The National Commercial Bank (NCB) is a prominent Saudi Arabian bank and the leading financial institution in the region. The bank is considered the largest and the first to officially be licensed and operate in Saudi Arabia, following the Royal Decree of the 26th of December 1953, corresponding to 20th of Rabi Al-Thani 1373H. NCB was formed as a result of partnership and merger of Saudi Arabia's largest currency exchange houses at the time; Mr. Saleh and Abdulaziz Kaki, and the Mr. Salem bin Mahfouz Company.
In 1979, NCB became the first Saudi bank to launch a mutual fund product. The bank has, since then, led numerous Shariah-Compliant financial services whilst continued being a pioneer in financial innovations such as real estate and auto-lease finance. In addition, NCB asserted its leadership by being the first bank to introduce Credit Cards, the first to operate an ATM (Automated-Teller-Machine), the first to introduce students savings schemes, and the first to dedicate branches for ladies.
NCB was became a joint stock company in 1997. And by 1999, the Saudi government, represented by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), acquired the majority of shares. The remainder shares were distributed amongst; General Organization for Social Insurance (GOSI), and a number of Saudi investors.
In 2014, NCB offered 25% of its shares to the public through IPO subscription, marking the beginning of yet another new era in which the bank and providing investors with the opportunity to participate in its expansion across all sectors.
In part of being the leading bank, NCB is one of the first Saudi companies to implement The Principle of Corporate Governance and the first bank in Saudi Arabia to receive International Certification on Business Continuity Management. NCB is also a pioneer in Corporate Responsibility with its various programs offering job opportunity programs, entrepreneurship workshops and support, and loans.
The National Commercial Bank is one of the largest banks in the Pan-Arab region, with a paid-up capital of SAR30 billion (US$8 billion ). It also has 90.71% direct ownership of NCB Capital, a premier investment house and arm, and owns 67.03% of Türkiye Finans Katılım Bankası (TFKB), the leading participation bank in Turkey.