The Middle East

As a major regional centre for Islamic banking and other sharia-compliant financial services, Kuwait is widely expected to take a leading role in the rapidly expanding sukuk (Islamic bond) market in the coming years. In the early and mid-2000s both sukuk and conventional bonds were considered to be a major source of funding, both for...

Kuwait has become a major global centre for a wide variety of activities in the Islamic financial services (IFS) sector in recent years. By the end of the first half of 2013, the country housed more than $70bn in sharia-compliant banking assets, which was equal at the time to 6% of total global Islamic banking assets, according to data from...

THE COMPANY: Set up in 1960, Gulf Bank KSC (GBK) is a Kuwait-based commercial bank, listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange since 1984. It is currently the fourth-largest bank on the KSE, with a market capitalisation of KD1.1bn ($3.87bn). GBK was one of the worst-hit banks in the MENA region during the...

THE COMPANY: KIPCO was established in 1975 and has significant ownership interests in a portfolio of more than 60 companies operating across 24 countries through its core subsidiaries and associates. KIPCO’s portfolio includes companies in high growth markets spanning different sectors that include...

THE COMPANY: Kuwait Finance House (KFH) was established in 1977 as Kuwait’s first Islamic financial institution. It was listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) in 1984 and is the second-largest listed firm on the KSE, with a market capitalisation of KD3.5bn ($12.31bn). KFH is also the second-...

In 2013 the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) saw increased trading activity and, according to many local players, rising investor confidence across the board. Over the year market capitalisation at the bourse grew by nearly 7%, largely on the back of the strong-performing consumer services, technology, and oil and gas sectors. The jump in value and...