Zain KSA Nine-Month Net Profit Jumps 45%

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — Zain KSA reported a 45% increase in net profit for the first nine months of 2026, reaching 541 million SAR compared to 373 million SAR in the same period last year. Revenue grew by 0.6% to 8,141 million SAR. While the annual results show stronger bottom-line performance, top-line growth remains modest. In Q3 2026, revenue rose 3% year-on-year to 2,834 million SAR due to consumer 5G and wholesale services, but net profit fell 9.8% to 138 million SAR compared to 153 million SAR in Q3 2025.

The company's net profit dropped 32.4% sequentially from 204 million SAR in Q2 2026. Higher operating costs, including seasonal marketing and expenses from recent acquisitions, squeezed margins. EBITDA for Q3 decreased to 835 million SAR from 859 million SAR a year earlier, while quarterly operational profit fell 7.2% year-on-year to 295 million SAR.

Key factors contributing to the nine-month profit increase include a 2.7% growth in gross profit to 4,980 million SAR, a 59 million SAR reduction in expected credit losses from the sale of the Tamam receivables portfolio, a 38 million SAR decrease in finance costs due to improved debt levels, and recognition of 127 million SAR in one-off Universal Service Fund income.