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SAMA says the move aimed at empowering mothers to manage their children’s affairs
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Earlier, a married mother had to bring her husband or obtain court’s consent to open an account for her kids
A mother in Saudi Arabia can now open a bank account for her children until they are minors, according to the Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA).
SAMA said it will allow mothers to open bank accounts on behalf of their children, so long as they are minors. In a circular on its website it said that it wanted to help empower mothers to manage their children’s affairs. Children’s accounts will be in the name of the minor but a subsidiary of the mother’s account.
Saudi Arabia was the top reformer and improver among 190 economies in the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law 2021 report, achieving a score of 80 out of 100, compared with last year’s 70.6.
Prior to this decision, a married mother had to bring her husband or obtain consent from the court, to open a bank account for her children. Fathers, as the legal guardians, were the only parent allowed to open accounts for children under previous SAMA regulations unless the mother obtained a mandate or guardianship certificate.
The latest changes are part of ongoing financial reforms aimed at boosting banking services and improving financial literacy among citizens.
