In an effort to ensure increased efficiency and the expansion of Kuwait’s capital markets, the government is working to privatise the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) before the end of 2013. The plan to float the bourse – the oldest in the GCC region – is closely linked with the recent structural and regulatory overhaul of the wider capital markets...
Like many countries fortunate enough to post regular budget surpluses, Kuwait has sought to put its excess liquidity to work in international markets. According to the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) Institute, the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) represents the sixth-largest SWF in the world. Furthermore, although it has a broad mandate to invest both...
The potential benefits a privatisation strategy offers to Kuwait are similar to those experienced in other jurisdictions, especially the possibility of increased foreign direct investment (FDI), the potential to reduce public spending and greater tax revenues. Other significant advantages include improved sector efficiency, encouraging Kuwaiti...
Despite a variety of ongoing challenges, Kuwait’s banking sector has performed well in recent years. The country’s 10 local banks and 11 foreign players make up one of the oldest banking sectors in the region and the third-largest in the GCC, with total assets of KD48.8bn ($174.3bn) at the end of March 2013. In 2012 the industry saw asset growth of...
Over the past half decade the government has introduced a raft of new laws and regulations for its capital markets. The long-term goal is to overhaul and update numerous aspects of the country’s investment industry, from the operation of the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) to the risk management policies currently in place at listed companies. As of the...
In recent years, Kuwait-based banks have faced a number of challenges, including a conservative regulatory environment and relatively slow economic expansion since the international financial downturn. With this in mind, and in an effort to shore up long-term growth prospects, many local financial institutions have invested heavily in international...
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