The Standard & Poor's Financial Appraisal Agency predicted that the Gulf banks will improve next year, saying that the current financial conditions of these banks will be more stable in 2019 unless there is any rise in geopolitical risks or a sharp drop in oil prices.
The Standard & Poor’s also predicted a stronger economic growth in 2019 at around 2.8 percent (the unweighted average of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman). But this growth according to the Agency will remain below the level of the period between 2011-2013 when oil prices were more than $ 100 a barrel.
The Agency predicted that lending growth would remain within the range of individual average numbers. The cost of risk is likely to be between 1.0% -1.5% of total loans.
Source (Al-Arabiya.net, Edited)
