The Kuwait Banking Association commended the pioneering achievements of Kuwaiti banks during 2025, reflecting the strength of the Kuwaiti banking sector, its regional leadership, and its pivotal role in supporting economic development. These successes are the fruit of integrated strategic efforts and high-quality investments in innovation, governance, digital transformation, and social responsibility, which enhance Kuwait’s position as a leading financial center and support its vision.
National Bank of Kuwait
In this regard, the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) stated that it achieved numerous milestones during 2025, solidifying its leading position in the Kuwaiti banking sector.
Regarding major financing deals, NBK led a syndicated financing agreement with the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) worth KD 1.5 billion, the largest KD-denominated transaction. NBK acted as the lead arranger and manager for the issuance of the financing facilities and the conventional facility agent, with its share amounting to KD 495 million of the total financing, making it the largest lender in the conventional tranche. Reaffirming the confidence of regional and international investors in its financial position, National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) successfully priced an $800 million Additional Tier 1 (AT1) bond issuance, the largest of its kind in the bank’s history.
In the area of sustainability, NBK signed the first green financing agreement in Kuwait with Mabanee Company and achieved the highest environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings in the region.
Reinforcing its leadership in social responsibility, NBK laid the foundation stone for the new Children’s Hospital for Hematology, Cancer, and Stem Cell Transplantation (Building C), and inaugurated the Shuwaikh Beach after its development, financed by the bank.
NBK’s achievements were crowned with prestigious international awards, while Standard & Poor’s upgraded its rating from “A” to “A+” with a stable outlook.
Commercial Bank of Kuwait
Commercial Bank of Kuwait continues to provide innovative banking solutions, backed by a long history of more than 65 years of service. The bank recorded net profits of KD 90.2 million for the nine-month period ending September 30, 2025, and enjoys strong regulatory ratios that exceed the requirements of the Central Bank of Kuwait.
The bank finances national development projects within the framework of the “New Kuwait 2035” vision, through financing infrastructure, oil and gas, and housing projects. It has established a multi-currency certificate of deposit program worth US$1 billion and entered into a US$500 million syndicated loan for a five-year term. These transactions enhance liquidity, expansion capabilities, and the ability to finance major projects.
In the area of digital transformation, the bank has expanded its electronic services, focusing on cybersecurity, developing self-service kiosks, and enhancing its digital point-of-sale (POS) services, enabling customers to conduct their banking transactions through diverse banking methods and channels.
The bank places sustainability and social responsibility at the heart of its strategy through various environmental and social initiatives. It is also committed to its educational role in promoting banking awareness among the public and investing in human capital by attracting and training Kuwaiti talent.
Gulf Bank
Gulf Bank continued its pioneering journey in 2025, reaffirming its position as the bank closest to the community and its commitment to serving its customers and fostering a supportive work environment for its employees. Celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, the bank commenced employee training following initial approval from the Central Bank of Kuwait to transition to a Sharia-compliant bank.
It also made significant progress in its plan to transform its branches into environmentally friendly ones, including the development of its headquarters into a sustainable building that preserves its heritage value.
In terms of corporate social responsibility, the bank focused on empowering women, youth, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), supporting initiatives such as INJAZ, LOYAC, and the “Let’s Be Aware” campaign.
The bank expanded its Gulf Points program to include the Red Plus Youth Card. It also organized the 11th edition of the Gulf Bank Marathon and the fourth edition of its Datathon competition, and continued to develop its mobile banking app to provide more convenient and secure services.
Gulf Bank It also launched successful and effective campaigns and participated in major events, concluding the year with 12 international awards that affirmed its leadership and high-quality performance.
Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait
Throughout 2025, Al-Ahli Bank of Kuwait continued to earn the trust of specialized performance evaluation agencies, maintaining growth across most of its financial indicators and successfully achieving its objectives.
The bank improved its ranking among the best banks in the region according to the annual lists of Forbes Middle East and The Banker magazines. It also received more than 10 awards from Global Finance, International Finance, Global Brands, and others for its redesigned mobile application with exceptional features, its governance standards, effective interaction with investors, its legal department, customer service center, and other departments.
