Kuwait’s stock exchange extended its trading hours by 30 minutes starting Sunday as the Gulf state seeks to enhance liquidity and align with global markets to attract more international investors.
Boursa Kuwait now operates continuous trading from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., compared to the previous 12:30 p.m. close. The closing auction session runs from 1:00 p.m. to 1:10 p.m., followed by a trade-at-last session until 1:15 p.m.
The exchange also modified its closing auction mechanism, allowing investors to amend orders throughout the 10-minute auction period while reducing the random closing period to 30 seconds from two minutes previously.
“The decision to extend trading hours and amend the closing auction mechanism provides investors with a more flexible environment and enables them to effectively implement their investment strategies,” said Mohammad Saud Al-Osaimi, chief executive of Boursa Kuwait. He added:
This step also highlights the apparatus’s commitment to aligning the Kuwaiti market with global index requirements and investor expectations, reinforcing its standing as a leading financial hub regionally and internationally.
The changes follow extensive technical testing among market entities including Kuwait Clearing Company and brokerage firms to ensure infrastructure readiness.
Kuwait has been working to upgrade its capital markets as part of broader economic diversification efforts.
The changes aim to boost trading volumes, deepen market liquidity, and improve price transparency while strengthening the country’s position as a regional financial hub.
The modifications align with the second phase of Kuwait’s Market Development Program launched in July, which included implementing central counterparty clearing and upgrading brokerage firms’ operating models.
Kuwait’s stock market was reclassified as an “emerging market” by major global index providers following comprehensive reforms. Additional products including exchange-traded funds and fixed-income instruments are expected later this year.
Boursa Kuwait, established in 2014 and privatized through a two-stage process completed in 2019, replaced the Kuwait Stock Exchange founded in 1977 as the first exchange in the Gulf Cooperation Council region.
The exchange is now 44% owned by a consortium of Kuwaiti investment companies and a global exchange operator, with 50% held by Kuwaiti citizens through a public offering.