Country Risk Briefing | 2025

Kuwait

Kuwait

Country Synopsis
Kuwait’s economy is heavily oil-dependent with a stable financial sector. Risks include money laundering, corruption, and terrorism financing concerns, though regulatory frameworks and international cooperation are gradually improving.
Country Risk Briefing
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clear, practical insight into jurisdictional financial crime risk delivered in a single, powerful snapshot.

Kuwait presents a complex risk profile shaped by a combination of significant financial capacity, political gridlock, and limited institutional enforcement capacity. Its vast oil reserves and sovereign wealth provide strong macroeconomic stability and insulation from external financial shocks, yet Kuwait remains highly exposed to governance, corruption, and money laundering risks, particularly due to opaque state contracting, political patronage, and under-regulated financial flows.

The intersection of public sector dominance, limited transparency in procurement, and blurred boundaries between political elites and commercial actors poses challenges for financial crime risk management. Kuwait has taken legislative steps to align with international AML/CFT standards and is a member of the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF). However, enforcement of anti-corruption laws and regulatory supervision remains inconsistent. Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs), such as lawyers and real estate agents, are still perceived as weak links in the AML chain

'Themis Expert View' continues in the briefing...

what's in a country Risk Briefing?

chosen by professionals

In an increasingly complex and dynamic financial crime environment, you don’t always have time to sift through lengthy regulatory reports, fragmented guidance, and evolving legislation. Themis Country Risk Briefings distil what matters into digestible information you can act on.

Whether you're onboarding clients, expanding into new markets or reviewing geographic exposure, our briefings give you the clarity and confidence to move faster. They are also perfect for clients who do not have big budgets to spend on bespoke reports.

For organisations needing deeper analysis, they also offer a natural springboard to our bespoke Country Risk Reports: tailored assessments that zoom in on the jurisdictions, sectors, and risk indicators that matter most to your business.

Packed with Exclusive content

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designed for speed, accuracy & compliance

Too much data, not enough clarity?

Most national risk assessments and FATF mutual evaluations run to hundreds of pages. Our briefings condense this intelligence into a short, accessible format—without sacrificing nuance or rigour.

Limited time to assess jurisdictional risk?

Get a clear picture of a country's financial crime profile in minutes, not hours—with colour-coded heatmaps, structured scoring, and plain-English analysis.

Need jurisdiction-specific support for compliance?

Each briefing provides a snapshot of financial crime threats, sector exposure, and enforcement trends—ready to feed into onboarding decisions, risk assessments, and policy reviews.

Every Angle of risk, captured

15-20 pages of concise, expert insight

Curated by financial crime specialists and analysts with deep knowledge of global risk frameworks.

Clear Country Overview

Essential jurisdictional context including economic indicators, governance structures, and major sectors—framing the country’s financial crime exposure within its economic and political environment.

Themis Expert View

A strategic, high-level narrative from our analysts outlining where financial crime risks are concentrated and why they matter, helping you understand not just what is risky, but why.

Regulatory Landscape

A concise breakdown of key anti-financial crime agencies, enforcement bodies, and relevant laws.

FATF Assessment Summary

Side-by-side comparison of the country’s FATF mutual evaluation and follow-up reports, including compliance ratings and outstanding vulnerabilities.

Detailed Financial Crime Risk Matrix

Visual summary of the country’s financial crime risk levels across 11+ typologies, from money laundering and sanctions evasion to tax crime and environmental crime.  

In-Depth Typology Analysis

Expanded profiles for key crime types (e.g. money laundering, fraud, cybercrime), each describing:

  • Primary methods of abuse

  • High-risk sectors

  • Relevant regulatory responses

Real-World Case Studies

Short case study summaries that show how financial crime plays out in practice, illustrating enforcement actions, typologies in action, and red flags to watch for.

Red Flag Watchpoints

A practical checklist of risk indicators tied to client behaviour, corporate structures, transaction patterns, and jurisdictional exposure—ideal for use in onboarding or transaction monitoring.

Who is this for?

  • Financial crime & compliance teams

  • Investment committees and operations teams assessing investment into new markets and/or potential expansion into new markets  

  • Financial institutions onboarding clients across jurisdictions

  • Consultants and advisory professionals

  • Enhanced due diligence teams

Purchase today for immediate intelligence on Your selected jurisdiction

Country Risk Briefing
£
59.99
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Country Risk Factors
Terrorist Financing
Sanctions Evasion
Drugs & Arms Trafficking
Cyber Crime
Fraud
Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking
Environmental Crime
Financial Secrecy & Tax Crime
Bribery & Corruption
Money Laundering

Go further with a bespoke Country Risk Report

While our briefings offer a concise and practical view of financial crime risk, some clients need a deeper dive. That’s where our bespoke Country Risk Reports come in. Tailored to your organisation’s footprint, client base, and compliance requirements, these extended reports can provide:

  • Comprehensive jurisdictional threat overview
    In-depth assessment of financial crime typologies such as money laundering, fraud, terrorist financing, tax crime and more.

  • Detailed sectoral risk analysis
    Sector-by-sector evaluation of risk exposure, with the option to zoom in on specific industries (e.g. crypto, real estate, the precious metals sector, legal and other professional business services).

  • Typology deep dives and red flags
    Detailed analysis of real-world typologies, high-risk behaviours and jurisdiction-specific red flags.

  • Customised watchpoints and recommendations
    Forward-looking insights and actionable advice tailored to your business model, client profile, or regional footprint.

In cases where jurisdictional opacity, political risk, or limited public reporting present challenges, we can also integrate discreet in-country source enquiries. These confidential human intelligence inputs offer grounded, localised insight, capturing behaviours and red flags that may not appear in official data or regulatory reporting.

As part of any bespoke commission, we can also provide tailored executive briefings, presenting findings to your senior leadership, risk committee, or investment committee, and helping embed key insights into your strategic decision-making.  

Whether you operate in high-risk markets, are looking to expand your business, are preparing for regulatory scrutiny, or simply want a sharper understanding of the risks that matter most to you, we’re here to help.
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