As per the data, total exports dropped by 20.5% to 4.502 billion dinars from 5.66 billion dinars in the first quarter of 2025. Imports declined as well, falling 12.3% to 2.734 billion dinars from 3.11 billion dinars a year earlier. Due to this, Kuwait’s total trade exchange contracted by 17.6% to 7.236 billion dinars during Q1 2026, down from 8.77 billion dinars in the corresponding quarter of last year.

“The slowdown continued in March, when the monthly trade surplus declined by 29.2% year-on-year to 610.6 million dinars, compared with 862.8 million dinars in March 2025. Exports during the month fell 37.8% to 1.181 billion dinars, while imports dropped 45% to 570.6 million dinars,” noted the Central Statistical Bureau.

Oil and petroleum product exports accounted for the Gulf country’s majority of overseas sales, reaching approximately 1.09 billion dinars in March 2026, down from 1.7 billion dinars in the same month in 2025.

“Non-oil exports totalled 42.5 million dinars, while re-exports reached 44 million dinars,” the Central Statistical Bureau added further.

As per the bureau, Saudi Arabia remained the leading destination for Kuwait’s non-oil exports in March, with the Kingdom importing goods worth 26.5 million dinars. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) came second at 17.1 million dinars, followed by Jordan (at 7.5 million dinars), India (at 7.47 million dinars) and Iraq (at 5.24 million dinars).

“On the import side, China retained its position as Kuwait’s largest trading partner, with imports valued at 105.3 million dinars during March. Saudi Arabia followed with imports worth 95.8 million dinars, ahead of the UAE at 64.1 million dinars and Japan at 31.2 million dinars,” the agency remarked.

Trade with Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries also weakened during March 2026. Kuwaiti exports to GCC markets declined by 35.1% to 49.4 million dinars compared with 76.2 million dinars in March 2025. Still, Gulf markets accounted for 4.2% of Kuwait’s total exports, slightly higher than the 4% share recorded a year earlier.

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The development comes after an IMF staff team conducted discussions with the Jordanian authorities from 2 to 14 April, while performing the fifth review of the economic reform programme supported by the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), which was approved by the global monetary authorities’ Executive Board on 10 January 2024. The mission also conducted the second review of reform measures under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF) arrangement approved on 25 June 2025.

“The completion of the EFF review will make approximately USD 140 million available out of a total approved programme value of USD 1.2 billion. Meanwhile, the completion of the RSF review will provide around USD 57 million out of a total of approximately USD 744 million,” the IMF said.

According to the global body, the Jordanian economy has continued to show resilience, supported by the government’s commitment to prudent macroeconomic policies. Real GDP growth reached 2.8% in 2025, with growth momentum strengthening in early 2026.

IMF mission chief Cesar Serra also noted the Jordanian government’s commitment to reducing public debt to 80% of GDP by 2028 through revenue enhancement and spending efficiency.

“Real GDP growth reached 2.8% in 2025, with momentum strengthening in early 2026, supported by the government’s commitment to prudent macroeconomic policies and strong international backing,” the mission chief noted. He highlighted the Central Bank of Jordan’s success in keeping inflation below 2%, attributing this to its consistent focus on monetary stability and the country’s strong foreign exchange reserves.

Noting the robust banking sector (with comfortable levels of liquidity and capital), Serra also underlined the measures the government took to mitigate the economic impact of the Middle East conflict, including rising energy costs and disruption to tourism.

In fact, the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) has already launched precautionary measures worth JD760 million to protect the national economy amid the prevalent volatile geopolitics. Areas like tourism, food security and banking liquidity have been targeted. From CBJ’s part, some JD700 million have been put into the money market by reducing the mandatory reserve ratio on current and demand deposits by two percentage points, bringing it to 5% for commercial banks and 4% for Islamic banks.

This step will provide banks with additional lending liquidity estimated at JD300 million. Amid other precautionary steps, CBJ has reduced the balance of certificates of deposit issued since the Iran war’s beginning, apart from injecting an additional JD400 million in lendable liquidity into the market.

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The rail project, envisioned to transport 16 ⁠million ⁠metric tons of phosphate and potash annually, will span 360 kilometres, linking the mining areas of Al-Shidiya and Ghor Al-Safi in Jordan to its Aqaba port. The development is expected to have a major impact on Jordan’s mining sector, a core pillar of the Gulf country’s export economy.

“As part of the ⁠agreement, the UAE–Jordan Railway Company was launched as a joint venture between several Jordanian stakeholders and L’IMAD Holding Company, Abu Dhabi’s newest sovereign wealth fund,” the UAE’s state news agency said.

