Direct Investment Flows Into Kuwait Rise to KWD 948 Million in Fiscal 2025/2026
Direct investment flows into Kuwait rose to KWD 948 million in the fiscal year to March, the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority said, adding it approved 17 new investment entities.
With those approvals, cumulative approved investment since 2015 reached an estimated KWD 2.92 billion, by the authority’s count. In The Edge’s reading, the fuller test of the rise is the current fiscal year, in which the authority announced residency of up to 15 years for investors and signed three European promotion agreements. The statement gives no figure for the previous year, so the size of the rise cannot yet be measured.
The figures came in a press statement marking the authority’s 11th Annual Report, titled “Driving Growth”. The Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) carried it on 4 November at 11:13 GMT. The report covers the fiscal year from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.
The KWD 948 million equals $3.08 billion, on The Edge’s conversion at the Central Bank of Kuwait’s mid rate that morning.
The report links licensed investment to Kuwait Vision 2035
The statement says the report assesses the economic impact of licensed investments in three areas: developing human capital, transferring and localising technology, and widening the private sector’s role. The authority links that work to Kuwait Vision 2035, and says the rise in cumulative approvals reflects Kuwait’s growing appeal to international capital.
The report also reviews progress on the authority’s medium-term strategy for 2025 to 2030. Its stated aim is to establish Kuwait as a future-ready economy built on investment and innovation, by attracting high-impact investment, improving the investor experience and developing digital and investment services.
The Director General, Sheikh Dr. Meshaal Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, presented the report at Bayan Palace on 3 November to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. He presented it the same day to His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and to His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah.
The publication comes seven weeks earlier in the calendar than last year: the Tenth Annual Report, for fiscal 2024/2025, was published on 23 December 2025.
Fiscal 2025/2026: the authority’s headline figures
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Direct investment flows | KWD 948m |
| New investment entities approved | 17 |
| Cumulative approved since 2015 | KWD 2.92bn |
The cumulative total is the authority’s approximate figure.
Incentives and residency of up to 15 years frame the offer
Investors licensed under Law No. 116 of 2013, the direct investment promotion law, are offered six incentives and guarantees on the authority’s own list.
Eligible licensed entities may be exempted from income tax or other taxes for up to 10 years from the actual start of operations. Qualifying imports of machinery, equipment, technological devices, spare parts, raw materials and packaging may receive full or partial customs relief.
Investors may transfer profits, capital and qualifying disposal proceeds abroad. Licensed entities are protected from confiscation except in the public interest, under applicable law and with compensation. Land or real estate under the authority’s supervision may be made available under its Board’s rules, and foreign labour needed for a project may be permitted, subject to national employment requirements and other applicable rules.
In June 2026 the authority announced a Council of Ministers resolution that lets eligible investors in its licensed companies obtain residency for up to 15 years. It covers owners, partners, approved senior executives and eligible immediate family members, and was developed with the Ministry of Interior.
The thresholds are specific. A licensed entity must maintain an investment value of at least KWD 5 million and capital of at least KWD 1 million for approved activities. It must also keep active operations in Kuwait and meet the minimum requirement for employing Kuwaiti nationals.
The authority announced the residency route on 14 June, after the reporting year closed on 31 March. The current fiscal year runs to 31 March 2027.
Three new promotion agreements and three planned zones point to the next year
Since the reporting year closed on 31 March, the authority has signed three promotion agreements. The first, a memorandum of understanding with Swiss Global Enterprise, was signed on 29 September. The second, a declaration of intent with the Government of the French Republic, represented by Business France, was signed on 19 October, as set out on our site that day.
On 23 October, during the official visit of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the Director General signed a memorandum with the Italian Trade Agency, whose President, Matteo Zoppas, signed for the Italian side. The memorandum provides for exchanging information, expertise and best practice on direct investment.
None of the three falls inside the fiscal 2025/2026 figures; all three were signed with European counterparts in the current fiscal year.
The authority also leads the development of three planned economic zones. Al-Abdali is earmarked for export industries, Al-Na’ayem for core industries and Al-Wafra for clean industries and small businesses.
Al-Abdali, in northern Kuwait, covers 5.02 square kilometres and lies an estimated 90 kilometres from Kuwait City, according to the authority.
Figures are from the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority’s statement on its 11th Annual Report for fiscal 2025/2026, carried by KUNA in Arabic and English on 4 November 2026, and from the authority’s website; the dollar conversion uses the Central Bank of Kuwait’s mid rate of 0.30785 dinars per dollar at 05:00 GMT on 4 November 2026. Comparisons not attributed to a source are The Edge’s calculations.
Sources: Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority, Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Central Bank of Kuwait, The Edge.
