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RIYADH: Jordan’s total exports rose 8.5 percent year on year in the first five months of 2025 to 3.94 billion Jordanian dinars ($5.55 billion), driven by robust growth in national shipments, official data showed. 

According to the monthly foreign trade report issued by the Department of Statistics, national exports climbed 9.2 percent during the January–May period to reach 3.58 billion dinars, while re-exports increased 2.3 percent to 360 million dinars, Jordanian news agency Petra reported. 

The data comes as the kingdom’s improving external trade performance aligns with broader regional trends, with the Gulf Cooperation Council economy expanding 1.5 percent year on year in the fourth quarter of 2024, led by gains in the non-oil sector, according to the GCC Statistical Center. 
 
“For May 2025 alone, total exports stood at 901 million dinars, including 826 million dinars in national exports and 75 million dinars in re-exports. Imports for the month totaled 1.581 billion dinars, resulting in a trade deficit of 680 million dinars,” Petra said. 

During the month, total exports rose by 2.4 percent year on year, driven by a 4.8 percent increase in national exports, while re-exports saw an 18.5 percent decline. 

Imports for the same month totaled 1.581 billion dinars, marking a 5.6 percent drop, which contributed to a 14.5 percent reduction in the trade deficit. 

The coverage ratio for May rose to 57 percent, up from 53 percent in May 2024, marking a four-percentage-point improvement. 

Jordan’s economy is projected to grow by 2.7 percent in 2025, with expectations of accelerating to 3.5 percent in the medium term, according to central bank governor Adel Sharkas, who made the projection in March. The upward trend in trade performance is seen as a key contributor to this outlook. 

The positive trade momentum coincides with modest industrial growth. Jordan’s Industrial Production Index rose 2.07 percent in the first five months compared to the same period last year, according to the Department of Statistics. 

The rise was driven by higher output in manufacturing and electricity production, while quarrying declined. Monthly, the IPI rose 0.74 percent year on year in May and surged 2.95 percent from April. 

Fitch Ratings in May affirmed Jordan’s long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating at “BB-” with a stable outlook, citing macroeconomic stability and continued reform progress.

The US-based agency added that the rating and stable outlook reflect Jordan’s resilient financing sources, including a liquid banking sector, a robust public pension fund, and continued international support.

RIYADH: Public debt issuers in ������Ƶ can now expect faster regulatory reviews if their offerings carry a credit rating, as the Kingdom moves to boost issuance and expand its fixed-income investor base. 

The Capital Market Authority has introduced a fast-track mechanism for public debt offering applications that agencies licensed by the regulator have rated. The incentive will remain in effect through the end of 2026, according to a press release. 

By encouraging issuers to obtain credit ratings, the CMA aims to increase investor participation and improve risk assessment across the market. 

The move comes amid ������Ƶ’s ongoing efforts to develop a more diversified and resilient financial system under Vision 2030. 

Strengthening the domestic capital market, particularly fixed income, is a strategic priority for the Kingdom as it seeks to reduce dependence on oil revenues, channel more private capital into economic development, and empower the private sector as a driver of growth. 

“Through this measure, the CMA aims to build a more mature and stable debt instruments market with a diversified investor base and strengthened confidence among all participants,” the statement said.

“A credit rating is not merely an indicator of the issuer’s creditworthiness; rather, it serves as an effective tool enabling investors to make well-informed investment decisions,” it added. 

While ������Ƶ’s equity market has seen strong growth in recent years, the debt segment remains relatively underdeveloped compared to global peers. Enhancing transparency and risk differentiation through credit ratings is viewed as key to unlocking greater institutional and foreign investor participation, which in turn supports more competitive pricing and long-term market stability. 

The CMA has already implemented a series of structural reforms to mature the market, including expanding the qualified investor base, enabling foreign ownership of debt securities, and promoting the issuance of sukuk and conventional bonds. 

These reforms are designed to improve capital access for issuers while giving investors better tools to assess risk and return. The latest measure builds on these initiatives by directly linking faster regulatory review to the presence of a third-party credit opinion. 

The regulator expects the move to stimulate a higher volume of rated debt issuances, accelerate application processing, and strengthen market confidence, ultimately fostering a more dynamic and diversified capital market ecosystem.