An amended Competition Law for 2026 was published in the Official Gazette on Thursday. It is to be read together with Law No. 33 of 2004 referred to in the original law, along with its subsequent amendments, as one unified law, and it will come into effect 30 days after the date of its publication in the Official Gazette.
To review the law as published in the Official Gazette, click here.
At the end of March, the House of Representatives had approved by majority the Senate’s amendments to Articles 3 and 6 of the draft amended Competition Law for 2025, and passed the entire draft law with the Senate’s amendments.
The draft law aims to develop mechanisms for implementing competition policies in the Kingdom by enhancing the institutional empowerment of the administrative body responsible for applying the provisions of the law in accordance with international best practices. This includes granting the Competition Protection Directorate sufficient technical independence, executive powers, decision-making mechanisms, improved complaint investigation tools, and the authority to refer cases to the Public Prosecutor.
The amended Competition Law comes as part of a series of legislations linked to the Economic Modernization Vision and its executive program, stemming from the government’s efforts to strengthen and protect free and effective competition in the Kingdom, and to create an economic environment based on fair competition that serves as a key foundation for sustainable economic growth, encourages development and innovation, and protects consumers from monopolistic practices by ensuring access to diverse products and services of suitable quality and prices.
The draft law also includes the establishment of the “Competition Affairs Council,” which will function as an advisory council concerned with shaping general competition policy in the Kingdom, with membership including representatives from both the public and private sectors.
The amended law is also expected to contribute to improving the Kingdom’s ranking in global standards related to ease of doing business and attracting investments within a fair competitive environment.
The amendments also included stricter penalties in cases of repeated competition-related violations, narrowing the scope of exemptions provided under the law and the basis for granting them, as well as improving tools for detecting anti-competitive practices in line with best standards governing the protection of a competitive environment.