“The project is the first step in building ‌the Jordanian national railway network project to connect ⁠Aqaba with neighbouring Arab countries, and to link the port with those in Syria and the Mediterranean,” reported the Jordanian state ‌news agency (Petra).

The latest move builds on a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in 2024 between the two countries to develop the railway, with full-scale implementation now taking centre stage.

The project will have an equal partnership between a consortium of Jordanian sovereign and industrial entities, including the Jordan Phosphate Mines Co., Arab Potash Co., the Government Investments Management Co., the Social Security Investment Fund, and Abu Dhabi-based L’imad Holding. The joint venture will be responsible for implementing the railway network through its executing arm, Etihad Rail, the developer and operator of the UAE’s national railway network.

As per the officials, the project’s financial close (recurring accounting process of verifying, adjusting, and finalising financial records) will likely happen by early 2027, with construction likely to take around five years. As per the engineering roadmap, multiple tunnels and bridges will be created to navigate the rugged terrain of southern Jordan and the Jordan Valley.

“By shifting these volumes from road to rail, the project is intended to drastically reduce per-unit transportation costs, enhance supply chain efficiency, and allow Jordanian minerals to compete more aggressively on the global stage,” Petra said.

Beyond its immediate industrial role, the railway represents the first phase of Jordan’s “National Railway Network.”

Plans include extending the line north toward Madounah near Amman, with further links to Syria, the Mediterranean, and Turkey, while also connecting to Saudi Arabia and wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) markets.

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Under the agreement signed on February 5, AD Ports Group and ADC will establish a joint venture (JV) to manage and operate the Hashemite Kingdom’s only general cargo and multipurpose seaport on the Red Sea. The venture will also hold a 70% stake in the joint venture with ADC owning the remaining 30%. The joint venture will assume formal operational charge of the terminal in August 2026.

“The Aqaba Multipurpose Port handles general cargo, grains, livestock, roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) and project cargo. It has an annual handling capacity of 11 million tonnes, supported by nine berths, a quay length of about two kilometres and a draft of 13.5 metres. In 2025, the terminal processed more than 5.3 million tonnes of cargo and nearly 85,000 car equivalent units (CEUs) of Ro-Ro imports,” reported Zawya Projects.

Port of Aqaba has become Jordan’s primary gateway for foreign trade, handling around 80% of the Hashemite Kingdom’s exports and 65% of its imports. The facility also serves as a key transit hub for neighbouring markets, including Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The state-backed entity is also spearheading the USD 10 billion Marsa Zayed beachfront resort and residential community in Aqaba. In February 2025, the Group appointed UAE-based MAG Group Holding as the lead developer for the first phase of the project.

In January 2024, the Group also signed a shareholders’ agreement between its digital arm, Maqta Technologies, and ADC to implement its Port Community System (PCS) for the Port of Aqaba.

In December 2024, ADC issued a Request for Qualification (RFQ) tender for the management, operation, and development of King Hussein International Airport, listed among the five strategic projects announced in December 2021. Since January 2023, the venture has been operating Aqaba’s first cruise terminal, which was the first of the five projects to be operationalised.

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Zawya Projects reveal that the move is part of an energy investment plan approved by the government with private sector partnership at a cost of around JOD 3 billion (USD 4.2 billion).

The plan includes projects covering gas, electricity, solar and wind power, and storage batteries to be offered to private investors. The largest one in the plan involves investment of JOD 700 million to connect the Risha gas field in the eastern desert to the Arab gas pipeline, the Kingdom TV and other media outlets said, citing a government report.

The report, however, did not mention the purpose of the link, but Jordanian officials said in 2025 that such a project would allow the Gulf country to export gas from Risha, apart from expanding the domestic gas distribution network after the field development is completed.

The 1,200-kilometre Arab gas pipeline originates near Arish in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula and was built more than 20 years ago to export Egyptian natural gas to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, with branch underwater and overland pipelines to and from Israel.

The USD 1.2 billion pipeline has been used intermittently since its inauguration. However, it faced huddles like dramatic reduction in Egyptian gas exports in 2011 due to sabotage, followed by gas shortages in the nation, which forced it to discontinue energy exports by the mid-2010s.

From 2015 to 2018, the pipeline was reversed to flow gas from Jordan to Egypt, powered by imported LNG through Jordan’s Aqaba LNG reception terminal.

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The Middle Eastern country’s tourism revenue rose by 12.6% year-on-year in November, reaching the USD 606.6 million mark. Most importantly, Jordan’s tourism sector has exceeded its 2024 targets for visitor numbers and revenue under the country’s “Economic Modernisation Vision.”

The development also reflects the sector’s long-term strategy, which prioritises steady expansion, with EMV targets calling for annual growth of around 10% in tourism receipts alongside sustained increases in visitor numbers.

