Higher oil prices and an end to most coronavirus restrictions point to a rosy year ahead for local lenders, with new digital entrants set to raise fresh questions about consolidation.
Middle East
Latest articles from Kuwait

Sulaiman Al-Marzouq on NBK’s new standalone ‘Weyay’
April 1, 2022The National Bank of Kuwait’s deputy CEO for Kuwait talks to John Everington about the outlook for the economy and the prospects for public–private partnerships.

Markaz CEO signals the need for Kuwaiti bank consolidation
March 31, 2022Markaz's CEO Ali H Khalil discusses the importance of Kuwait’s stalled debt law, the outlook for deposits in the banking sector after 2021’s declines and the likelihood of consolidation in the local banking market.

Boubyan Bank on the benefits of digital automation
March 30, 2022Boubyan Bank is Kuwait’s second-largest bank and the country’s fourth-largest lender overall. Abdul Salam Al Saleh, the bank’s CEO for corporate banking, financial control, treasury and legal affairs, spoke to John Everington about the country’s economic outlook for 2022, the outlook for the local mortgage market and the impact of digital banking.

Oil windfall brings temporary respite for Kuwait’s economic challenges
March 29, 2022Kuwait’s economic challenges remain as entrenched as ever, even as higher oil prices are set to wipe out the country’s deficit.

Kuwait stands at the dawn of a new digital banking era
March 25, 2022While Kuwait’s fintech sector remains tiny compared with its Gulf neighbours, the country has taken big strides towards licensing new digital banks.

Kuwait to reap the benefits of new oil boom - for now
March 11, 2022While Russia's invasion of Ukraine has boosted oil prices to multi-year highs, production constraints will constrain the benefit Kuwait enjoys. John Everington reports.
Kuwaiti banks’ ROA hit by oil price drop
November 4, 2021National Bank of Kuwait, the largest bank in the country, saw return on assets fall to 0.87% in 2020.

Kuwait central bank hopes for swift post-pandemic recovery
April 1, 2021Central Bank of Kuwait governor Mohammad Al-Hashel talks to John Everington about protecting the banking sector and growing credit amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

NBK puts faith in technology to drive future growth
April 1, 2021Salah Y Al-Fulaij, Kuwait CEO of NBK, on the state of Kuwait’s banking sector and the key drivers for post-pandemic growth.