Total operating profit for the quarter rose by 5.6 percent on the year to SR1.79 billion. 

Profit from special commissions dropped by 0.5 percent in the first quarter compared with the same period last year, while loans and advances at the end of the quarter stood at SR93 billion, up from SR81 billion a year earlier.     

Bank lending to businesses has surged in the Saudi market in recent months, government figures showed in February.