SICO Wins Three Awards at the Financial Times 2026 Asset Management Excellence Awards Middle East
SICO was recognized with Best Overall Asset Manager, Shariah-Compliant Strategy of theYear, and Outstanding Female Leadership in Asset Management, reflecting the Bank’sconsistent investment performance, disciplined investment processes, and stronggovernance standards across asset classes.
With assets under management of USD 8.1 billion, SICO’s regional equity and fixed incomestrategies delivered strong relative performance in 2025. The SICO Gulf Equity Funddelivered a return of 13.1% during the year, ranking among the top performing GCC/MENA funds, while the SICO Fixed Income Fund generated a return of 9.3%, maintaining itsleading position within its peer group.
SICO’s Islamic investment strategies also demonstrated resilience. The SICO Capital MENAEquity Fund delivered a return of 2.3%, outperforming the S&P GCC Shariah Index, whichdeclined by 3.5% over the same period. In addition, the Elzaad Sukuk Fund, launched inDecember 2023, achieved a cumulative return of 13.3% to date.
Within Saudi Arabia, a challenging year for equity markets saw several funds recordnegative performance. Against this backdrop, the SICO Capital Kingdom Equity Funddemonstrated flexibility of its investment strategy and the effectiveness of its riskmanagement decisions, finishing 2025 ranked among the top Saudi equity funds.
SICO's Group Chief Executive Officer, Najla Al Shirawi, commented: "We are honored toreceive these prestigious awards from the Financial Times, which highlight SICO's ongoingcommitment to delivering meaningful results for our clients. This achievement is a testament to thededication of our talented team and the continued trust our clients place in us as we navigate adynamic investment landscape. These honors reinforce our position as a premier regional financialpartner and drive our momentum as we continue to set new standards of excellence."
Ali Marshad, SICO’s Deputy Group Chief Executive officer added, ”Our asset managementperformance is underpinned by disciplined investment processes, rigorous in-house researchacross all investments, and transparent performance reporting in line with international GIPSstandards. Across market cycles, our strategies have consistently outperformed peers andbenchmark indices, reflecting the depth of expertise within our portfolio management and researchteams. We believe that excellence in asset management is achieved through developing timely,market-appropriate investment strategies that balance risk and return to deliver sustainable valuefor our clients.”
The Financial Times Asset Management Excellence Awards Middle East recognizes excellence,leadership, and innovation across the regional asset management industry. SICO’s awardshighlight its role in advancing investment standards and contributing to the development of regionalcapital markets.
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