Business
ZAWYA-PRESSR: Gulf Bank holds its year-end 2025 Earnings Webcast
ZAWYA-PRESSR: Gulf Bank holds its year-end 2025 Earnings Webcast
About this update from Gulf Bank K.s.c.
Mahfouz:Kuwait’s economic landscape showed signs of improvement, supported by fiscal reforms and renewed development activity.We launched our new five-year strategy for 2030, which centers on reinforcing our market position, driving sustainable growth across core businesses, and completing our transition to a Sharia-compliant bankChallinor:Gulf Bank had a very strong loan growth of 150 million in Q4, which brings the full year growth to 7%.Total operating expenses grew only 2% for the full year, which is the lowest cost growth the Bank has seen since 2020.Looking forward into 2026, we’d expect corporate credit costs to remain low and the retail credit cost to start normalizing closer to historical levels at some point.Kuwait: Gulf Bank held its year-end 2025 earnings webcast on Thursday 5th February 2026, to present and discuss the Bank's financial performance. The webcast was organized by EFG Hermes and presented by Sami Mahfouz, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Bank, and Mr. David Challinor, Chief Financial Officer of Gulf Bank. The discussion was moderated by Ms. Dalal AlDousari, Head of Investor Relations at Gulf Bank.Operating EnvironmentMr. Sami Mahfouz, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Bank, commenced the webcast with key updates regarding the operating environment and Gulf Bank’s overall position during the year 2025. Mr. Mahfouz stated: “The operating environment in 2025 remained challenging globally, shaped by geopolitical tensions, tariffs threats and elevated volatility; while locally, Kuwait’s economic landscape showed signs of improvement, supported by fiscal reforms and renewed development activity. The approval of the Public Debt Law, progress on real estate and housing legislation, and an increased government capital spending improved the domestic economic momentum.”Mr. Mahfouz added “Gulf Bank delivered solid performance while strengthening its operating platform. During the year, we concluded our 2025 five-year strategy, completing several foundational initiatives, including the core banking transformation, enhancements to digital and omni-channel capabilities, and the continued expansion of our investment arm InvestGB. These efforts improved efficiency, service delivery, and our ability to support clients across key segments.”He added: “We launched our new five-year strategy for 2030, which centers on reinforcing our market...