Consumer spending and bank lending in Kuwait see mixed trends in 2025

Official data for 2025 show that the total value of transactions through ATM cards, points of sale (POS), and online platforms inside and outside Kuwait reached 45.956 billion dinars, down from 47.785 billion dinars in 2024. This marks a decline of 3.83 percent, equivalent to 1.829 billion dinars.

The point-of-sale transactions recorded growth, rising 2.4 percent or 471 million dinars, from 18.9 billion to 19.371 billion dinars, primarily driven by consumer spending on essential goods.

Meanwhile, ATM withdrawals fell sharply by 9.8 percent, or 989 million dinars, dropping from 10.084 billion dinars in 2024 to 9.095 billion dinars in 2025, reports Al-Jarida daily.

Online transactions followed with a decline of 6.9 percent, falling 1.311 billion dinars from 18.801 billion to 17.490 billion dinars. Total transactions through the “Wamd” service reached 8.7 billion dinars by the end of 2025.

Bank Lending Surges Despite Slower Spending

On the lending side, banks injected 6.574 billion dinars of new liquidity into various sectors during 2025, marking a growth of 11.4 percent compared to 2024.

The total outstanding loan balance at year-end reached 63.74 billion dinars, up from 57.168 billion in the previous year.

The real estate sector witnessed steady growth, with new loans amounting to 562 million dinars, a 5.43 percent increase, raising the sector’s total loan balance from 10.3 billion to 10.9 billion dinars.

Personal loans rose by 3.6 percent, or 712 million dinars, from 19.315 billion to 20.027 billion dinars.

Detailed figures show the housing loans totaled 17.277 billion dinars, up 4.41 percent from 16.546 billion; consumer loans amounted to 2.077 billion dinars, a slight increase of 0.24 percent and securities balances surged by nearly 27 percent, increasing 1.031 billion dinars to 4.8 billion, compared to 3.7 billion in 2024.