Where data volume meets regulatory scrutiny

Saudi banks, insurers, and fintech platforms process some of the most sensitive personal data in the Kingdom - at scale, across legacy systems, and under the simultaneous scrutiny of SDAIA, SAMA, and the CMA. Since September 2024, PDPL is fully enforced. The compliance gap between where most financial institutions are and where the law requires them to be is significant.

Key challenges

  • Sensitive financial and biometric data requiring explicit consent and heightened protection under the PDPL
  • Overlapping obligations from SAMA, CMA, and the Insurance Authority that must be reconciled with PDPL
  • Cross-border data flows to cloud providers, payment processors, and credit bureaus without SDAIA-recognised safeguards
  • Open banking APIs introducing new consent and data subject rights obligations not yet operationalised
  • Personal data fragmented across core banking systems, CRMs, and branch records with no unified data map

How RSM Can Help

We deliver a SAMA-aligned PDPL gap assessment, followed by data mapping across your core systems, consent framework development, and DPIA workflows embedded into product and vendor onboarding. For institutions that need ongoing privacy leadership, our DPO as a Service covers SDAIA registration, DSAR handling, and 72-hour breach notification, acting as your designated regulatory contact throughout. Where automation is the priority, we deploy an enterprise privacy platform that classifies, maps, and governs personal data across your environment through secure, read-only integration with no code changes required.