Powerful Families in Kuwait

Powerful families in Kuwait consist of an oligopoly of traditional clans that enjoy a special status in the country’s economic and political life.

Powerful families in Kuwait have traditionally controlled the trading business in the country, even before independence. The families, many of whom are originally from central Arabia, are major investors in real estate, financial services and private equity, both regionally and internationally. Notable mentions go to the families of Bahar, Essa, Ghanem, Kharafi, Marzooq, Saqr, Sayer, Shaya and Wazzan.

Note: Since there is no standardized form of transliterating Arabic names into English, we have normalized family names to match the most widely used spelling.

For more on the merchant families of Kuwait check out this document https://bit.ly/2Y5Edgd.