Saudi Arabia is moving faster than many expect toward a modern, diversified economy. For firms operating in the Kingdom the role of advisers will change from tactical report writers to strategic partners who enable transformation at scale. Businesses must prepare now by building relationships with specialist advisers, upgrading internal capabilities, and adopting new tools for data driven decision making. The demand for risk management advisory services is rising as boards require measurable resilience and scenario planning. Consulting companies in Riyadh are already positioning themselves to lead these engagements.

Why the advisory role is shifting now

Three forces are converging to reshape financial advisory. First Vision 2030 projects and privatization are generating more complex transactions and longer term strategic choices. Second, technology and artificial intelligence are changing how financial analysis and forecasting are produced and used. Third regulatory and environmental requirements are creating new compliance and reporting obligations. These forces push advisory work from episodic diagnostics to continuous value creation.

On the numbers front the Saudi consulting market is notable for scale and growth. Recent market estimates put the size of the Kingdom’s management consulting market at roughly USD 3.9 billion in 2025 while regional reporting suggests Saudi consulting revenue reached about USD 4.3 billion in 2025. That creates an expanding addressable market for specialist advisory services including those focused on governance and risk.

The new expectations for finance leaders

Chief financial officers and finance teams will be judged on three dimensions. First their ability to translate strategy into financeable projects and investment cases. Second, their use of data and models to provide near real time insight. Third, their capacity to demonstrate that decisions meet evolving regulatory requirements.

Risk management advisory services will no longer be a box to tick. Boards will expect scenario analysis that quantifies tail risk and stress tested capital plans. The market for domestic risk and compliance services is already growing quickly which means firms that ignore proactive risk investment may face higher capital costs and slower approvals.

Digital capabilities matter more than ever

Data and analytics are central to the future of financial advisory. Machine learning models, robotic process automation, and cloud enabled platforms reduce time spent on manual reconciliations and free advisers to focus on value added interpretation. Clients will prefer advisers who combine domain knowledge with scalable technology. That creates an opportunity for partnerships between established consultancies and fintech vendors to offer managed advisory services.

This shift also raises talent questions. Financial advisory firms need people who understand accounting valuation and technology architecture. For Saudi firms this is an opening to build local capability through hiring and training programs. Consulting companies in Riyadh are expanding talent pipelines precisely to meet this demand.

What businesses must change internally

To benefit from future advisory models businesses should take three practical steps. First centralize high quality data so models and dashboards can be trusted. Second, define governance and escalation protocols for rapid decision making. Third, create an internal advisory interface that embeds external advisers into project teams rather than treating them as external vendors.

Quantitatively the stakes are material. The vendor risk management market in Saudi Arabia recorded notable revenue performance in recent years and is forecast to grow strongly over the next five years. Investing early in vendor and third party risk controls reduces downstream remediation costs and accelerates approvals for strategic initiatives.

New advisory offerings to expect

Advisory firms will package services in new ways. Expect outcome oriented engagements where fees are linked to KPI improvements and where advisory teams supply dedicated analytics capability on a subscription basis. Specialized offerings will include integrated transaction advisory and implementation, embedded treasury and cash optimization as a service, ESG readiness and reporting frameworks, and crisis simulation and recovery playbooks.

Risk management advisory services will be bundled with digital platforms that provide continuous monitoring rather than static point in time reports. That combination increases transparency and reduces the time between insight and action for management teams.

Regulatory and compliance considerations

Saudi regulators and standard setters are increasing the complexity of reporting for listed companies and large private enterprises. Reporting expectations on ESG disclosures, anti money laundering controls, and corporate governance are rising. Financial advisory firms must therefore be fluent in the regulatory landscape and able to operationalize compliance in client processes.

Macro indicators are supportive of this trend. Official forecasts and central bank commentary in 2025 point to resilient growth and stronger non oil activity which in turn widens the scope for complex capital projects and private sector transactions. Firms that can demonstrate compliance readiness will secure preferential access to financing and partnership opportunities. 

How advisory engagement models will evolve

Traditional project based engagements will coexist with longer term retained models. Performance linked and subscription based pricing will grow because clients want alignment between advisory success and their own outcomes. This will require advisers to invest in client onboarding, measurement frameworks, and clear escalation clauses for decision making.

Consultants will increasingly operate as co pilots rather than external dictators of strategy. That means embedding advisory resources within client teams on secondment and providing managed analytics hubs that sit alongside client ERP and planning systems.

Talent and skills to prioritise

Businesses should seek advisers who bring cross disciplinary skills. Ideal profiles combine finance and accounting expertise with data engineering capabilities and regulatory knowledge. Upskilling internal teams is equally important. Practical training in scenario modeling, stress testing, and data governance should be part of finance transformation roadmaps.

The consulting market growth in 2025 highlights the competition for this talent. With consulting companies in Riyadh actively recruiting and building training academies, businesses will need to be decisive when forming partnerships or creating in house capability.

Measuring advisory value

Value from advisory work must be measurable. Common metrics include time to close transactions, percentage improvement in forecast accuracy, reduction in working capital days, and risk exposure quantified as potential loss under scenarios. Boards will require these metrics reported alongside project status to ensure advisory spend delivers measurable returns.

Recent market reports indicate strong growth in the advisory ecosystem which implies that benchmarking is possible and that clients should demand transparent baselines and post engagement audits.

Practical checklist for KSA businesses

To get started businesses should act on the following checklist
1 Establish a single source of truth for finance and operations data
2 Pilot an outcome linked advisory engagement on a high impact project
3 Implement continuous vendor and third party risk monitoring
4 Build a small internal analytics team to partner with external advisers
5 Require clear measurement frameworks in advisory contracts

These steps reduce dependency on ad hoc consulting and accelerate the capture of realized benefits from advisory engagements.

The near term economic context

Saudi Arabia’s economy in 2025 is being driven by robust non oil activity and large scale public and private sector investment. Official and multilateral projections show real GDP growth expectations in the range of about three to five percent for 2025 depending on the source which supports an active market for advisory and consulting work. The consulting market size figures for 2025 underscore the depth of commercial opportunity for firms offering strategic finance and risk solutions.

partnerships

Partnerships will be the glue between legacy firms and technology natives. Advisory firms that partner with cloud providers, analytics vendors and specialist risk platforms will be able to deliver integrated, faster, and more cost effective services. For Saudi businesses the right partner can be a force multiplier that reduces time to value and improves governance.

Consulting companies in Riyadh are actively forming such alliances which makes it easier for local firms to access packaged capabilities without long lead times.

If you are preparing finance transformation or need to translate strategy into executable and financeable projects get in touch with Insight Advisory for a practical roadmap and outcome focused support. Insight Advisory works with clients to operationalize strategy and build measurable improvements in forecasting, capital efficiency and risk controls. Consulting companies in Riyadh and beyond are ready to partner with you to accelerate results.

Conclusion

The future of financial advisory in Saudi Arabia is about continuous partnership, measurable outcomes and integrated technology. Businesses that invest in data, governance and the right advisory relationships will capture a disproportionate share of opportunity as the Kingdom continues to diversify and grow. Start with a small outcome oriented pilot, measure the results, and scale what works. Consulting companies in Riyadh are already adapting to this new reality and can provide the local knowledge and delivery capability to accelerate your journey.