Kuwait City

Kuwait has many strengths for business. With a parliamentary system of government and favorable tax regime, Kuwait’s economy is also diversifying. Growth is being experienced in sectors including financial services and public private partnerships. The number of IPOs in Kuwait is also increasing. Add to that, the government’s investment in infrastructure projects and digitalisation and it is easy to see why Kuwait’s economy is so vibrant.

Al Tamimi & Company has had an office in Kuwait for almost 15 years and in 2023 moved to the prestigious Burj AlShaya in the heart of Kuwait’s financial district. Our in-depth understanding of the legal landscape in the State of Kuwait, combined with Al Tamimi’s international reach, offers clients the expertise and professionalism they need to take advantage of the opportunities in Kuwait.

With around 40 members of staff living and working in Kuwait, including over 20 lawyers, we have a mix of lawyers trained across the region and internationally. Many of our lawyers are multi-lingual and are fluent in Arabic and English. We take great pride in the fact that a number of our lawyers are Kuwaiti nationals, including Kuwaiti-qualified women lawyers.

We have excellent contacts with government agencies, including the Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Capital Markets Authority, Competition Protection Agency, Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA) and the Kuwait Authority for Public Partnerships (KAPP). This means that we can help clients navigate the nuances of Kuwaiti legislation. And for cross-border deals, we can draw on the expertise of the wider Al Tamimi & Company network across the MENA region.

Our ambition for Kuwait and our clients in the region matches the Kuwait Vision 2035, which sees a move towards an increasingly diverse economy.

We offer a full range of corporate services in Kuwait, including mergers and acquisitions, commercial, competition law, intellectual property, banking, finance, transport and infrastructure. And when disputes arise we have the leading dispute resolution practice in the region offering litigation, international dispute resolution, mediation and arbitration. We are the only law firm in the region to have rights of audience before all courts.

As the country’s leading law firm, we have advised on the vast majority of the large transactions in Kuwait, including the country’s first PPP project and most significant mergers. We handle most of the legal work for banks in Kuwait and manage the biggest and most complex banking and finance matters. Our clients include large multinational companies, Kuwaiti merchant families and financial institutions. 

Recent projects include:

-Advising Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait K.S.C.P. in relation to a USD 825 million term loan facility, securing the largest financing to a Kuwait financial institution in over a decade.

-Acting as local GCC legal counsel to DSV Panalpina in connection with DSV’s acquisition of Agility’s Global Integrated Logistics business (recognized as “M&A Deal of the Year 2022” by the International Financial Law Review).

-Advising First Abu Dhabi Bank, as facility agent, in connection with a syndicated conventional term loan facility agreement provided to Kuwait Projects Company (Holding) K.S.C.P. in an amount of USD 525 Million.

-Acting as Kuwait local counsel in relation to the economic concentration filings and merger control clearance from the Kuwait Competition Protection Agency in relation to Blackstone’s acquisition of Emerson Electric Co.

-Representing a consortium of international banks and agencies with respect to the Az-Zour North IWPP Project and its related US$ 1.2 Billion plus financing.  The project was the first one to be completed in Kuwait on a Public Private Partnership basis.

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