General Authority for Competition
Saudi Arabian government body, headquartered in Riyadh, that supervises the Competition Law and decides on economic concentration (merger) applications. Its predecessor council dates from 2004.
Industry: Competition regulation | Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Founded: 2004
About General Authority for Competition
The General Authority for Competition is the Saudi Arabian government body that supervises the Kingdom's Competition Law. It is headquartered in Riyadh, is linked to the Prime Minister and has its own legal personality, with financial and administrative independence. The law covers establishments in the Kingdom except public institutions and state-owned companies authorized to operate in specific fields.
A competition system was first established in 2004, when a royal decree led to the creation of the Competition Protection Council. In October 2017 the Council of Ministers approved renaming the body the General Authority for Competition and gave it a new structure, and in March 2019 a royal decree approved an updated competition law. A board of directors, headed by a chairman of ministerial rank appointed by royal order, is the supreme authority over its operations, while a governor appointed by royal decree runs executive management. Arab News reported in August 2021 that Ahmed Al-Kholifey, a former governor of the Saudi Central Bank, had been appointed chairman.
The authority issues market-monitoring rules and decides on applications for economic concentration, which covers mergers, acquisitions and similar transfers of control. Since November 2023 a transaction has been notifiable only if it meets a three-part test: combined worldwide sales of at least SAR 200 million, target worldwide sales of at least SAR 40 million and party sales in Saudi Arabia of at least SAR 40 million.
Baker McKenzie reported in January 2026 that the authority reviewed 406 economic concentration applications in 2025, its highest level of activity to date. It issued 271 no objection certificates, of which two were conditional, and 135 certificates stating that no notification was required. The average review period was 5.4 days.
In May 2024 the authority's spokesperson said Saudi Arabia had reached the highest evaluation level in the UN Competition Law Systems Report for 2023. In April 2026 Arab News reported that BinDawood Holding's agreement to buy 51 percent of Vaza Food Company was subject to regulatory approvals, and TechScoop named the authority as the body whose clearance was pending.