Saudi Arabia’s mergers and acquisitions activity is increasingly central to the Kingdom’s economic transformation, with landmark deals and rising regulatory scrutiny driving scale, competitiveness and consolidation across sectors. Global M&A announced deal value reached approximately SR17.3 trillion ($4.6 trillion) in 2025 — a 49 percent increase from 2024 — while the Kingdom’s competition regulator received 427 economic concentration applications valued at roughly SR2 trillion and issued a record 269 no-objection decisions, up 33 percent year‑on‑year. "The forum provided a valuable platform for regulators, investors, business leaders, legal advisers, compliance officers, board members, governance professionals and SMEs to exchange perspectives, enhance regulatory awareness and explore ways to reduce transaction risks and support sustainable corporate growth in line with Saudi Vision 2030," Talat Zaki Hafiz said after moderating the Riyadh Chamber’s Aug. 31 forum session. Major transactions underscore the scale and ambition of Saudi M&A. In the industrial sector, Saudi Aramco completed a $69.1 billion acquisition of a 70 percent stake in SABIC from the Public Investment Fund , a deal that reshaped petrochemicals and energy integration in the Kingdom. In financial services, the 2021 merger of National Commercial Bank and Samba Financial Group created Saudi National Bank, a consolidation intended to deliver greater scale, operational efficiency and competitiveness. At the Riyadh Chamber’s "Legal Aspects of Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions and Investment Opportunities Forum," participants focused on the regulatory, legal and practical dimensions that determine whether transactions deliver sustainable value. Talat Zaki Hafiz moderated the third session, titled "The Regulatory and Supervisory Framework for Mergers and Acquisitions in the Kingdom," which examined the role of regulatory authorities in reviewing M&A transactions, the framework governing deals involving l…