29/09/2026 07:51 AST
Boursa Kuwait launched the third edition of its "The Bell" financial literacy initiative, featuring a month-long awareness program throughout October that brings together six professional, academic and investment institutions.
The initiative aims to make investment concepts more accessible to the public and help individuals better understand their financial options and the risks associated with them through interactive sessions, workshops and digital content that connect financial knowledge with everyday needs and developments in Kuwait's capital market.
The new edition reaffirms Boursa Kuwait's commitment to ensuring that the continued development of the market and expansion of investment options are accompanied by sustained efforts to enhance public awareness. As financial products become more diverse and access to information becomes easier, there is a growing need for trusted content that explains key concepts clearly, helps investors ask the right questions and enables them to better understand the options that align with their objectives and financial capabilities, without unnecessary complexity or reliance on incomplete information.
This edition of the initiative is organized in collaboration with CFA Institute, CFA Society Kuwait, Gulf Capital Investment Company (InvestGB), Kuwait University, Kuwait Credit Information Network Company (CINET), and the Union of Investment Companies (UIC), a diverse group of partners that brings together investment expertise, academic knowledge and corporate experience to deliver a program tailored to investors, students and young people preparing to enter the workforce, providing each audience with practical knowledge relevant to its needs.
It also coincides with the tenth edition of World Investor Week, led by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) to promote investor education and protection, and supported by the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE) through its "Ring the Bell for Financial Literacy" campaign.
Boursa Kuwait is translating its participation in the global campaign into a month-long local program, complemented by educational content that will remain available for audiences to benefit from beyond the conclusion of the initiative's activities.
Highlighting the importance of aligning market development with investor knowledge, Senior Director of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Boursa Kuwait, Naser Meshari AlSanousi, said:"Boursa Kuwait believes that knowledge is the foundation of informed investing, and that the value of market development is fully realized when people understand the opportunities available to them and how to engage with them responsibly."
"Through 'The Bell' initiative, Boursa Kuwait brings this knowledge closer to the public through clear language and trusted content, helping individuals better understand opportunities and risks before making investment decisions. This is an ongoing commitment that is reflected in practical programs and partnerships that combine expertise with the ability to reach and engage the wider community," he added.
"The third edition more closely links financial awareness to market development and to the questions that matter most to investors, particularly young people. Investors need to understand their options, students need to connect their studies with real-world applications and entrepreneurs need to understand the requirements for growing their businesses. Together with our partners, we are developing content that responds to these needs and encourages learning, engagement and informed questioning," he continued. "Our ambition is for financial knowledge to become part of how people think and make decisions, and for the initiative's impact to continue well beyond the conclusion of its activities."
This ambition has shaped the development of "The Bell" since its launch in 2024, with the initiative steadily expanding both its partnerships and its reach. To date, it has collaborated with more than ten organizations and reached over 2000 beneficiaries through its programs.
Its impact has also extended beyond in-person activities through "The Bell" podcast, which has generated more than two million views across four seasons, broadening access to financial and investment content and allowing audiences to benefit from expert discussions and insights beyond the initiative's live sessions. The initiative has also placed particular emphasis on translating learning into practical experience for younger generations, including Boursa Kuwait's sponsorship of the CFA Institute Research Challenge, for which it serves as the first strategic partner in Kuwait.
The Challenge has enabled around 100 university students to apply their academic learning to listed companies and gain practical experience in analyzing their businesses and financial information, taking learning beyond the classroom and placing students in a setting that requires research, analysis and evidence-based judgment, reinforcing the broader objective of equipping young people with the knowledge and skills needed to engage more effectively with the capital market.
Connecting learning with application
The third edition of "The Bell" builds on the themes explored over the past two years, including money management, financial planning, digital financial services, sustainability and applications of artificial intelligence. This year's program takes that foundation further, progressing from core investment principles and market awareness to more specialized topics such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs), fixed-income products, credit awareness and entrepreneurship.
In doing so, the program is designed to move participants gradually from understanding fundamental financial concepts to seeing how they apply across different stages of personal, professional and investment decision-making. The first stage of this progression focuses on younger audiences and the financial decisions closest to their everyday lives. An interactive panel discussion bringing together Kuwait University and CINET will explore financial and credit awareness, helping students better understand personal financial responsibility and the role of credit in shaping future financial choices.
