Kuwait credit hits record 63.39 billion dinars as lending rises 10.9% in 2025

Data released by the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) showed that total credit extended to residents and non-residents rose by 6.22 billion dinars during the first 11 months of 2025, pushing the outstanding balance of credit facilities to a record 63.39 billion dinars by the end of November. This compares with 57.17 billion dinars at the end of December 2024, reflecting an annual growth of 10.88%.

On a monthly basis, credit increased by 628 million dinars, or 1%, in November, up from 62.76 billion dinars at the end of October.

The CBK defines non-residents as non-Kuwaiti individuals without work or residency permits, foreign companies not licensed in Kuwait, firms operating under special government contracts, as well as foreign diplomatic missions and their affiliated entities, reports Al-Anba daily.

The expansion in credit since the beginning of the year was largely driven by housing loans, which are long-term personal facilities with maturities of up to 15 years used for purchasing, building, or renovating private housing.

The balance of housing loans reached 17.28 billion dinars by the end of November, up 740 million dinars, or 4.5%, from 16.54 billion dinars at the end of December 2024.

Consumer credit facilities also recorded a modest increase of 6.7 million dinars, or 0.33%, during the same period, raising their total balance to 2.08 billion dinars.

As a result, total personal facilities climbed to 20.03 billion dinars by the end of November, marking an increase of 717 million dinars, or 3.7%, compared with 19.31 billion dinars at the end of 2024.

Loans directed toward securities purchases rose significantly, reaching 4.5 billion dinars by the end of November, up from 3.8 billion dinars at the end of December 2024, representing a growth of 19%, or 718 million dinars.

Meanwhile, bank-to-bank lending surged by 50.5% during the same period, reaching 5.14 billion dinars, compared with 3.41 billion dinars at the end of last year, an increase of 1.72 billion dinars.

On the deposits side, CBK data showed that deposits held with local banks by residents and non-residents increased by 5.23 billion dinars during the first 11 months of 2025, reaching 59.06 billion dinars, compared with 53.82 billion dinars at the end of 2024, a growth of 9.7%.

Month on month, deposits rose by 1.3 billion dinars, or 2.2%, in November, compared with 57.75 billion dinars at the end of October.

The growth in deposits was mainly driven by an increase in private-sector deposits denominated in Kuwaiti dinars, which climbed to 39.02 billion dinars, up from 37.62 billion dinars at the end of December, an increase of 1.4 billion dinars, or 3.7%.

Deposits from public financial and non-financial institutions also rose sharply, reaching 9.51 billion dinars, compared with 7.11 billion dinars at the end of 2024, marking a rise of 2.4 billion dinars, or 33.7%.