Amman, Sept. 30 (Petra) – The Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) on Tuesday received the 2025 Arab Federation of Capital Markets (AFCM) award for the best-performing Arab exchange in terms of price-index growth, after its general index rose 45.1 percent during the year to 3,611 points, its highest level since 2007.
ASE Executive Director Mazen Wathaifi Wednesday said the index had climbed from 2,488 points at the end of 2024. Bloomberg data also ranked the ASE first among Arab markets and 13th globally in stock-market performance during 2025, he added.
Speaking at a press conference at the ASE headquarters, Wathaifi said the total return index rose 58.52 percent in 2025, while the market capitalization of listed shares increased 50.1 percent to about JD26.5 billion, marking its strongest annual growth since 2005.
Trading value increased 80.6 percent, while average daily trading doubled from JD4.4 million in 2024 to JD8.8 million in 2025, he pointed out.
Wathaifi said listed companies’ net profits rose 12.9 percent in 2025, reaching their second-highest level on record. In the first half of 2026, net profits increased a further 14.3 percent compared with the same period a year earlier.
The market’s gains have continued this year. Through the close of trading on September 29, the general index was up 15.7 percent since the start of 2026, while the total return index had risen 20.1 percent and market capitalization 14.5 percent.
Trading value increased 65.3 percent over the same period, with average daily trading rising from JD8.8 million in 2025 to about JD13.4 million currently.
Citing several government measures that supported market activity, Wathaifi referred to exempting mutual funds from income tax, allowing non-Jordanian investors seeking Jordanian citizenship to move their investments within the exchange, reducing brokerage commissions, and extending trading hours.
He also noted that the number of operating investment funds has risen from one to four.
On future action, Wathaifi said further development would focus on electronic systems, legislative and technical frameworks, and projects under Jordan’s Economic Modernization Vision and the ASE’s strategic plan.
He also highlighted introduction of electronic disclosure using Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL), in line with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), to improve the "quality and accessibility" of financial disclosures.
//Petra// AO