As per the Jordan News Agency (Petra), “The Central Bank attributed the growth to a 14.7% rise in tourist arrivals. Revenue gains were led by visitors from Europe (36.1%), Asia (34.3%), the Americas (18.4%), Arab countries (3.6%), and other nationalities (33.4%). Conversely, tourism revenue from Jordanian expatriates recorded a slight decrease of 0.8%.”

The statement showed that, over the first 11 months of the year, expenditures on travel abroad increased by 5.5%, totalling USD 1.887 billion. Spending on outbound tourism, on the other hand, rose by 11.4% in November, reaching USD 146.1 million. Tourism activities across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) contributed USD 247.1 billion to the region’s economy in 2024, marking a nearly 32% increase compared with 2019.

According to preliminary data released from the GCC Statistical Centre in September, intra-GCC travel witnessed a sharp rebound, as it rose 52% over the same period, with 19.3 million visitors travelling between member states. Intra-regional tourism accounted for 26.7% of total GCC tourism, highlighting growing cultural integration and regional mobility.

Saudi Arabia continued to set the pace for regional tourism expansion. In 2024, the country welcomed a record 30 million international visitors, up 8% from 2023, generating SR284 billion (USD 75.7 billion) in tourism spending, an 11% increase year on year. Total tourists’ inflow reached approximately 116 million, rising 6% over the previous year.

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Speaking to Jordan News Agency, also known as Petra, Adel Sharkas, governor of the Central Bank of Jordan, said that the meetings will reinforce cooperation between both countries in areas including banking supervision, financial technology, and financial inclusion. Sharkas will meet his Syrian counterpart, Abdul Qader Hasriya, in Jordan on December 3.

In November 2025, a Central Bank of Syria delegation concluded a visit to the Banking Studies Institute and the Jordanian FinTech Academy to review Jordan’s experience in developing institutional structures and strengthening regulatory and technical frameworks in the financial sector.

Petra, while citing Sharkas, reported that the “meetings will showcase Jordan’s banking and financial expertise to the Syrian delegation and explore opportunities for Jordanian-Syrian partnerships that support Syria’s economic reconstruction.”

In recent months, Jordan’s Central Bank has provided specialised technical assistance to its Syrian counterpart. This includes hosting 16 Syrian employees in November and sending technical delegations to Damascus for fieldwork approximately six months ago.

Sharkas further hailed Jordanian fintech companies for evolving as a regional model, as the Gulf country’s central bank continues to partner with the private sector to build an advanced financial infrastructure, enhancing electronic payment systems. Jordan’s banking sector right now enjoys a strong regional and international reputation, thereby making it a preferred destination for investment and expansion in neighbouring Middle Eastern markets.

The Central Bank of Jordan governor further added that several banks in the country are currently planning to enter the Syrian market. Sharkas also opined that Jordan’s fintech experience, including the Central Bank’s regulatory sandbox and entrepreneurial support funds, could help young entrepreneurs from both Jordan and Syria to launch joint ventures in the coming days.

In November, Syrian Minister of Agriculture Amjad Badr held a meeting with Jordan’s Ambassador to Damascus, Sufyan Al-Qudah, to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in the agricultural sector.

In the same month, Jordan expressed its willingness to provide Syria and Lebanon with energy, as officials from the three countries met in Amman to revive electricity and gas supply schemes.

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The minister also said Egypt has been building its railways along seven different axes. Sokhna Port on the Red Sea would be connected to the Mediterranean and Alexandria in the north, as well as Aswan in the far south, by three high-speed lines. Additionally, Israel and Iraq have been investing billions of dollars in rail lines to access the east-west trade. A portion of the journey is spent loading cargo onto ships in all of the plans.

“Whether it is a bridge or a tunnel, we have now finished the planning for the bridge between Egypt and Saudi Arabia and are ready to implement it at any time,” Wazir told Reuters during an economic conference hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt.

“But the (current) solution for connecting Egypt with Saudi Arabia and Jordan is through the Arab Bridge Maritime Co., which currently has 13 vessels that can take cargo between Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt,” he added.

During a visit to Egypt in 2016, King Salman of Saudi Arabia revealed plans for a bridge that would span the Straits of Tiran and complement the Saudis’ construction of NEOM, a mega-city and business zone.

The historic High-Speed Rail Link between Saudi Arabia and Egypt will span the Strait of Tiran through either a bridge or tunnel. Egyptian officials confirmed that technical planning is complete, and implementation will begin soon. The link, apart from integrating with Egypt’s national rail system, will also allow seamless travel from the Arabian Peninsula to the Mediterranean. It will benefit Saudi Arabia’s NEOM megacity as well by enhancing the region’s infrastructure.

