The live Canadian-dollar-to-Saudi-riyal rate, updated every minute. Book CAD→SAR with SummitFX on WhatsApp — same-day SAR settlement when you transact during the European trading day.
Use the tabs to view the last week, month, year, or five years of daily closing rates. The shaded band shows the high-low range for the period — a quick visual read on volatility.
Type in either box — enter a CAD amount to see what you'd get in SAR, or enter a target SAR amount to see how many Canadian dollars you'd need. Calculated at the live mid-market rate shown above.
Note: The rate shown is the live mid-market rate. Your actual executable rate includes a small spread — typically 0.6–1.0% at SummitFX vs 2–4% at a UK high street bank. We'll always show the full breakdown before you book.
CAD/SAR moves on CAD/USD dynamics because the Saudi riyal is pegged to the US dollar at 3.75 SAR per USD. The peg has held since 1986, defended by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) through reserves management and Fed-aligned monetary policy. In practice, SAR rarely deviates from its USD-derived value by more than a few basis points, so CAD/SAR effectively reflects CAD/USD movements — oil prices, US economic data, BoC policy, and global risk sentiment dominate.
Bank of Canada policy: The BoC sets Canadian interest rates and meets eight times a year. The post-meeting Monetary Policy Report and Tiff Macklem's press conference are the biggest scheduled CAD events. The BoC-Fed policy gap is the dominant fundamental driver of CAD/SAR (because SAR tracks USD).
Oil prices: Canada is the fifth-largest oil producer globally and oil exports are a meaningful share of GDP. Rising oil prices typically support CAD; falling oil weighs on it. WTI is the relevant benchmark. Saudi Arabia is also a major oil producer, so oil dynamics affect both economies — though SAR's USD peg insulates it from short-term oil moves.
US data dependency: Around 75% of Canadian exports go to the US, so Canadian growth is intimately linked to US demand. US non-farm payrolls and CPI prints often move CAD as much as Canadian-specific data.
Canadian housing: The Canadian housing market is a major macro variable — both as a wealth effect on consumer spending and as a financial stability concern for the BoC. Housing-sector data and BoC commentary on financial stability can move the loonie.
Risk sentiment: CAD is moderately risk-on. In stress episodes capital flees to USD safe-haven status — pushing CAD/SAR lower because SAR tracks USD and CAD weakens on oil and risk-off.
USD peg dynamics: SAR is pegged to USD at 3.75 — the dominant factor in any SAR cross. Anything that moves USD also moves SAR by default. The peg has held continuously since 1986 and SAMA defends it actively through FX reserves and monetary policy alignment with the Fed.
Federal Reserve policy: Because SAMA maintains the USD peg, Saudi monetary policy effectively imports Fed policy. SAMA tends to mirror Fed rate decisions to preserve the peg. Fed rate decisions, FOMC statements, and the dot plot all directly affect SAR rates and the riyal's USD-derived movements against CAD.
Oil prices: Saudi Arabia is the world's largest oil exporter and the de facto leader of OPEC+. While the USD peg insulates SAR from short-term oil moves, sustained oil price changes affect SAMA's reserves and the long-term sustainability of the peg.
SAMA FX reserves: The Saudi Central Bank's foreign exchange reserves are the technical mechanism for maintaining the USD peg. Major reserve drawdowns can occasionally raise speculation about peg sustainability, though such episodes are rare.
Vision 2030 capital flows: Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 economic transformation programme generates significant capital flow — both inward (foreign investment, megaprojects like NEOM) and outward (PIF deployment globally, including Canadian asset positions). These flows affect SAR/USD dynamics within the peg band.
Canada and Saudi Arabia share a substantive trade relationship dominated by complementary energy and agricultural flows. Bilateral trade is worth around C$5 billion annually, with Canadian exports including wheat, lentils and pulses (Canada is the world's largest exporter of lentils and a major pulse supplier to Saudi Arabia), beef, and machinery, plus Saudi exports primarily petroleum products. Canadian engineering, energy services, and consultancy firms have growing operations on Vision 2030 megaprojects (NEOM, The Line, Red Sea Project) — Canadian expertise in mining, water management, and infrastructure is increasingly engaged. Canadian expat workers in Saudi banking, oil and gas, healthcare, and education contribute additional corridor flow. The bilateral relationship normalised significantly after the 2018-2019 diplomatic dispute, with full diplomatic ties restored in 2023.
CAD→SAR settles via SWIFT through our Saudi correspondent. Saudi Arabia is 8 hours ahead of Toronto and 2-3 hours ahead of the UK. The Saudi banking week runs Sunday through Thursday — different from Canada's Monday-Friday — so plan transfers around this calendar mismatch.
Three things most commonly cause CAD→SAR transfers to slip past same-day:
Late CAD funding. Our cutoff is 14:00 UK time for same-day SAR release. CAD wires from Canada need to arrive in Europe before our cutoff. Saudi banks generally close around 16:00 local time (13:00-14:00 UK in winter, 12:00-13:00 in summer), so late European afternoon bookings can miss it.
Saudi-Canadian weekend mismatch. Saudi banks operate Sunday-Thursday; Canadian banks operate Monday-Friday. This means Friday Canadian bookings won't reach Saudi until Sunday, and Saudi-side instructions on Friday/Saturday won't process until Monday. Plan transfers around this calendar mismatch.
