Abu Dhabi, Sept. 29 (Petra) - The Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) received the 2025 Arab Federation of Capital Markets (AFCM) award on Tuesday for being the best-performing Arab stock exchange in price index growth.

ASE CEO Mazen Wathaifi accepted the honor during the annual meeting held in Abu Dhabi on Sept. 29-30, in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.

The award recognizes the ASE’s standout performance in 2025, when it led all Arab exchanges and ranked 13th globally, according to Bloomberg market data.

The general price index (ASEGI) jumped 45.1 percent in 2025 to close at 3,611.6 points, its highest level since 2007. The Total Return Index (ASETR) rose 58.52 percent, while listed market capitalization expanded 50.1 percent to JD26.5 billion, marking the exchange's strongest annual growth rate since 2005. Trading volume surged 80.6 percent, doubling daily average trading from JD4.4 million to JD8.8 million.

Wathaifi credited Jordan’s resilient macroeconomic fundamentals and targeted government economic stimulus, despite regional and global uncertainties. Key drivers included positive GDP growth, expanding exports, steady worker remittances, low inflation, and foreign exchange reserves reaching approximately JD28.4 billion. Listed companies posted a 12.9 percent rise in net profits for 2025, recording their second-highest historical earnings.

Pro-investment policy measures also energized the market. Key initiatives included allowing citizenship-seeking foreign investors to trade on the ASE, exempting mutual funds from taxes, reducing broker commissions, and extending trading hours.

Wathaifi noted that the award demonstrates growing trust in Jordan's economy and regulatory framework, stating ASE's goal to modernize infrastructure in line with global best practices.

The ASE's positive momentum continued through 2026. Year-to-date figures show a 15.7 percent increase in the general index, a 20.1 percent rise in total returns, a 14.5 percent gain in market capitalization, and a 14.3 percent profit growth among listed companies in the first half of the year, alongside a 65.3 percent increase in total trading volume.

Wathaifi added that the exchange will continue developing Jordan’s financial market, boosting its competitiveness and attractiveness to local and foreign investors, upgrading its electronic systems and regulatory and technical frameworks, and implementing projects under the Economic Modernization Vision.

The Abu Dhabi conference brought together leaders of Arab stock exchanges and capital market institutions, regulators, clearing, depository, and settlement institutions, brokerage firms, asset managers, and investors, along with experts and policymakers from regional and international markets.

The conference provided a platform to exchange expertise and views on developments and trends in the capital markets industry and discuss ways to improve market efficiency, competitiveness, and infrastructure.

//Petra// HA