The bank also received awards for its performance across all sectors. The bank launched its first $500 million Certificate of Deposit program, appointed a new Group CEO, and closed a $1 billion global syndicated credit facility and other deals through its branch in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC). It also issued its fifth sustainability report, established ABK Capital DIFC in the DIFC through its investment arm, ABK Capital, and forged global partnerships, including with LGT Bank Switzerland Ltd.
The bank strengthened its social presence by sponsoring several events, introducing new solutions, and continuing to upgrade its branch network with state-of-the-art facilities.
Kuwait International Bank
Kuwait International Bank (KIB) continues to strengthen its position in the banking sector by achieving strong financial results in 2025. The bank recorded profits of KD 20.4 million for the first nine months of the year, representing a 26% increase compared to the same period in 2024. In October 2025, the bank successfully issued $300 million in Tier 2 capital sukuk, which was oversubscribed more than seven times and priced at a record low for this type of sukuk, reflecting strong confidence in the bank’s performance and strategy.
KIB also joined the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM), becoming a primary dealer in short-term sukuk issuances. In terms of expansion, the bank opened its 18th branch in the Al-Siddiq area, featuring a modern design and advanced technology. The bank was awarded several prestigious accolades, including the ‘Excellence in Innovative Corporate Banking Services in the Middle East and North Africa’ award and the ‘Excellence in Digital Leadership and Customer Experience-Centric Banking in Kuwait 2025’ award.
It also continued its support for sports and youth initiatives by sponsoring the KIB | The Stadium tournament. Furthermore, it expanded its community partnerships through collaboration with K-Land to organize family events and meaningful entertainment experiences. The bank also implemented six initiatives to support local projects and ten community activities as part of its corporate social responsibility program. Additionally, it ranked third as the largest supporter of the “Let’s Be Aware” awareness campaign.
Industrial Bank of Kuwait
The Industrial Bank of Kuwait continues its role in supporting economic development throughout 2025 through a series of institutional, financial, and technological achievements. The bank financed several industrial projects with a value exceeding 42 million Kuwaiti dinars, in addition to financing 34 projects within its small business portfolio with a value of 2 million Kuwaiti dinars. During the third quarter, it also provided eight agricultural loans and supported 20 clients with a total of Loans amounting to 2 million dinars.
On the technical front, the bank strengthened its digital infrastructure by upgrading and improving its IT infrastructure, ensuring enhanced information security readiness in accordance with Central Bank regulations and best governance practices.
Institutionally, the bank achieved a remarkable milestone by being recognized in the GC Powerlist: Kuwait 2025 list issued by the Legal 500 global organization. This recognition solidifies the bank’s position as an influential legal and administrative force and affirms the soundness of its operational and legal systems, which align with the highest international and regional standards.
As part of its internal development strategy, the Industrial Bank of Kuwait focused on operational excellence to ensure financial sustainability and enhance efficiency. These efforts culminated in the bank obtaining ISO 9001 certification. This achievement underscores the bank’s commitment to implementing best practices and international standards in its quality management system, ensuring the accuracy and transparency of internal procedures and significantly improving the customer experience.
Burgan Bank
During 2025, Burgan Bank continued to implement strategic steps that strengthened Its regional presence was significant. The full acquisition of United Gulf Bank marked a major milestone, contributing to the expansion of the bank’s activities in Islamic finance and investments. The bank launched Kuwait’s first Certificate of Deposit program, valued at $500 million, and priced international bonds of the same value, achieving an oversubscription of 3.8 times. The bank also signed a strategic agreement with SAP to utilize its advanced, integrated Human Resources Management (HRM) system, SuccessFactors, to enhance its technological capabilities and develop its digital products.