AML and source-of-funds review. Saudi banks apply rigorous AML and source-of-funds checks, particularly for new beneficiary relationships, larger amounts, or business-related transfers. Standard delays are 30 minutes to 2 hours; longer reviews can occur for first-time large transfers, especially those linked to Vision 2030 project payments.
For business-related SAR payments and large personal transfers, we recommend booking the day before to allow buffer for both AML review and the Saudi-Canadian weekend mismatch. Forward contracts work well for ongoing supplier payments, expat compensation arrangements, and pulse export contract commitments.
CAD/SAR is the corridor for Canadian residents and businesses with meaningful Saudi-riyal obligations, plus anyone with Saudi business interests, expat employment, or trade exposure. Common use cases:
Canadian lentil, pulse, wheat, and beef exporters receiving SAR revenue from Saudi buyers — Canada is the world's largest pulse exporter and Saudi Arabia is one of the most important pulse markets globally. Repatriating SAR receipts to CAD or hedging future shipments via forward contracts is standard practice for Canadian agribusinesses serving the Gulf region.
Canadian mining, engineering, energy services, and consultancy firms engaged in Saudi megaprojects (NEOM, The Line, Red Sea Project, Qiddiya, Diriyah) paying local suppliers, subcontractors, or joint venture partners in SAR. Canadian expertise in mining infrastructure, water management, and renewable energy is increasingly engaged on Saudi diversification projects.
Canadian professionals working in Saudi Arabia (oil and gas, banking, healthcare, education, consultancy, hospitality) regularly converting CAD savings into SAR for living costs, or sending CAD from Canadian family for accommodation, schooling, and other expenses.
Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund holds Canadian asset positions, particularly in mining and energy sectors. While dominated by institutional desks, the corridor depth from sovereign wealth fund activity supports tight bid-ask spreads even on smaller retail trades.
Canadian pensioners with Saudi tax residence, or dual Canadian-Saudi citizens managing Canadian pension drawdown alongside Saudi residence. Regular conversions of CAD pension income into SAR for living costs.
Canadian consultancies, engineering firms, mining services firms, and educational institutions invoicing Saudi clients in SAR. Vision 2030 has driven growth in this corridor as Saudi entities engage Canadian expertise on agricultural reform, mining infrastructure, and educational partnerships.
You can convert Canadian dollars to Saudi riyals through your bank, through a transfer app, or through a broker. SAR is less commonly handled by retail FX apps, which means broker access and competitive pricing are particularly valuable for this corridor.
Everything clients typically ask about sending Canadian dollars to Saudi riyals. Still have questions? Message us on WhatsApp — a real dealer, not a bot, will reply.
The Saudi riyal is officially pegged to the US dollar at 3.75 SAR per USD, a peg that has held continuously since 1986. The Saudi Central Bank (SAMA) defends this peg through FX reserves and by aligning Saudi monetary policy with the Fed. In practice this means CAD/SAR moves almost entirely on CAD/USD dynamics — when CAD strengthens against the dollar, CAD/SAR rises with it.
We never forecast — but the chart above puts today's rate in context. Because SAR tracks USD, the question is really about CAD/USD direction — which is driven by oil prices, US data, BoC policy, and risk sentiment. If CAD/SAR is near its 30-day high, you're getting more riyals per Canadian dollar than the monthly average. Rate alerts let you set a target and wait passively.
Canadian and Saudi banks typically mark up CAD/SAR by 2–4% for retail customers — often higher than for the major majors because SAR is less commonly traded by retail FX apps. SummitFX spreads are 0.6–1.0% depending on size. On a C$500,000 corporate transfer that's a saving of C$10,000–C$20,000.
Book and fund by 14:00 UK time on a business day and SAR typically lands in your beneficiary's Saudi account the same Saudi business day. Note the Saudi banking week runs Sunday-Thursday, so bookings on Friday won't settle in Saudi until Sunday.
Yes. A forward contract fixes today's rate for delivery up to 24 months ahead. You pay a deposit (typically 5–10% of the trade) upfront and settle the balance at delivery. Common for Canadian agricultural exporters with scheduled Saudi shipments, Vision 2030 project payments, or expat compensation arrangements.
No hard minimum — we handle trades from C$500 to C$5m+. Below around C$5,000 the spread widens slightly to cover fixed execution costs. For recurring expat salary repatriation or family support payments, market orders or standing arrangements work better than ad-hoc bookings.
The rate shown on Google, XE, or the chart above is the mid-market rate — the midpoint of interbank buy and sell quotes. Nobody gets exactly that rate; providers add a margin. Banks typically 2–4%, Wise and other apps often 0.8–1.2% on this less-liquid pair, SummitFX 0.6–1.0% — with our clients also getting a named dealer and WhatsApp access.
Saudi banks operate Sunday-Thursday while Canadian banks operate Monday-Friday. This means Friday afternoon Canadian bookings won't settle in Saudi until Sunday. Conversely, Saudi-side instructions on Friday/Saturday won't process in Canada until Monday. We always confirm the actual settlement date when you book — there are no surprises.
Message us on WhatsApp and we'll have a live executable rate back in seconds.