The estimated cost of the bridge/tunnel is around USD 4 billion, with plans to carry both passengers and cargo. This route will create new opportunities for trade and tourism, reinforcing economic cooperation between the two nations.

Several Mediterranean ports that Egypt has been modernising over the past decade would receive rail cargo.

“The high-speed train line that connects to Egypt’s south would serve the site and avoid the edge of the pyramids area in the desert,” Wazir noted.

The proposed route has been rerouted to cross the plateau above and away from the antiquities site, Abydos, the location of Egypt’s first pharaohs’ burial place 5,000 years ago.

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The Jordan News Agency, also known as Petra, has reported that the Cabinet of the country recently decided to lower the cost of residency renewals for foreign residents and property owners.

A 10,000 Jordanian dinar (USD 14,100) deposit requirement for foreign property owners who have resided in Jordan for more than two years was eliminated by the government, one of the major changes.

In the meantime, non-property owners will have their required deposit cut in half to 10,000 dinars when they apply for a five-year residency.

In line with regional trends that use residency incentives to draw in long-term foreign investment, the changes represent a substantial shift in Jordan’s investment strategy.

Real estate activity is anticipated to increase as a result of the policy changes, which will help related sectors like financial consulting, legal services, and construction.

The decision is a critical economic step that will boost the real estate industry and bring liquidity to the local market, according to Petra, Ali Murad, chairman of the Jordanian-European Business Association.

“Shifting residency requirements from bank deposits to property ownership will incentivise foreign investors to purchase real estate, boosting demand for construction and commercial projects,” Petra reported him saying.

According to other experts, Jordan’s updated policy may increase its appeal as a destination for foreign buyers seeking investment opportunities outside of the conventional financial markets.

“The removal of the deposit hold requirement for property owners, according to Fadi Al-Majali, chairman of the Jordanian Expat Business Association, makes real estate investment in the nation more alluring,” according to Petra.

The statement went on to say that Al-Majali believes, “These amendments will encourage more foreign investors to acquire properties, thereby increasing market demand and supporting the continued development of the real estate and construction sectors.”

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Diversifying energy sources and advancing natural gas projects were the main topics of discussion at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources in Amman, according to the Jordanian news agency Petra. This is in line with the national security and sustainable development plans of both nations.

In order to carry out upcoming projects that are anticipated to generate favourable economic returns and further enhance regional cooperation, the two parties discussed ways to take advantage of their shared resources and expertise.

Badawi met with the Jordanian-Egyptian Fajr Co. to evaluate its operations and plans while he was in Jordan to build the country’s infrastructure for natural gas. The strategic significance of the main gas network, which stretches 500 kilometres from southern to northern Jordan, was highlighted by the visit.

During his visit, Badawi also assessed the development of strengthening the network’s capacity and associated infrastructure. The Egyptian minister also examined the ongoing and future projects that Egyptian petroleum companies have planned to implement in Jordan.

In order to optimise the economic and environmental advantages of natural gas use in Jordan’s diverse sectors, he emphasised the significance of quickening these initiatives.

Talking about the Egyptian energy sector, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly on December 24 convened a meeting to assess the progress of several key projects within the electricity sector. The meeting included Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Mahmoud Essmat, Deputy Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy Sabah Mashaly, CEO of the New and Renewable Energy Authority Ahmed El-Khayat, Chairperson of the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company Mona Rizk, and officials from a consulting office.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of electricity sector projects, particularly those that align with the government’s plan to increase the production and sustainability of new and renewable energy sources. He further highlighted their role in stabilising electrical grids to support national development goals.

Mohamed El-Homsani, the official spokesperson for the Cabinet, said discussions focused on several important projects, most notably the Egyptian-Saudi electrical interconnection project. The meeting reviewed the progress of various components of this project, including overhead lines and submarine cables. A detailed update was provided on the 500 kV DC Egyptian-Saudi interconnection station in Badr City, along with the planned schedule for its completion.

The meeting also included an overview of recent developments in land allocation for renewable energy initiatives. A total of 42,600 square kilometres has been designated for these projects. The locations of planned renewable energy projects through 2040 were examined.

El-Homsani added that the meeting included a progress report on wind power generation projects in the West Gulf of Suez, South Hurghada and Zaafarana regions, along with updates on solar power generation projects.

As per the reports, the status of green hydrogen production projects and related byproducts was also addressed. The meeting included a discussion on framework agreements and memorandums of understanding that have been established. The handover of land to companies undertaking these projects, both in the pilot and initial phases, was also reviewed.

The meeting concluded with a review of several land plots currently under consideration in collaboration with the National Centre for the Utilisation of State Lands. The goal is to leverage these areas for additional electricity generation projects using renewable energy sources, according to El-Homsani.

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