AMMAN — CEO of the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) Mazen Wadhafi on Sunday said that the half-year financial results announced by the listed companies reflect a “positive” performance and a “clear” indication of the strength of the national economy and its ability to adapt to challenges.
According to ASE data, the profit after tax attributable to the shareholders of public shareholding companies listed on the ASE providing their financial statements increased to $1.5 billion compared with $1.3 billion for the first half of 2024 by 9.4 per cent, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
The increase in the profit before tax for public shareholding companies reached $2.171 billion for the first half of 2025 compared with $2 billion for the first half of 2024, increasing by 7 per cent.
The profit after tax for the financial sector increased by 12.5 per cent, the services sector went up by 5.3 per cent, and the profits of the industrial sector rose 4.6 per cent.
Wadhafi stressed that these results were driven by a number of economic factors, government policies and reforms that strengthened the investment environment in the Kingdom, pointing out that the increase in the number of gainers to 104 companies compared with 69 companies in the same period last year.
He added that the positive performance of the Egyptian index (EGX) was also reflected in the improvement of the general index by 17.1 per cent and the increase in the total return index by 26.6 per cent by the end of last July compared with the beginning of the year.
The market value of listed shares increased by $6.5 billion to some $34 billion, marking an increase of 26 per cent since the beginning of this year, he noted.
The average daily trading volume also increased to about $15 million compared with last year’s levels, reflecting investors’ “increasing interest” in the Jordanian capital market and their confidence in its stability and future prospects.
Wadhafi pointed out that the performance of listed companies, especially in the banking, industry and services sectors, had a “direct” impact on macroeconomic indicators, which contributed to increasing tax revenues, enhancing the revenues of the public treasury, improving the ability to service the public debt, and increasing spending on development projects and public services.
Professor of Finance at Al Bayt University Omar Gharaibeh stressed that the strong performance achieved by many Jordanian companies listed on the ASE during the first half of this year was a result of a set of integrated factors that reflected a “remarkable” improvement in the general operational and economic environment in the Kingdom.
He noted that one of these factors is the improvement in the operational activity of many companies, as the decline in oil prices globally helped reduce the costs of production and transportation.
These led to stimulating domestic demand and increasing expansion in foreign markets, and the restructuring of some departments and the application of more efficient production methods helped to improve overall performance.
Gharaibeh pointed out that controlling costs and adopting austerity policies or improving expense management have directly contributed to increasing profitability margins, especially for companies that have adopted digital transformation to reduce operational expenses.
He pointed out that part of the profits achieved also stems from higher returns on companies’ investments in securities, real estate and joint ventures.
The improvement in the local economic climate also played a supporting role, particularly with the stabilisation of the dinar exchange rate, slowing inflation rates, and improvements in indicators such as tourism and remittances from abroad, he added.
Gharaibeh referred to the role of the legislative and regulatory environment, with some companies reporting that recent government measures and regulatory easing had helped improve the business environment and open up new avenues for growth.
He also added that effective risk management, diversification of revenue streams and reduced reliance on traditional markets also contributed to boosting companies’ financial stability.
Gharaibeh said that a number of Jordanian companies have begun to link their improved financial performance to the “gradual” shift towards renewable energy, particularly in energy-intensive sectors such as manufacturing, cement, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and hotels.
He pointed out that the adoption of solar energy systems has contributed to a “significant” reduction in operating energy bills, especially in light of the continuing rise in traditional electricity prices.
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