Kuwait: Kuwait Financial Centre 'Markaz' announced receiving two prestigious awards, namely “The MENA Investment Bank of the Year” and “The Excellence in Real Estate Investment Award”, at the MENA Banking Excellence Awards 2023. The event was organized in Dubai this May by MEED, a prominent business intelligence and information platform focused on the Middle East region. The Awards serves as a platform to acknowledge and celebrate the remarkable achievements and contributions of leading financial institutions and professionals across the Middle East and North Africa region.

Representing Markaz at the event was Ms. Rasha Othman, Executive Vice President of Investment Banking (Capital Markets and Fixed Income), Mr. Abdulrazzaq Razooqi, Senior Vice President of Investment Banking (Advisory and M&A), and Mr. Abdulrahman Alsanad, Manager of MENA Real Estate.

The remarkable wins further augment Markaz's list of achievements and recognitions throughout 2023 thus far, solidifying its position as the foremost partner in wealth creation. The selection criteria took into consideration Markaz’s outstanding operational efficiency, its key differentiating factor when dealing with its clients, and the competitive nature of projects carried out by the company over the past year.

Being recognized as the investment bank of the year stands testimony to Markaz's position in the market as a leading institution that promotes outstanding investment banking offerings in various areas such as equity capital markets, debt capital markets, initial public offerings (IPOs), listings, capital structure advisory, restructuring, and mergers and acquisitions advisory. Since 1997, Markaz has effectively conducted investment banking transactions worth more than USD 6.3 billion (as of March 31st, 2023). The team’s proven expertise extends across a wide spectrum of different industries such as financial services, real estate, light and medium manufacturing, retail, oil & gas, and logistics, among others.

The award for excellence in real estate investment acknowledged Markaz's solid performance and adherence to the highest industry standards in catering to both institutional and individual investors. With a successful track record in actively managing real estate assets, Markaz’s MENA Real Estate currently manages KD 287 million in assets in Kuwait, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia. Markaz partially manages the National Real Estate Portfolio, owned by the Kuwait Investment Authority, with a value up to KD 250 million. In addition, Markaz Real Estate Fund has an AUM of KD 70.5 million across 17 properties.

About Kuwait Financial Centre “Markaz”

Established in 1974, Kuwait Financial Centre K.P.S.C “Markaz” is one of the leading asset management and investment banking institutions in the MENA region with total assets under management of over KD 1.13 billion as of 31 March 2023 (USD 3.67 billion). Markaz was listed on the Boursa Kuwait in 1997. Over the years, Markaz has pioneered innovation through the creation of new investment channels. These channels enjoy unique characteristics and helped Markaz widen investors’ horizons. Examples include Mumtaz (the first domestic mutual fund), MREF (the first real estate investment fund in Kuwait), and Forsa Financial Fund (the first and only options market maker in the GCC since 2005), all conceptualized, established, and managed by Markaz.

For further information, please contact:
Sondos S. Saad
Media & Communications Department
Kuwait Financial Centre K.P.S.C. "Markaz"
Email: ssaad@markaz.com