In terms of social responsibility, Burgan Bank strengthened its efforts through initiatives encompassing education, sports, health, youth empowerment, and the promotion of financial literacy through its “Let’s Be Aware” campaign, reaffirming its commitment to serving the community. It also published its sixth sustainability report, joined the FTSE4Good Index, and launched a waste management initiative in collaboration with Tadweeri.
The bank garnered a number of prestigious awards, including “Best Customer Service” at the MEED Middle East and North Africa Banking Excellence Awards and the “Elite Recognition for High Quality 2024” award from JPMorgan Chase. The bank also continued to enhance its human capital, earning recognition for its outstanding performance. Kuwait Finance House (KFH) received the Brandon Hall Gold Award for the third consecutive year and the Great Place to Work certification.
Kuwait Finance House (KFH)
Kuwait Finance House (KFH) noted that it continued its global leadership, achieving the highest net profits in the Kuwaiti banking sector and the private sector, reaching KD 492.7 million by the end of the third quarter of 2025. It leads the banks and companies listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange with a market capitalization exceeding KD 14 billion.
KFH successfully issued $850 million in Additional Tier 1 capital (AT1) sukuk, the largest issuance of its kind in Kuwait in terms of size.
KFH led prominent financing deals in the oil, gas, energy, and infrastructure sectors, most recently a syndicated loan for Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) totaling KD 1.5 billion, with KFH contributing KD 405 million.
KFH ranked first among the best-performing banks in Kuwait, according to The Banker magazine’s ranking of the top 1000 global banks for 2025.
KFH launched innovative digital banking services and distinguished solutions that enhanced the customer experience. Customers. It also continued to strengthen its leadership in social responsibility and sustainability.
It launched its new visual identity under the slogan “Horizons Without Limits” as part of its growth and expansion strategy, operating in 10 countries worldwide.
It has garnered international awards, most notably “Best Islamic Bank in the World” from Global Finance.
Boubyan Bank
Boubyan Bank stated that 2025 marked a new chapter in its achievements, reaffirming its vision for strategic expansion and strengthening its presence in the innovation and financial technology sector. The bank continued to enhance the role of the digital economy, supporting startups in technology fields and the FinTech ecosystem, in parallel with the launch of key central programs for fintech innovations, most notably the Banking-as-a-Service model, Boubyan Bank became one of the first Kuwaiti banks to receive approval from the Central Bank of Kuwait in this field.
Boubyan also launched a new program to issue $2 billion in Sharia-compliant certificates of deposit, becoming the first Kuwaiti bank to offer such an issuance. On the technological front, Boubyan launched the first artificial intelligence model in the Kuwaiti dialect to analyze customer opinions and sentiments, and to transcribe voice calls in its call center into accurate, analyzable text, as part of its commitment to using AI to enhance the customer experience.
The bank further solidified its global leadership with a wide range of awards that affirm its excellence across various sectors. Most notably, it retained the title of “Best Islamic Bank for Digital Banking Services in the World” from Global Finance for the eleventh consecutive year, in addition to ongoing international recognition for its achievements in innovation, customer experience, and private banking, cementing its position as one of the leading financial institutions in the region.
Warba Bank
Warba Bank announced that 2025 marked a historic turning point in its journey, represented by the strategic acquisition of a significant stake in Gulf Bank, a move that culminated fifteen years of solid growth. This significant achievement, coinciding with the bank’s success in completing the largest capital increase in Kuwait’s history, reflects the deep confidence of its shareholders and the bank’s ambitious vision.
The bank’s strong financial base has enabled it to accelerate its digital transformation and introduce innovative Islamic banking products and services that meet the evolving needs and aspirations of individual and corporate clients. This is in addition to the bank’s ongoing investment in community, educational, and cultural initiatives, all of which contribute to building a more prosperous and sustainable future for generations to come, in line with the bank’s motto, “Owning Tomorrow.”
Today, the bank not only strengthens its position in the banking sector but also reaffirms its commitment as an active partner in supporting the national economy and achieving Kuwait’s vision, as well as a true partner in the advancement of society, based on its identity as a modern and innovative bank founded by the people and serving the people.