By linking personal finance with entrepreneurship, these sessions provide a practical entry point into broader capital market concepts. The program then extends this learning through digital content, allowing participants and the wider public to explore investment topics in greater depth and at their own pace. October will also see the launch of the fifth season of "The Bell" podcast, in collaboration with CFA Society Kuwait and InvestGB. Building on the introductory themes addressed through previous seasons, the weekly episodes will focus on core investment strategies and approaches to following market developments, with a conversational format that helps place investment concepts within a practical context, while the on-demand nature of the podcast allows audiences to revisit discussions, reinforce their understanding and continue learning beyond the physical events.
From these broader investment principles, the program progresses to a more detailed examination of specific financial instruments. Workshops organized by the Union of Investment Companies (UIC) will introduce participants to exchange-traded funds and fixed-income markets, including funds that track specific indices and instruments such as bonds and sukuk.
The sessions will explain their principal characteristics, uses and associated risks, helping participants move from a general understanding of investing toward a clearer appreciation of how individual products differ and the considerations involved in evaluating them. The final stage of the program is designed to ensure that this learning does not end with the October activities. Boursa Kuwait is collaborating with CFA Institute to enrich the Boursa Academy online education platform with financial literacy materials and training modules that will remain available beyond the initiative.
By connecting live sessions, digital discussions, specialized workshops and permanent educational resources, "The Bell" creates a continuous learning pathway that allows individuals to build their knowledge progressively and return to trusted educational content as their needs and interests evolve.
Partnerships bringing together expertise and expanding the initiative's impact
The third edition of "The Bell" brings together a select group of professional, academic and investment institutions, enabling the initiative to draw on diverse expertise and deliver practical, knowledge-based content aligned with the needs of investors, students and capital market participants.
This collaborative approach also allows the program to broaden the scope of financial literacy into more specialized areas, while connecting participants with perspectives from across the investment, academic and business communities.
Within this framework, Kuwait University's participation focuses on connecting academic knowledge with practical experience and creating opportunities for students to engage directly with industry professionals.
"Our participation in 'The Bell' initiative for the second consecutive year provides an opportunity to bring financial and investment topics closer to students and connect them with their lives and aspirations," said Dr Saad AlNahedh, Assistant Professor of Finance at the College of Business Administration.
"Learning becomes more meaningful when students can discuss real-world experiences and direct their questions to specialists. Through this participation, we aim to help them understand their financial responsibilities at an early stage, broaden their knowledge of the business environment and strengthen their readiness for professional life and their ability to make well-informed decisions," he said.
Building on this academic foundation, the Kuwait Credit Information Network Company (CINET), Kuwait's provider of credit information and credit scoring services, brings a practical personal-finance dimension to the program by raising awareness of financial obligations and the importance of understanding borrowing and installment payments as part of responsible money management.
Commenting on the company's participation, Chief Executive Officer of CINET, Mai Bader AlOwaish, said, "Credit awareness begins with individuals understanding their financial obligations and their ability to meet them. As installment options continue to expand, it is increasingly important for young people to understand the impact these decisions can have on their financial position before committing to them."
"Through 'The Bell' initiative, we are sharing our expertise to make these concepts more accessible to students and encourage responsible financial behavior. We believe that direct dialogue and practical examples drawn from everyday life can help turn information into deeper and more lasting understanding," she added.
The CFA Institute's contribution draws on its expertise in investment education, particularly in areas such as fundamental analysis, investment valuation, portfolio management and professional ethics. This provides a strong foundation for developing content that combines professional rigor with practical relevance for local audiences.
Commenting on the Institute's participation, Director of Institutional Solutions for the Middle East and North Africa at CFA Institute, Jeannette Tawk, said, "Boursa Kuwait and the CFA Institute share the belief that financial knowledge helps individuals better understand their options and participate in markets with greater awareness. For the third consecutive year, we are pleased to take part in 'The Bell' initiative, combining the Institute's expertise with Boursa Kuwait's understanding of the needs of the local market."
"We look forward to continuing to develop clear and practical educational content that enables wider segments of society to build their knowledge and apply it to their financial decisions," she added.
