Amman, Jan 5 (Petra) – The Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) ended 2025 with record performance, ranking first among Arab markets and 13th globally in terms of index gains, according to Bloomberg data.

According to an ASE statement issued on Monday, this performance followed a steadily rising positive trajectory since the end of the previous year, reflected in key indicators, foremost among them the ASE Free Float Weighted General Index (ASEGI), which rose to 3,611.6 points at the end of 2025 compared with 2,488.8 points at the end of 2024, an increase of 45.1 percent. The general index closed last year at its highest level since 2007. The ASE20 index also rose to 1,978.6 points at the end of 2025 compared with 1,344.0 points at the end of 2024, up 47.2 percent.

The Total Return Index (ASETR), which measures changes in the share prices of index sample companies in addition to their cash distributions assuming reinvestment, rose to 2,602.1 points at the end of 2025, compared with 1,641.5 points at the end of 2024, recording growth of 58.5 percent.

The market capitalization of shares listed on the Amman Stock Exchange rose to about JD26.5 billion, its highest annual closing value since 2007, an increase of 50.1 percent compared with the market capitalization at the end of 2024. The growth rate in market capitalization was the highest annual growth rate since 2005.

According to the statement, trading value last year rose to about JD2.2 billion compared with about JD1.2 billion in 2024, an increase of 80.6 percent. The number of shares traded during 2025 reached about 1.1 billion shares executed through around 747,000 contracts, compared with 913.2 million shares traded in 2024 through about 543,000 contracts.

Several sectors recorded increases in the share prices of their companies by the close of 2025, including electrical industries up 119.0 percent, extractive and mining industries up 77.3 percent, transport up 51.8 percent, banks up 45.7 percent, garments, leather and textiles up 42.1 percent, energy and utilities up 37.0 percent, and real estate up 35.2 percent. Prices of 106 listed companies rose, including 90 companies whose share prices increased by 10 percent or more.

ASE Chief Executive Officer Mazen Al-Wathaifi said these results and indicators were supported by the positive upward trajectory of the national economy, its resilience and ability to adapt and overcome challenges, and the clear improvement in the investment environment amid government incentive decisions for economic sectors, the implementation of economic modernization projects, and positive macroeconomic performance indicators.

He said these results were reflected in positive growth rates across several economic sectors, leading to an increase in the growth rate for the third quarter of this year to 2.8 percent. National exports during the first ten months of last year rose by 7.6 percent, while tourism income for the first eleven months increased by 7 percent. These positive results, among others, confirmed the success and effectiveness of applied economic, structural, and legislative reform policies, boosting optimism and confidence in achieving further positive indicators and economic achievements.

Al-Wathaifi explained that the results were also supported by strong performance from listed companies, which recorded a 10.9 percent increase in net profits for the first three quarters of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024.

He added that the positive trajectory of the national economy reflected in the exchange’s performance, along with a number of government measures aimed at activating trading and stimulating liquidity, supported these results. These measures included allowing investors seeking citizenship to move their investments within the exchange, exempting mutual investment funds from tax, reducing broker commissions, and extending trading hours.

Al-Wathaifi said the ASE, during the Jordan–Kazakhstan Business Forum, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Astana International Exchange as part of efforts to enhance openness to regional and global financial markets. The agreement aims to establish mechanisms for cooperation and information exchange related to capital markets in both countries, contributing to the development of legislative and technical frameworks and enhancing the investment environment.

He noted that the Amman Stock Exchange chaired last year the Sustainability Advisory Committee of the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative, in recognition of its role in promoting sustainability practices and related disclosures in the national capital market. The committee launched a sustainability guidance manual for small and medium-sized enterprises, along with an action plan outlining the role of exchanges in enhancing SME sustainability within UN SSE initiatives worldwide.

According to Al-Wathaifi, the exchange launched the regulatory and guidance framework for climate-related disclosures in cooperation with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and in partnership with the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The initiative aims to enhance transparency of climate-related information for listed companies and is the first of its kind in the Middle East, aligning with the Economic Modernization Vision and growing investor demand for sustainability standards.

The exchange also prepared, in cooperation with the IFC, a guidance manual outlining climate disclosure requirements in line with international best practices, particularly sustainability disclosure standards issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), specifically IFRS S2 and related climate requirements under IFRS S1.

The exchange organized a workshop titled "Climate Risk Management" for representatives of companies included in the ASE20 index sample, addressing climate-related risk management and its impact on traditional risks, as well as scenario analysis fundamentals and risk steering approaches. It also held a workshop titled "Aligning Sustainability Reports with Investor Disclosures" to clarify alignment between Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards and sustainability disclosure standards (S1 and S2) issued under IFRS, in support of preparing climate disclosures.

Al-Wathaifi said the exchange held online webinars, including "Investment Basics: Start with Confidence at the Amman Stock Exchange," which reviewed key topics of interest to investors and those concerned with securities, provided a historical overview of the development of the Jordanian financial market, and highlighted the exchange’s role in supporting the national economy. Another webinar titled "Dispute Resolution Through Arbitration at the Amman Stock Exchange" highlighted the legal and procedural framework of the arbitration system adopted by the exchange.

He added that the exchange extended trading hours and began operating under the new schedule as of Sept. 1, 2025. It also enforced restricted trading rules for listed companies non-compliant with exchange requirements as of Nov. 1, 2025, replacing long suspensions and transfers to the unlisted securities market with shorter suspension periods and a return to trading on the official market under restricted trading, which includes lower trading limits and shorter trading sessions until compliance is restored. This contributes to reducing the impact of suspensions on liquidity and trading continuity and protects investors’ interests.

Al-Wathaifi said the exchange launched the new "Boursa" mobile application for iOS and Android devices, offering a modern user experience on a comprehensive platform that enables real-time monitoring of trading information for listed and unlisted securities, including market depth and executed contracts, as well as live tracking of trading activity by sector, market, and most active securities. The application also provides updated and seamless access to company disclosures, exchange news, and circulars.

He confirmed that the Amman Stock Exchange resumed publishing prices of government bond trades on its website. These bonds are traded off-exchange through the electronic systems of the Central Bank of Jordan, which publishes them on its official website. The initiative aims to provide investors with accurate data serving as a key reference for bond pricing and enabling efficient and informed investment decisions. Published data include clean price, dirty price, trade date, and yield to maturity.

The exchange is working to raise capital market awareness among students by strengthening relations with national universities and institutes through organizing field visits and signing agreements and memoranda of understanding. To enhance investment culture among students, the exchange held educational lectures at several universities and colleges and hosted delegations including the Jordan Judicial Institute, the Financial Services Companies Association Council, a delegation from the Criminal Investigation Department of the Public Security Directorate, and several student groups.

//Petra// AF