Company Insights National Bank of Kuwait Banking & Finance National Bank of Kuwait News Oil & Gas Opec cuts forecast for oil demand growth Lacklustre growth in the Chinese economy has caused Opec to trim its bullish forecast for growth in international oil demand this year. The oil producers’ group said on Tuesday that it was cutting its expectation for growth in demand by the world economy by 6 percent, or 135,000 barrels per day (bpd), to 2.1 million […] August 13, 2024 Construction Housing regulations amplify costs for Kuwait real estate Kuwait’s real estate industry is grappling with increased construction and labour costs as a result of stricter housing regulations. Authorities have clamped down on basements and ground floor areas being used for worker accommodation, leading to a shortage of affordable housing for low-paid expatriate construction workers in central areas. The change has led to an […] August 5, 2024 Finance Kuwaiti lenders propose merger to create $50bn Islamic bank Boubyan Bank and Gulf Bank, two of the largest Kuwait-listed shariah-compliant lenders, are set to commence an initial feasibility study for a potential merger. The merged entity will be among the largest Islamic banks with more than $50 billion in assets. In separate statements to Boursa Kuwait, the two lenders said they will conduct due […] August 1, 2024 Real Estate Large deals drive Qatar and Kuwait real estate in Q2 Large one-off transactions masked an otherwise sluggish performance in the Qatari and Kuwaiti real estate markets in the second quarter of this year. The number of mortgage transactions in Qatar from April to June increased by more than 42 percent over the same period last year. Some 376 deals were signed for a total value […] July 24, 2024 Oil & Gas ‘Huge’ oil discovery could change the game for Kuwait Kuwait has announced a significant discovery of light oil and associated natural gas in its offshore Al-Nokhatha field. The state-owned Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) – a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) – reported on Sunday that the field, located east of the Kuwaiti island of Failaka, holds approximately 2.1 billion barrels of light oil […] July 15, 2024 Banking & Finance Bahrain attracts a record $6.8bn in foreign investment Bahrain has set a new record by attracting $6.8 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2023. This is a 148 percent increase from the previous year’s $2.8 billion, according to the latest World Investment Report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development. Kuwait emerged as the top contributor, accounting for 36 percent of […] June 21, 2024 Economy Kuwaiti businesses struggling to meet demand as orders surge Businesses in Kuwait have accumulated huge backlogs of work and will need to increase capacity and staff levels to meet customer demand, according to ratings agency S&P Global. The monthly purchasing managers’ index (PMI) report for Kuwait revealed companies strengthened employment levels in a bid to satisfy “sharp and accelerated increases in new business” throughout […] June 7, 2024 Opinion Economy Kuwait’s political crisis adds to economic uncertainty The country's latest standoff is deeply concerning for both the near and long term May 20, 2024 Trade Kuwait’s record performance tempered by costs Rising inflation and increasing staffing costs are weighing heavily on Kuwait’s non-oil business sector despite growth, the latest business sentiment survey has revealed. The seasonally adjusted S&P Global Kuwait purchasing managers’ index (PMI) revealed strong growth, with competitive pricing by businesses helping to attract new customers. The index was up at 53.2 for March from […] April 3, 2024 Analysis Banking & Finance GCC banks look to US and Europe GCC banks may be forced to look overseas to fulfil growth ambitions as home markets become increasingly saturated, experts say. While some banks have already ventured abroad – mainly into Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan, which constitute nearly a half of their presence outside the Gulf – more developed markets such as the US and Europe […] February 28, 2024 Posts navigation Previous 1 2 3 4 Next
Oil & Gas Opec cuts forecast for oil demand growth Lacklustre growth in the Chinese economy has caused Opec to trim its bullish forecast for growth in international oil demand this year. The oil producers’ group said on Tuesday that it was cutting its expectation for growth in demand by the world economy by 6 percent, or 135,000 barrels per day (bpd), to 2.1 million […] August 13, 2024
Construction Housing regulations amplify costs for Kuwait real estate Kuwait’s real estate industry is grappling with increased construction and labour costs as a result of stricter housing regulations. Authorities have clamped down on basements and ground floor areas being used for worker accommodation, leading to a shortage of affordable housing for low-paid expatriate construction workers in central areas. The change has led to an […] August 5, 2024
Finance Kuwaiti lenders propose merger to create $50bn Islamic bank Boubyan Bank and Gulf Bank, two of the largest Kuwait-listed shariah-compliant lenders, are set to commence an initial feasibility study for a potential merger. The merged entity will be among the largest Islamic banks with more than $50 billion in assets. In separate statements to Boursa Kuwait, the two lenders said they will conduct due […] August 1, 2024
Real Estate Large deals drive Qatar and Kuwait real estate in Q2 Large one-off transactions masked an otherwise sluggish performance in the Qatari and Kuwaiti real estate markets in the second quarter of this year. The number of mortgage transactions in Qatar from April to June increased by more than 42 percent over the same period last year. Some 376 deals were signed for a total value […] July 24, 2024
Oil & Gas ‘Huge’ oil discovery could change the game for Kuwait Kuwait has announced a significant discovery of light oil and associated natural gas in its offshore Al-Nokhatha field. The state-owned Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) – a subsidiary of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) – reported on Sunday that the field, located east of the Kuwaiti island of Failaka, holds approximately 2.1 billion barrels of light oil […] July 15, 2024
Banking & Finance Bahrain attracts a record $6.8bn in foreign investment Bahrain has set a new record by attracting $6.8 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2023. This is a 148 percent increase from the previous year’s $2.8 billion, according to the latest World Investment Report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development. Kuwait emerged as the top contributor, accounting for 36 percent of […] June 21, 2024
Economy Kuwaiti businesses struggling to meet demand as orders surge Businesses in Kuwait have accumulated huge backlogs of work and will need to increase capacity and staff levels to meet customer demand, according to ratings agency S&P Global. The monthly purchasing managers’ index (PMI) report for Kuwait revealed companies strengthened employment levels in a bid to satisfy “sharp and accelerated increases in new business” throughout […] June 7, 2024
Opinion Economy Kuwait’s political crisis adds to economic uncertainty The country's latest standoff is deeply concerning for both the near and long term May 20, 2024
Trade Kuwait’s record performance tempered by costs Rising inflation and increasing staffing costs are weighing heavily on Kuwait’s non-oil business sector despite growth, the latest business sentiment survey has revealed. The seasonally adjusted S&P Global Kuwait purchasing managers’ index (PMI) revealed strong growth, with competitive pricing by businesses helping to attract new customers. The index was up at 53.2 for March from […] April 3, 2024
Analysis Banking & Finance GCC banks look to US and Europe GCC banks may be forced to look overseas to fulfil growth ambitions as home markets become increasingly saturated, experts say. While some banks have already ventured abroad – mainly into Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan, which constitute nearly a half of their presence outside the Gulf – more developed markets such as the US and Europe […] February 28, 2024