Markaz – Kuwait Financial Center KPSC, is an investment management company, specializing in investment banking and asset management. The company operates primarily in its home country and across the Middle East and Northern Africa regions. Since 1997 the company has been listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange.

Markaz provides services in the fields of investment management, corporate financing, investment banking and financial advisory, money market and foreign exchange. Investment banking services also include the oil and gas sector and structured finance. As well as the above, the institution deploys capital in the MENA, US and European real estate markets and holds private equity funds, mutual funds and real estate funds and manages real estate.

The board of directors is headed by the Chairman, Diraar Yusuf Alghanim, Chief Executive Officer; Ali H. Khalil and Abdullatif W. Al-Nusif, the Executive Vice President. All are responsible for wealth management and business development at Markaz.
The company has operated since 1974 and Markaz is perceived to be the oldest finance house in Kuwait. Over time, the financial center has geography extended far beyond Kuwait and the MENA region and has turned into one of the most significant players in the investment business that consistently creates value for its stakeholders. Markaz continues to produce competitive returns even in the context of a pandemic-affected economy and announced “a solid performance in 2020” in the real estate sector upon completion of a series of sales transactions across the USA and Europe. In 2021 management plans to amplify its “International Real Estate Investment Program” within these markets, particularly intending to expand to Poland, Germany and the Netherlands.

For reference, Markaz first entered the USA with a syndicated transaction in 1977, then in 1988 the company was operating through its subsidiary; Mar-Gulf Management, Inc. Fast forward to today and their corporate portfolio includes investment and development projects in industrial, warehousing, retail, commercial and residential property sectors. As reported in September 2020, total acquisitions for the company in the States had reached USD 1.8 billion (approx AED 6.61 billion) in value.

It is worth noting that the mutual funds of Markaz invest primarily in residential properties, located in inner-city areas and around popular clusters where demand is less volatile. Investments are received in Kuwaiti dinars. The funds stick to prudent tactics which are minimally exposed to speculations and market risks.