The National Competition Policy project aims to establish a fair investment environment, protect consumers from anti-competitive practices and empower small and medium-sized enterprises, according to project documents. Legislative and regulatory updates will form a central output alongside tough penalties for behaviors such as price-fixing that distort market dynamics. The initiative is also designed to diversify the economy, reduce dependence on oil revenues and position Kuwait as a competitive regional commercial hub capable of attracting substantial capital. Officials view the policy as essential for long-term economic resilience.
An informed source described implementing the policy as critical to shielding markets from persistent imbalances. “implementing the National Competition Policy is the cornerstone of protecting local markets from structural imbalances,” the source said. Full implementation is expected during 2026 following the near-completion of the KD 8.6 million effort that has drawn on extensive studies and international benchmarks. The source highlighted how the project will enhance overall competition levels across key sectors.
Kuwait’s Competition Protection Authority, created under Law No 72 of 2020, has progressively strengthened its oversight role in recent years, industry analyses show. The authority updated its merger control thresholds in April 2026, requiring notification for deals where the combined value of parties’ registered assets in Kuwait exceeds KD 7.5 million, according to a White & Case insight. This adjustment broadened the range of transactions subject to review to prevent concentrations that could harm competition. Such steps complement the broader National Competition Policy by addressing potential dominance issues at an early stage.
The authority has issued its first penalties for competition law violations, according to a Bremer law firm resource. These penalties cover violations of the Law 72/2020 on the Protection of Competition. The National Competition Policy will build upon such enforcement by introducing additional regulatory tools. The project cost of KD 8.6 million reflects the scale of preparatory work undertaken.
Project documents outline empowering SMEs as a key pillar of the strategy since these businesses frequently face disadvantages against entrenched monopolistic structures in the local economy. Increased foreign direct investment is anticipated once barriers to fair competition are removed through the new measures. The framework draws alignment with global standards for competition policy drawn from multilateral recommendations. Comprehensive market assessments informed the design to tackle Kuwait-specific challenges effectively.