This collaboration forms part of a three-year partnership between Boursa Kuwait and the CFA Institute, under which Boursa Kuwait serves as the exclusive strategic partner of the CFA Institute Research Challenge in Kuwait. The annual global competition focuses on the financial analysis of listed companies and gives students from public and private universities the opportunity to apply their academic knowledge to real-world cases while strengthening their practical skills.
Complementing this global professional expertise, Boursa Kuwait's partnership with CFA Society Kuwait, which dates back to 2018, provides a longstanding local platform for educational content, programs and workshops. This year, the Society is extending that collaboration through the fifth season of "The Bell" podcast, helping sustain the investment dialogue beyond the initiative's in-person activities.
"As the market evolves, investors need knowledge that helps them understand what is changing and what those changes mean for their decisions. Through our partnership with Boursa Kuwait, we work to make this knowledge clear, relevant and accessible to the public," said CFA Society Kuwait President Sara Abdul Samad.
"We see 'The Bell' initiative as an opportunity to bring specialist expertise into useful discussions that explain the fundamentals of investing and help audiences assess opportunities and risks with greater understanding," she added.
Adding a practitioner perspective to this educational dialogue, InvestGB, the investment arm of Gulf Bank, brings hands-on expertise in investment, asset management and wealth management to the fifth season of the podcast. Commenting on the company's participation, Talal Jamal Al-Khamis, Head of Equities and Fixed Income at InvestGB, said:"We are pleased to continue our collaboration with Boursa Kuwait through 'The Bell' podcast and to share our experience through discussions that help audiences better understand investing and follow market developments."
"We aim to ensure that the ideas presented are clear and relevant to listeners, whether they are at the beginning of their investment journey or seeking to deepen their knowledge. The real value of financial content lies in people's ability to understand it and use it when considering their options," he said.
The program then takes this practical perspective a step further through the participation of the Union of Investment Companies (UIC), which strengthens the applied dimension of the initiative through workshops that connect an introduction to investment products with a clearer understanding of their characteristics and associated risks. "We are proud to continue our participation in The Bell Initiative for the second consecutive year and to support Boursa Kuwait's efforts to further promote financial and investment literacy," said Secretary General of the Union of Investment Companies, Fadwa Darwish.
"This year, our focus is on topics that reflect the evolving market landscape, including Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) and fixed-income instruments. At the Union of Investment Companies (UIC), we believe that the growing diversity of investment instruments should be accompanied by greater awareness of their characteristics, associated risks and potential opportunities, enabling investors to make more informed investment decisions," she added.
"The 'Bell' initiative also represents an important model of institutional collaboration in promoting investment knowledge and extending its reach to a broader segment of society. At the same time, it provides us with a valuable opportunity to engage directly with the public, listen to their questions, and provide greater clarity on the investment topics that matter most to them."
Embedding financial literacy within Boursa Kuwait's sustainability strategy
"The Bell" initiative forms part of Boursa Kuwait's Corporate Sustainability strategy, which encompasses support for education, skills development and partnerships that generate meaningful social impact. The initiative also aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. The program translates this approach into a collaborative model in which each partner contributes according to its area of expertise, combining broad public reach with high-quality content and opportunities for continuous learning. Through this program, Boursa Kuwait continues to strengthen its role in promoting investor awareness and connecting the development of Kuwait's capital market with the needs of the wider community.
The third edition of "The Bell" offers multiple learning pathways that combine dialogue, practical experience and digital content, giving investors, students and entrepreneurs the opportunity to explore topics directly relevant to their decisions and aspirations. These efforts form part of Boursa Kuwait's ongoing institutional commitment to supporting more informed and responsible participation in financial and investment activities.
"The Bell" is a financial literacy initiative launched by Boursa Kuwait in 2024 to improve public understanding of investment and capital market concepts through clear, practical and accessible content. The initiative brings together professional, academic and investment institutions to deliver sessions, workshops, digital content and programs tailored to investors, students and young people. Its activities are complemented by "The Bell" podcast and Boursa Academy, extending the reach of educational content, supporting continuous learning and helping individuals make better-informed financial decisions.
Kuwait Times
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