Data released by the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK) showed continued growth in the country’s banking sector during the first five months of 2026, driven by increases in credit facilities, deposits, and bank assets.
Total loans and credit facilities granted by Kuwaiti banks reached 64.9 billion dinars at the end of May, an increase of 1.16 billion dinars, or 1.8 percent, compared with the end of 2025. On an annual basis, credit growth reached 9.8 percent.
Government deposits recorded the strongest increase, surging by 35 percent to 5.64 billion dinars, up from 4.18 billion dinars at the end of December 2025. Total bank deposits also rose by 4.6 percent to 61.89 billion dinars during the same period.
Sectoral lending growth was led by real estate, housing, oil and gas, construction, and industrial sectors. Housing loans increased to 17.57 billion dinars, while real estate financing rose to 11.27 billion dinars. Loans to the oil and gas sector reached 3.03 billion dinars, reflecting growing investment activity.
Meanwhile, total assets of Kuwaiti banks climbed 2.9 percent since the beginning of the year to 104.9 billion dinars, representing an annual increase of 9.4 percent.
The data also highlighted the rapid expansion of digital payments. Transactions through the instant payment service “Wamd” jumped 53.4 percent during the first five months of 2026, reaching 4.52 billion dinars through nearly 70 million transactions, compared with 2.95 billion dinars during the same period last year.
The figures underscore the resilience of Kuwait’s banking sector and the continued growth of digital financial services amid increasing economic activity.
