RIYADH - Some 320 foreign institutions have registered as qualified foreign investors in the Saudi stock market and 200 more are expected to register, the Saudi stock exchange chairwoman said on Tuesday.

Sarah al-Suhaimi, chairwoman of the Saudi Arabian stock exchange (Tadawul) was speaking at an investment conference in Riyadh.

Global index provider MSCI classified Saudi Arabian equity market as an emerging market in June, which is expected to attract billions of dollars of passive funds.

Al-Suhaimi said she expected qualified foreign investors to increase before and after the inclusion in the index, which is expected to happen in phases coinciding with index reviews in May and August 2019.

(Reporting by Marwa Rashad and Andrew Torchia, writing by Davide Barbuscia) ((Davide.Barbuscia@thomsonreuters.com; +971522604297; Reuters Messaging: davide.barbuscia.reuters.com@reuters.net))