It was established in 1957. The Saudi government owns 51% of the shares of the firm. In June 2010, the homepage of the bank's website was hacked by hackers demanding the dismissal of the mayor of the province of Medina. In July 2013, Riyad Bank chose Calypso for the management of its global cash flows. In March 2018, Riyad Bank launched contactless payment wristbands, using the Gemalto digital security solution. In December 2018, Riyad Bank went into preliminary discussions with
National Commercial Bank (NCB), the country's biggest lender by
assets, to study a merger plan. After three weeks Riyad Bank hired Goldman Sachs to advise on the merger that would create the largest bank in the kingdom with $182 billion in combined assets. Riyad Bank was ranked ninth on
Forbes Middle East's 30 Most Valuable Banks 2025 list. It was also ranked 16th on Forbes Middle East's Top 100 Listed Companies 2025 list. == See also ==