RIYADH: Saudi Arabia dominated the Gulf Cooperation Council region’s primary debt market in the third quarter of 2025, raising $20.32 billion through 36 issuances, representing a 62.7 percent year-on-year increase in value, according to a new analysis.
In its latest report, Kuwait Financial Center, also known as Markaz, said that primary issuances of bonds and sukuk across the GCC totaled $38.74 billion through 137 issuances during the third quarter, marking a 32.4 percent increase from the same period in 2024, when issuances reached $29.29 billion.
The debt market in the region — particularly in Saudi Arabia — has expanded significantly in recent years, driven by economic diversification efforts that have strengthened investor demand for fixed-income instruments.
The financial sector led all GCC bond and sukuk issuances in the third quarter, with a total value of $21.53 billion, followed by government issuances at $11.1 billion. (Spplied)
“As for issuance preferences, the third quarter of 2025 saw an increased appetite for sukuk issuances in the GCC, representing 52.6 percent of total issuances for the year. This is a change in issuance preferences from the third quarter of 2024, where more conventional bonds were issued,” said Markaz.
