Kuwait mulls privatization of oil services

KUWAIT — Kuwait is considering privatizing its oil services sector, a senior finance ministry official said on Tuesday, although any plans would not include its production capability. The finance ministry and state-run Kuwait Petroleum Corporation are studying which sectors and services may be privatized, Undersecretary Khalifa Hamada told a news conference. Gulf governments consider measures such as privatizations, cuts to subsidies and other state spending, and tapping debt markets, to help bridge budget shortfalls caused by lower oil prices. Hamada said any privatization plans in Kuwait would not include its oil production facilities. He did not specify a time frame for the process. Kuwait is expected to post a budget deficit of 9.5 billion dinars in the 2016-2017 fiscal year and it plans to cover this through the issuance of 5 billion dinars of international and domestic debt as well as drawing upon its reserves, Finance Minister Anas Al-Saleh said on July 3. Of the 3 billion dinars to be raised internationally, Hamada said this was currently being coordinated by both the ministry of finance and the country’s sovereign wealth fund, the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA). The issuance would take place by the end of the year, with negotiations with external advisors to begin in September. Kuwaiti investments in the United Kingdom are expected to be hit by the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union, although the impact of Brexit is expected to be “short-term and not large,” Hamada said. The KIA, through its London-based subsidiary Kuwait Investment Office, is understood to have substantial investments in the UK, in particular in real estate and infrastructure. It was part of the consortium which bought London City Airport earlier this year. The KIA is one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds with about $592 billion under management.