Kuwait

The Competition Protection Agency operates under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry with investigation and advisory powers.

Horizontal agreements that restrict competition are prohibited, including price-fixing, output limitation, and market allocation.

Vertical agreements restricting competition are prohibited, including exclusive dealing and territorial restrictions.

Abuse of a dominant position is prohibited, covering pricing abuses, refusal to supply, and discriminatory practices.

The law contains provisions on economic concentration but no mandatory pre-merger notification system has been implemented.

No formal leniency programme exists.

No formal settlement or commitment mechanism established.

Fines of up to KWD 100,000 for anti-competitive conduct. Imprisonment may apply for serious violations.

No specific digital markets regulation.

The Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) exercises competition-related oversight in telecoms.

The Agency may investigate complaints and collect evidence, but on-site inspection powers are limited.

Injured parties may seek damages through the courts, but private competition claims are extremely rare.

Kuwait participates in GCC economic cooperation. No bilateral competition cooperation agreements reported.

Very limited publicly reported enforcement. Agency activity focused on market monitoring and consumer complaints.