Food for thought

 

Saudi National Bank chair resigns following Credit Suisse comments

MARCH 27 2023

"The chair of Saudi National Bank, Ammar Alkhudairy, has resigned citing personal reasons after the kingdom’s largest lender was thrust into the limelight amid turmoil at Credit Suisse."

"In a television interview this month, Alkhudairy said SNB, which bought a 9.9 per cent stake in Credit Suisse last year, would not provide any more financial assistance. He said buying more shares would have pushed SNB’s stake above 10 per cent and caused a “regulatory issue”.

"Alkhudairy’s comments reflected established policy at the bank but sent Credit Suisse’s share price into a tailspin, setting in train frantic negotiations that culminated in a hasty merger with Swiss rival UBS."

(Did anybody ever stop to think that was the plan all along? And now? Today? OPEC+ issues oil production cuts? These f*@#s were never our allies. It's like the Arab version of the Clampetts. The only thing worse than a hick w $? Is a hick who thinks he has $. Yup...

)

“The issue of the chairman’s statement did not go unnoticed amongst the senior decision makers,” said one Saudi Arabia-based banker."

(Nor did it go unnoticed by a guy in  a garage without internet.)

"Regional executives said he had drawn undue attention to SNB (Saudi National Bank) and the kingdom’s broader economic agenda. The bank’s main shareholder is the sovereign Public Investment Fund, which is spearheading the reform programme of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman."

“It wasn’t a great idea to go on TV during the middle of a banking crisis,” said one Dubai-based banker. “There was no good outcome.”

(Sure there was, Credit Suisse is no more, which night have just been the plan all along yo...)

"Alkhudairy is an experienced banker who used to chair the Saudi Arabian outposts of Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. SNB, formed by the 2021 merger of the Samba Financial Group and National Commercial Bank, has a share of about 30 per cent of the country’s banking market."

"The UBS takeover of Credit Suisse resulted in about $1bn of losses for SNB, but one person with knowledge of the details said the stake in the Swiss bank accounted for less than 2 per cent of its investment portfolio and would have a negligible impact on profitability."

(It was chump change and they collapsed one of the 32 global banks that are to big to fail. Credit suisse was one of 32

"systemically important financial institutions"—financial organizations whose size and role meant that any failure could cause serious systemic problems." According to a policy research and development entity, called the Financial Stability Board,...

So who is next? And how long are we gonna let these guys play us?)

"The rescue has caused some controversy because shareholders received a payout while holders of some bonds were wiped out, in an arrangement brokered by the Swiss authorities."

The Swiss regulator has defended the deal and people close to SNB have denied pressuring for shareholder compensation."

(Yeah...sure thing...

)

"Saudi Arabia, along with other oil-rich Gulf states, have taken a more activist approach to overseas investments as they balance investment in assets that can deliver long-term returns with a growing focus on domestic economic diversification efforts."

(Or to crash "systemically important financial institutions" perhaps? take your pick.)

"He previously described the Credit Suisse investment as a “manifestation of the new Saudi Arabia”, though he added SNB would target growth in the Middle East rather than more acquisitions in Europe."

(Because their isn't going to be any $ there pretty soon.)

“This is the first time a Saudi bank chairman has moved global markets,” said one local analyst.

(Anybody wanna bet me it will be the last time 

"a Saudi bank chairman has moved global markets" ?)