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Boursa Kuwait received the Arab Exchange with the Highest Turnover Ratio award for 2025 from the Arab Federation of Capital Markets during a ceremony held in Abu Dhabi. The exchange posted a 50 percent turnover ratio for the year, supported by a 79.26 percent rise in traded value to KD26.58 billion while market capitalization increased 22.05 percent to KD53.187 billion at year-end. Boursa Kuwait said the award reflects sustained work to modernize infrastructure, improve operational efficiency and broaden investment products and access for local and international participants.
The exchange launched the second part of Phase Three of its Market Development Program in July 2025, which implemented a central counterparty system, completed cash settlements via local banks and the Central Bank of Kuwait’s KASSIP platform, and upgraded brokerage firms to a qualified broker model. These changes formed part of a broader push that more than doubled active investor accounts, lifting the total by 111.52 percent to 47,670. According to Boursa Kuwait, such measures have helped attract greater institutional and foreign participation while enhancing overall market liquidity.
Boursa Kuwait has promoted the Kuwaiti capital market through international conferences, investor roadshows and partnerships with financial institutions. The exchange participated in multiple Corporate Days that connected listed companies with global asset managers, sovereign wealth funds and pension funds to discuss financial performance and strategic outlooks. Euromoney separately named Boursa Kuwait the Middle East’s best exchange for 2025, citing the sharp expansion in trading activity and progress on regulatory reforms.
Founded in 2014, Boursa Kuwait operates the national stock exchange and completed a two-stage privatization that concluded with a 2019 initial public offering oversubscribed by 850 percent. The company self-listed on its Premier Market in 2020 and has introduced reforms that contributed to the market’s reclassification as an emerging market by the world’s top three indices. Its strategy aligns with Kuwait Vision 2035 by focusing on market segmentation, new listing rules and alternative platforms such as the over-the-counter segment to increase liquidity and attract issuers.
Recent developments include the launch of the Emerging Companies Market in December 2025 to support small and medium-sized enterprises with flexible listing criteria, including a minimum fair market value of KD750,000 and 20 percent free float. Boursa Kuwait has also prepared infrastructure for exchange-traded funds and fixed-income instruments including bonds and sukuk, with regulatory approvals secured from the Capital Markets Authority. These additions aim to diversify financing channels for issuers and provide investors with expanded portfolio options.
Public Authority for Civil Information figures place Kuwait’s expatriate population at roughly 3.3 million, representing more than two-thirds of residents and underscoring the importance of foreign investor engagement in market activity. Boursa Kuwait data shows institutional investors accounted for 62 percent of trading in earlier periods while international investors contributed 15 percent, trends the exchange seeks to build upon through continued global outreach. The award and associated initiatives mark further steps in positioning the Kuwaiti capital market as a competitive regional hub.
