The Social Development Bank (SDB) has increased its financing portfolio for the e-gaming and e-sports sector to 458 million riyal (US$122.12 million), a 53% rise from the previous 300 million riyal (US$79.9 million).

This supports the National Gaming and Esports Strategy.

The bank has funded over 30 projects, including esports clubs, game development, publishing, and gaming centers.

Recent financings include 45 million riyal (US$12 million) for Lobah Digital for game development and 25 million riyal (US$6.66 million) for Virtual Reality Solutions to enhance PC gaming production.

Beyond gaming, SDB has raised its broader technology financing budget to 898 million riyal (US$239.43 million) in collaboration with the National Technology Development Program.

The bank also partnered with Microsoft for cloud and AI advancements via Azure and signed an agreement with Informatica to improve data management.