Kuwait listed firms post 2.55 billion dinars profits despite annual decline
A specialized economic report by Al-Shall Consulting revealed that 135 companies listed on Boursa Kuwait, representing 96.4 percent of total listed firms, reported combined net profits of 2.547 billion dinars (approximately $7.79 billion) for 2025, marking a decline of 6.4 percent compared to 2.722 billion dinars ($8.33 billion) recorded in 2024.
The report highlighted uneven sectoral performance across the market. Out of 13 active sectors, seven recorded growth in profitability, while three sectors saw declines. Two sectors shifted from profitability into losses, and one sector deepened its existing losses.
The telecommunications sector emerged as the strongest performer, posting a sharp increase in profits of 154.7 million dinars (around $473.3 million), or 79.5 percent, reaching 349.3 million dinars ($1.06 billion), compared to 194.6 million dinars ($595.4 million) in 2024, reports Al-Rai daily.
The banking sector remained the backbone of market profitability, contributing approximately 65.6 percent of total earnings. Net profits in the sector reached 1.671 billion dinars ($5.11 billion), reflecting a modest increase of 0.6 percent compared to the previous year.
In contrast, the industrial sector recorded the steepest downturn, shifting from profits of 155.7 million dinars ($476.4 million) in 2024 to losses of 174.1 million dinars ($532.7 million) in 2025. The 329.8 million dinars ($1 billion) negative swing was identified as the primary factor behind the overall decline in market performance.
The number of profitable companies stood at 113, while 22 companies reported losses, unchanged from 2024.
Performance improved for 90 companies, representing 66.7 percent of those reporting results. Of these, 75 firms increased their profits, while 15 either returned to profitability or reduced losses.
This compares with 82 companies that showed improvement in 2024.
Meanwhile, 45 companies recorded declining performance, including 16 that either increased losses or moved from profits into losses, and 29 that reported reduced profitability. This marks an improvement from 53 underperforming firms in the previous year.
The report noted a high concentration of profits among leading firms. The top 10 most profitable companies generated 2.018 billion dinars ($6.18 billion), accounting for 79.2 percent of total profits and 65.8 percent of earnings among profitable firms.
On dividends, 86 companies announced plans to distribute returns to shareholders. Among them, 54 firms will issue cash dividends only, 12 will distribute bonus shares, and 20 will offer a combination of both. In contrast, 49 companies indicated they would not distribute dividends.
Despite the overall decline in profits, the report reflects resilience within key sectors, particularly banking and telecommunications, while underscoring the significant drag from industrial losses on the broader performance of the Kuwaiti market in 2025.
