Financial Services

With an evolving regulatory environment and a shift in the way investment companies operate, the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) is at something of a crossroads. One of the oldest exchanges in the region and the third-largest in the GCC, the KSE has been affected by both domestic and international events in recent years.

The modern era of Kuwaiti banking began in 1952 with the creation of the first national bank in the Gulf region, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK). Founded by prominent local merchants to serve the national interest and invigorate the economy, it established the country as a regional banking centre. The intervening years have seen new financial markets...

The slow rate of recovery seen in GCC equity markets has resulted in a diminished initial public offering (IPO) pipeline. Companies across the region have placed their flotation plans on hold as they wait for more favourable economic conditions. This trend has not bypassed Kuwait, where a number of firms have either slowed or reversed their IPO...

THE COMPANY: BURGAN Bank, a subsidiary of Kuwait Projects Company (KIPCO), is a Kuwaiti-based commercial bank with a regional presence in eight countries, which was incorporated on December 27, 1975. The bank is engaged in the provision of banking and investment services to individuals and corporations....

THE COMPANY: ALAFCO is a commercial aircraft lease provider founded in 1992 as a venture subsidiary of Kuwait Airways. It was registered in 2000 as a closed shareholding company after a takeover of a majority stake by Kuwait Finance House in 1999. ALAFCO offers a wide range of consultative services in...

Having 10 local banks and 11 branches of foreign operators serving a population of around 3m might appear to make for a fragmented market, but the distribution of assets is concentrated in a relatively small number of institutions. At the beginning of 2011 the nation’s two leading banks accounted for about 55.7% of the sector’s total asset base of...