After half a decade of strong provisioning, cautious credit management and, in some cases, debt restructuring, Kuwait’s banking sector is in a relatively strong financial position. As of the end of 2012 the country’s 10 local banks boasted total assets of KD47.3bn ($168.9bn), up from KD44.1bn ($157.5bn) at the end of 2011 and KD41.4bn ($147.9bn) at...
The discovery of Kuwait’s Burgan oilfield in 1938 set the state on a path of development that has made it one of the richest nations in the world, and its buoyant oil revenues, years of budget surpluses, and a young and growing population combine to underwrite the nation’s future economic expansion. Alongside Qatar and the UAE, Kuwait boasts the...
In the decade since the passage of Kuwait’s foreign direct investment (FDI) legislation, the nation has worked to capitalise on the numerous advantages it offers investors from beyond its borders. These include: its location between Iraq and Saudi Arabia; a relatively open economy with a thriving merchant class; one of the most vocal and democratic...
Boosting economic integration among the Gulf states has been a key component of the GCC since the organisation was established in late May 1981. Indeed, while the six countries that make up the GCC – namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE – have implemented joint projects in a wide variety of sectors, economic cooperation...
A global giant among oil-producing nations, Kuwait’s economic and industrial fortunes over the past half-century have demonstrated both the nation’s prowess and resilience since independence in 1961, delivering one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world. In parallel, the emirate is also host to the region’s most politically liberal and...
In a speech delivered at a conference in Riyadh in early May 2012, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, the secretary-general of the GCC, addressed the numerous changes that have taken place in the region in recent years. “The new political, security and military challenges, at the regional and international levels, as well as insecurity in the Arab...
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