A novel robust pyridine-bridged bis-benzimidazolylidene nickel pincer complex 3 accessible from inexpensive, commercially available precursors efficiently catalyzes the first practical Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions with various less-reactive electrophiles ArX (X = Br, Cl, OTs and OMs) and even tolerates electron-rich, sterically demanding and heterocyclic arenes in the presence of catalytic amounts of PPh(3).