Business
Markaz Market Maker Desk Solidifies Leadership with Strong 2024 Performance
KUWAIT CITY, Apr 16: Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz” has reinforced its financial market leadership through the exceptional performance of its Market Maker Desk in 2024. The desk successfully traded KD 762 million, accounting for 33.4%, on average, of the total trading value within the market maker portfolio, and representing 5.1% of the total market trading value on Boursa Kuwait. These results highlight Markaz’s expertise in market making and its ability to drive liquidity, enhance market efficiency, and create tangible value for a diverse range of blue chip and small-sized companies.With a diversified portfolio encompassing 15 listed companies across various sectors, Markaz continues to lead among Kuwait’s largest market makers.
Throughout 2024, Markaz played a leading role in maintaining or securing Premier Market positions for 10 listed companies in Kuwait. Two additional companies, Combined Group Contracting Co. and Al Eid Food Co., also entered the watchlist for Premier Market eligibility. These achievements demonstrate the effectiveness of Markaz’s market-making strategies in strengthening the market positioning of its portfolio companies.
Backed by deep sectoral expertise and advanced trading infrastructure, Markaz is one of the largest market-making desks in Kuwait. The company continues to lead in providing financial solutions that enhance stability, price discovery, and overall trading activity. Markaz was also among the first financial institutions in Kuwait to obtain a Market Maker license from the Capital Markets Authority (CMA), reflecting its commitment to fostering a well-functioning and liquid financial market. The company’s approach to market making is rooted in a data-driven strategy that ensures listed companies meet liquidity requirements for Premier Market status while simultaneously contributing to a dynamic and efficient trading environment.
Mr. Azzam B. Al-Otaibi, Assistant Vice President, MENA Equities at Markaz said: “We are proud to be among the first financial institutions to obtain a Market Maker license from Kuwait’s Capital Market Authority (CMA). Today, our market maker portfolio comprises of a diverse set of 15 companies across different segments of Boursa Kuwait, 10 of which are listed on the Premier Market. Over the past year, we have played a key role in supporting consistent trading activity and enhancing overall trading efficiency across our portfolio.”
Mr. Al-Otaibiadded: “Market making continues to have a profound impact, not only on local investors and the Kuwaiti market but also on the international stage. Increased trading activityhas helped position companies in our portfolio for inclusion in key global indices, such as the FTSE Emerging Markets Index and the KIA Shariah Index, further reinforcing Kuwait’s position in the global financial landscape.”
With over 50 years of leadership in financial services, Markaz has consistently been at the forefront of investment banking and asset management in the region. The company has pioneered a range of innovative financial products and services, including Mumtaz, Kuwait’s first domestic mutual fund; MREF, the first real estate investment fund in Kuwait; and Forsa Financial Fund, the first options market maker in the GCC since 2005. Markaz also launched the GCC Momentum Fund, the first passive fund of its kind in Kuwait and the wider GCC, which was awarded Best Momentum Fund Innovation by Global Finance in its first year. Its commitment to excellence and strategic market-making expertise continues to support the growth and development of Kuwait’s capital markets, reinforcing its reputation as a leader in financial innovation.
As Kuwait’s capital markets evolve, Markaz remains committed to expanding its market-making role and empowering listed companies with the tools needed to thrive in a competitive financial environment.Markaz’s role as market maker is based on its firm belief in the importance of this tool on the financial markets and the shares of listed companies. The market maker service aim to create a balance between supply and demand, bridge the gap between the buying and selling prices, thus narrowing down bid-ask spreads to enhance trading efficiency. Market making can positively affect companies’ borrowing costs, andaids in price discovery. Market making services also support the overall development of the Kuwaiti economy by motivating companies to list their shares on the national stock exchange.
Hamad Malallah
KUWAIT CITY, Aug 14: United Projects for Aviation Services Company (UPAC), a commercial real estate and facilities management company, today announced its financial results for the second quarter of 2025. For the six months ended June 2025, the company reported net profits of KD 497 thousand, down 62% from 2024, or 0.94 fils per share, with revenues of KD 3.29 million down 25.6% from 2024.
Eng. Hamad Malallah, Chief Executive Officer at UPAC, said: “The second quarter presented a transitional period as we successfully concluded the project to manage and operate Terminal 1 at Kuwait International Airport, officially handing it over to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in May 2025. While this shift has naturally impacted the company’s revenues, it also paves the way for new avenues of growth and development as we focus on future projects and strategic partnerships. It is important to note that UPAC built the entire project and operated it throughout the contract term before transferring it to the DGCA under the Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) system. We take great pride in the success of this national project over 26-year and in delivering it to the State.”
