Saudi Arabia's Tadawul stock market said on Thursday that it planned to launch its own initial share sale in 2018.

The initial public offering will be launched after the readiness exercise is completed and necessary approvals are obtained, it said in a bourse statement.

The kingdom's stock market, by far the largest in the Gulf Arab region with a market capitalisation of SR1.57 trillion ($418.5 billion), said in 2014 that it was looking to go public, without giving a timeframe for the flotation. - Reuters