Al-Shal Report: Institutional and corporate sector largest participants in the stock exchange

The “Ash-Shal” report reviewed the Kuwait Clearing Company’s publication of its “Trading Volume for the Official Market for the Period 01/01/2026 to 31/07/2026,” posted on the Kuwait Stock Exchange website, categorized by traders’ nationality and type. The report indicated that the institutional and corporate sector remained the largest participant, with its share increasing. It accounted for 67.3% of the total value of shares sold (61.5% for the same period in 2025) and 66.9% of the total value of shares purchased (63.3% for the same period in 2025).

In detail, this sector sold shares worth 7.832 billion dinars, while purchasing shares worth 7.780 billion dinars, resulting in a net trading position of approximately 52.393 million dinars in net sales.

The second-largest contributor to market liquidity was the individual sector, whose share declined. Individuals accounted for 30.1% of the total value of shares purchased (35.0% for the same period in 2025) and 29.5% of the total value of shares sold (36.7% for the same period in 2025).

The third-largest contributor was the client accounts (portfolios) sector, whose share increased. It accounted for 2.6% of the total value of shares sold (1.3% for the same period in 2025) and 2.6% of the total value of shares purchased (1.3% for the same period in 2025). This sector sold shares worth 304.088 million dinars and purchased shares worth 302.534 million dinars, resulting in a net trading position of approximately 1.554 million dinars in net sales.

The final contributor to market liquidity was the investment funds sector, which accounted for 0.5% of the total value of shares sold (0.5% for the same period in 2025) and 0.4% of the total value of shares purchased (0.5% for the same period in 2025). This sector sold shares worth 62.426 million dinars and purchased shares worth 50.393 million dinars, resulting in a net trading position of approximately 12.032 million dinars in net sales.

A characteristic of the Kuwait Stock Exchange is its continued status as a local market. Kuwaiti investors were the largest participants, having purchased shares worth 9.629 billion dinars, accounting for 82.8% of the total value of shares purchased (84.4% for the same period in 2025). They sold shares worth 9.329 billion dinars, accounting for 80.2% of the total value of shares sold (87.8% for the same period in 2025), resulting in a net trading position of approximately 299.523 million dinars in net purchases.

The share of other investors in the total value of shares sold amounted to approximately 2.109 billion dinars, representing 18.1% of the total value of shares sold (10.6% for the same period in 2025). Meanwhile, the value of their purchased shares amounted to approximately 1.854 billion dinars, representing 15.9% (14.2% for the same period in 2025), resulting in a net trading position of approximately 255.360 million dinars in net sales.

The share of investors from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in the total value of shares sold amounted to approximately 1.7% (1.6% for the same period in 2025), valued at 195.293 million dinars. Meanwhile, the value of their purchased shares amounted to approximately 151.130 million dinars, representing about 1.3% (1.5% for the same period in 2025), resulting in a net trading position of approximately 44.163 million dinars in net sales.

The relative distribution among nationalities changed compared to the previous year, with Kuwaitis accounting for approximately 81.5%, traders of other nationalities 17.0%, and traders from GCC countries 1.5%, compared to approximately 86.1% for Kuwaitis, 12.4% for traders of other nationalities, and 1.5% for traders from GCC countries in the same period last year.

Thus, the Kuwait Stock Exchange remained a local market, with the largest share going to the local investor. Demand from other investors outside the GCC countries continues to exceed that of their counterparts within the GCC.

The number of active trading accounts rose by approximately 12.6% between the end of December 2025 and the end of July 2026, compared with a 9.7% increase between the end of December 2024 and the end of July 2025. At the end of July 2026, the number of active trading accounts reached approximately 53,694, representing 11.3% of total accounts, up from around 52,612 accounts at the end of June 2026, which accounted for 11.1% of total accounts in the same month, marking a 2.1% increase.