Arbitration In Saudi Arabia: Unpacking The SCCA’s Landmark Country Report

On 1 July 2026, the Saudi Center for Commercial Arbitration ("SCCA") published a landmark report on how Saudi courts approach arbitration. The Report highlights that over many years, fewer than 10% of challenges to awards have been successful. Such challenges are often based on familiar due process grounds. Clients often ask about public policy and Sharia based challenges, and the Report confirms these rarely succeed (less than 3% of applications). The Report also explains some of the modernisation steps contained in the Draft Saudi Arbitration Law, which will do more to bring the statutory basis for arbitration into line with international expectations.

Overview

The SCCA’s report is entitled Arbitration in Saudi Arabia: Case Law and Legislative Analysis in Light of the UNCITRAL Model Law and Saudi Arbitration Framework (the "Report"). It offers the most detailed empirical account to date of how Saudi courts approach arbitration, and provides an in-depth analysis of the Draft Saudi