According to Kamco Invest’s latest report, foreign investors poured USD 5.5 billion into the Saudi exchange in 2025, the highest net buying among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The Kingdom was followed by the Abu Dhabi and Kuwait exchanges, which saw net foreign inflows of USD 3.4 billion and USD 1.5 billion, respectively, over the 12 months. Dubai and Qatar also registered net buying in 2025, amounting to respective figures of USD 1.3 billion and USD 171 million.
“The yearly trend indicated continued positive activity by foreign investors on GCC exchanges in 2025, although total buying declined over the course of the year,” the report stated, while noting the steady performance in the majority of exchanges in the region, which comes amid the GCC equity markets’ efforts to attract global capital, buoyed by strong corporate earnings and ongoing economic reforms.
According to Kamco Invest, the Oman Exchange recorded the largest net sales by foreign investors in 2025 at USD 440 million, followed by Bahrain, which posted net sales of USD 10.3 million. In Q4, net buying by foreign investors in the Kingdom stood at USD 1 billion, followed by Oman at USD 86.6 million. All other exchanges, excluding the Kingdom and Oman, witnessed a net selling trend during the period.
“Quarterly trading data showed that foreign investors were net sellers in Q4-2025 on all exchanges barring Saudi Arabia and Oman. Saudi Arabia recorded net foreign buying of USD 1 billion, while Oman saw net inflows of USD 86.6 million during the (fourth) quarter, partially offsetting the overall net sales across the region,” Kamco Invest remarked.
Foreign investors were the biggest sellers of Abu Dhabi stocks with net sales of USD 1 billion during the quarter, followed by Kuwait (USD 187.9 million), Bahrain (USD 45.6 million), and Qatar (USD 8.8 million). Saudi Arabia and Oman also recorded consecutive net buying by foreign investors across all three months of the period, signalling rising investor interest in these countries.
“Dubai exhibited a net selling trend during the first two months of the fourth quarter, which subsequently reversed to net buying in the final month of the year. Qatar, on the other hand, registered net buying in the first month of the quarter before shifting to net selling in the second month, and returned to net buying in the final month,” Kamco said.
The UAE and Kuwait exchanges witnessed consistent net selling by foreign investors across all three months of the fourth quarter. According to Kamco, the key factors which affected the flow of foreign money in the region included regional market trends, countries’ economic health and crude oil prices.