Saudi Arabia: Eleven banks in Saudi Arabia have seen their long-term deposit and senior unsecured ratings upgraded by Moody’s thanks to a strong operating environment.

The ratings agency also attributed the decision – which affects institutions including Saudi National Bank, Al Rajhi Bank, Riyad Bank – to the higher capacity of the Kingdom’s government to support the banks in case of need.

Earlier in November, Moody’s changed the issuer rating of the Saudi government from Aa3 from A1 and its outlook to stable from positive.

Other banks to be affected by the latest change include Saudi Awwal Bank, Banque Saudi Fransi, and Alinma Bank, as well as Arab National Bank, Bank AlBilad, and the Saudi Investment Bank.

Bank AlJazira and Gulf International Bank — Saudi Arabia also saw changes.

The agency also changed the outlook to stable from positive on the long-term deposit ratings of all the banks except for Al Rajhi Bank, which already held that rating.

“Credit conditions for banks in Saudi Arabia are improving as economic diversification momentum remains robust,” said Moody’s in a press release, adding: “We expect non-hydrocarbon private sector GDP to continue expanding by about 4-5 percent in the coming years – among the highest in the Gulf Cooperation Council region and an indication of continued progress in diversification that will reduce the Kingdom’s exposure to oil market developments and long-term carbon transition over time.”

The agency also announced it had upgraded the Baseline Credit Assessments of Saudi National Bank, Saudi Awwal Bank, and Gulf International Bank — Saudi Arabia, and affirmed the BCAs of the remaining eight banks.

The continued increase in employment in the Kingdom, including the growing participation of women in the workforce, will support demand for banking services, according to Moody’s.

“In this context, we expect credit growth in the banking system to remain robust, particularly to high quality borrowers related to the execution of the giga-projects, which will in turn support asset quality and profitability for all banks across the system, albeit to varying degrees,” said the report.

When it came to the likelihood of government support, Moody’s changed its assessment to “very high” from “high” for Alinma Bank, Bank AlBilad, the Saudi Investment Bank and Bank AlJazira.

The report said this shift “reflects the vital role the banking system plays in supporting the diversification agenda.”

It added: “The government’s economic diversification plan continues to progress and will, over time, further reduce Saudi Arabia’s exposure to oil market developments. Additionally, the stability and resiliency of the banking system support investor confidence, private domestic or foreign investment which is critical to government’s diversification plan and in our view increases the likelihood for government support in case needed.”

In its analysis of Saudi National Bank – the largest such institution across the GCC region – Moody’s said its balance sheet is well diversified across retail, corporate and treasury and underpins its strong and improving asset quality with nonperforming loans to gross loans at 1.6 percent as of September.

“The bank’s liquid buffers remain healthy and sufficient to moderate concentration risk on government deposits which is a common feature for all banks in Saudi,” the report added.