percent climb in comparison to the same period a year prior. 

In March, a top executive at Roland Berger said that UAE bank branches were witnessing the highest revenues in the region, amounting to $18.6 million per branch.

This was driven by the nation’s digital transformation, which enabled financial institutions in the Gulf Cooperation Council to reduce the number of banking branches by 328 within three years, Saumitra Sehgal, the global consulting firm’s head of financial services in the Middle East, told WAM, at the time.  

Sehgal also pointed out at the time that the number of bank branches across GCC nations decreased from 4,067 at the end of 2019 to 3,739 by December 2022.   

He further noted that banks in the UAE saw the highest number of outlets merge and reduce with the support of digital transformation between 2019 and 2022.