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Reviews / stc Bank Edition №07 · 11 March 2026 · 1,700 words

stc Bank,
reviewed.

First Saudi digital full bank — SAMA-licensed since 2023. Owned by Saudi Telecom; telecom-grade distribution across the Kingdom.

Editor
Stephan Kulik
Founded
2017
EU customers
12.0 M
min read
7 / ~1,700
Disclosure stc Bank does not pay us a referral fee. This review is purely editorial. See the methodology → stc-bank · no_commission
87/100
The first SAMA-licensed Saudi digital bank — stc pay heritage, telecom-scale reach.
Rank #16 / 60KSA digital full-bank
CategoryKSA digital full-bank
LicenceFull
stc BankEdition №07
Licence
Full credit institution
SAMA (Saudi Central Bank)
Deposit protection
SAR 200,000 (SAMA DPS)
Saudi Deposit Protection Fund
Customers (EU)
12.0 M
As of 2026-Q1 — // TODO(verify)
IBAN
SA (multi-currency)
SAR + USD + EUR wallet
01
Reviews

stc Bank, in full.

What stc Bank is, in 2026

SAMA-licensed Saudi full bank since 2023 (originally stc pay payment-services licence since 2017). Owned by Saudi Telecom (stc). 12M+ customers via the stc pay heritage.

Safety and regulation

Direct SAMA full-bank licence; SA Deposit Protection Fund cover up to SAR 200,000 per depositor. SR DPS is statutory and pre-funded.

Who stc Bank is for

Use stc Bank if: you're a Saudi resident wanting a digital-first bank from a chartered Saudi operator with telecom-grade reach. Use Meem if you specifically want Sharia-compliant products with investment access.

02
Pricing

stc Bank's plans, side by side.

stc Bank Account
Custom /mo
Free — SAMA full bank licence
  • Free — SAMA full bank licence
03
Scorecard

How we got to 87.

87/100
Same six dimensions we apply to every neobank in the index. Weights published; unchanged within an edition.
Regulation & safetyLicence class · DGS · resilience
25%88
Pricing & feesTransparent and competitive
20%88
Hands-on UXExtended primary-account test
20%85
FeaturesVaults · stocks · crypto · insurance
15%90
App stores iOS 4.6 · Android 4.5
10% 91
04 — Verdict

Saudi Arabia's first digital full bank.
SAMA-licensed since 2023, backed by Saudi Telecom. Multi-currency wallet + Absher onboarding.

stc Bank received its full Saudi banking licence (SAMA) in 2023 — converting from the stc pay payment-services licence that operated since 2017. Owned by Saudi Telecom (stc), the largest telecoms operator in KSA. Free retail account, multi-currency wallet (SAR + USD + EUR), instant onboarding via Absher national ID. Saudi Deposit Protection Fund cover up to SAR 200,000 (~USD 53K) per depositor. The default first-choice for KSA-resident digital-banking customers — telecom-grade distribution + a real bank licence.

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Edition №07 · Updated 11 March 2026