Al-Shal: 82.7% of Stock Exchange Traders Are Kuwaitis
Al-Shal report confirms the dominance of Kuwaiti investors in stock exchange trading with an increase in net buying.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
The report stated that the corporate and institutional sector remains the largest participant in the market, with its share increasing. It accounted for 67.2% of the total value of shares sold (61.3% for the same period in 2025) and 66.9% of the total value of shares purchased (62.9% for the same period in 2025). This sector sold shares worth 10.678 billion dinars and purchased shares worth 10.627 billion dinars, resulting in a net trading position as the largest net seller, with a net outflow of approximately 51.386 million dinars.
According to the "Ash-Shal" report, the second largest contributor to market liquidity is the individual investors sector, whose share declined. Individuals accounted for 30.1% of the total value of shares purchased (35.3% for the same period in 2025) and 29.7% of the total value of shares sold (36.9% for the same period in 2025). Individual investors purchased shares worth 4.784 billion dinars and sold shares worth 4.720 billion dinars, making them the only group with a net buying position, with a net inflow of approximately 64.243 million dinars.
The report added that the third largest contributor is the client accounts (portfolios) sector, with its share increasing. This sector 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). It sold shares worth 410.757 million dinars and purchased shares worth 410.455 million dinars, resulting in a net selling position with a net outflow of approximately 302,000 dinars.
The last contributor to market liquidity is 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 75.752 million dinars and purchased shares worth 63.197 million dinars, resulting in a net selling position with a net outflow of approximately 12.554 million dinars.
The report emphasized that 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 13.310 billion dinars, accounting for 83.8% of the total value of shares purchased (84.7% for the same period in 2025). They sold shares worth 12.969 billion dinars, accounting for 81.6% of the total value of shares sold (87.4% for the same period in 2025). This resulted in a net buying position for Kuwaiti investors, with a net inflow of approximately 340.999 million dinars.
The share of other investors in the total value of shares sold amounted to approximately 2.674 billion dinars, representing 16.8% of the total value of shares sold (10.8% for the same period in 2025). Meanwhile, the value of shares purchased by these investors amounted to approximately 2.383 billion dinars, representing 15.0% (13.7% for the same period in 2025). This resulted in a net selling position for other investors, with a net outflow of approximately 291.461 million dinars.
The share of investors from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries in the total value of shares sold was approximately 1.5% (1.9% for the same period in 2025), valued at 241.353 million dinars. Meanwhile, the value of shares purchased by GCC investors was approximately 191.814 million dinars, representing about 1.2% (1.6% for the same period in 2025). This resulted in a net selling position for GCC investors, with a net outflow of approximately 49.538 million dinars.
"Ash-Shal" reported a change in the relative distribution among nationalities compared to the previous year. Currently, Kuwaitis account for approximately 82.7%, traders of other nationalities account for 15.9%, and traders from GCC countries account for 1.4%. This contrasts with the same period last year, when Kuwaitis accounted for approximately 86.0%, traders of other nationalities accounted for 12.3%, and traders from GCC countries accounted for 1.7%. Thus, the Kuwait Stock Exchange remains a local market where the local investor holds the largest share, and interest from other investors outside the GCC continues to exceed that of their counterparts within the GCC.
The number of active trading accounts rose by approximately 20.6% between the end of December 2025 and the end of September 2026, compared to a 76.0% increase between the end of December 2024 and the end of September 2025. At the end of September 2026, the number of active trading accounts stood at approximately 57,472, representing 12.1% of total accounts, compared to approximately 55,569 accounts at the end of August 2026, which accounted for 11.7% of total accounts for that month, reflecting a 3.4% increase.