Malallah continued: “I’m pleased to share that in July, we welcomed our first operator at Messilah Beach: Villa Shams, Kuwait’s first ladies-only beach club. Officially opened on 10 July 2025, Villa Shams offers a premium, private experience designed exclusively for women, in a secure and refined setting. This milestone reflects UPAC’s vision to create inclusive recreational environments that cater to all segments of society.”
“Planning for other areas on the Messilah Beach site has also been progressing steadily. Our teams are actively working alongside confirmed operators, both global and local brands, to support their on-ground preparations for upcoming openings with a list of exciting tenants. We are looking forward to be bringing an exceptional, family-friendly beach destination experience to Kuwait through Messilah Beach, which is set to become a vibrant, year-round destination,” added Malallah.
Malallah concluded: “We remain committed to identifying and pursuing strategic business opportunities within our industry that drive growth and create value for the company and its shareholders.”
Al Messilah Beach, one of Kuwait’s prime family entertainment destinations, was developed by Touristic Enterprises Company as part of its role in spearheading growth of Kuwait’s tourism sector. UPAC is managing all aspects of the site including leasing, entertainment activities, facility management, and overall project operations.
UPAC is a co-investor in Abu Dhabi’s $1.3 billion Reem Mall on Reem Island. Reem Mall is Abu Dhabi’s latest signature shopping, dining, and entertainment family destination spanning an impressive 183.4K sqm GLA. Anchored by a hyper-market and various notable entertainment and home furnishing concepts, the mall will be home to around 400 international and local brands. Snow Abu Dhabi, one of the mall’s entertainment anchors, is the city’s only snow park. The mall also has one of the largest home furnishing offerings in Abu Dhabi as well as one of the largest Carrefour outlets in the city. One of the prominent new openings was Sharaf DG, an expansive 3,334sqm electronics retail space with 34 brand experience zones making it the largest store of its kind in Abu Dhabi.
The mall is one of the region’s first fully integrated omnichannel retail ecosystems with digital, e-commerce, and logistics capabilities. It brings together all consumer and retail services to ensure a seamless customer experience.
As of June 2025, around 66% of GLA is open and trading, with an additional 14% under fit-out, bringing the effective leased GLA to 80%. As of date, Reem Mall has also secured signed proposals covering a further 4% of GLA. Key performance metrics continue to show strong momentum, with footfall and tenant sales increasing by 30% to 40% year-on-year. Notably, the mall achieved two consecutive record-breaking months in May and June 2025, setting new highs for both visitor numbers and sales.
Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between US dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, on Aug 14. (AP)
MANILA, Philippines, Aug 14, (AP): Asian shares were mixed on Thursday after days of gains driven by hopes for lower US interest rates, while US futures slipped. Bitcoin rose more than 3% to a new record of over $123,000, according to CoinDesk. In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 fell 1.3% to 42,705.36 as investors sold to lock in recent gains that have taken the benchmark to all-time records.
The Japanese yen rose against the dollar after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in an interview with Bloomberg that Japan was “behind the curve” in monetary tightening. He was referring to the slow pace of increases in Japan’s near-zero interest rates. Low interest rates tend to make the yen weaker against the dollar, giving Japanese exporters a cost advantage in overseas sales.
The dollar fell to 146.31 Japanese yen early Thursday, down from 147.39 yen. The euro fell to $1.1703 from $1.1705. In Chinese markets, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index shed less than 0.2% to 25,655.26, while the Shanghai composite index added 0.1% to 3,686.07. South Korea’s Kospi fell less than 0.1% to 3,222.99, while Australia’s S&P ASX 200 index added 0.5% to 8,866.70. Taiwan’s TAIEX fell 0.5%, while India’s Sensex edged 0.1% higher.
“Asian markets opened today like a party that ran out of champagne before midnight – the music still playing, but the dance floor thinning out,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary. The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down less than 0.1%. On Wednesday, US stocks ticked higher, extending a global rally fueled by hopes the Federal Reserve will cut USinterest rates.
The S&P 500 rose 0.3% to 6,466.58, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow climbed 1% to 44,922.27, while the Nasdaq composite added 0.1% to its own record set the day before, closing at 21,713.14. Treasury yields eased in the bond market in anticipation that the Fed will cut its main interest rate for the first time this year at its next meeting in September.
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