Zain Group

Mobile Telecommunications Company K.S.C.P. (doing business as Zain) is a Kuwaiti mobile telecommunications company founded in 1983 in Kuwait as MTC (Mobile Telecommunications Company), and later rebranded as Zain in 2007. Zain has a commercial presence in seven countries across the Middle East with 52 million active customers as of 31 September 2023. The Vice Chairman and Group CEO is Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi, who was appointed in March 2017.

As of 2024, the two major stakeholders are Kuwait Investment Authority with 24.22% and Omantel with 21.9%.

The Zain brand is one of the recognized telecom brands across the MENA region, with a brand value of US$3 billion(2024).

Financial highlights
Zain is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange. There are no restrictions on Zain shares as the company's capital is 100% free float and publicly traded.

For 9M 2023, Zain generated consolidated revenue of KD 1.4 billion (USD 4.6 billion), up 11% year-on-year (YoY), while consolidated EBITDA for the period reached KD 530 million (USD 1.7 billion), up 8% YoY, reflecting an EBITDA margin of 37%. Consolidated net income increased 13% YoY, amounting to KD 172 million (USD 561 million). Earnings per share amounted to 40 fils (USD 0.13) for the nine-month period.

Operations
Zain has presence in a number of countries.

Presence in Africa (2005–2010)
From 2005 to 2010, Zain maintained a presence in a number of countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, in addition to its core market in the MENA region.

Zain entered Africa in May 2005 through the $3.4 billion purchase of Celtel International which had 13 country operations in Africa, serving five million customers at that time. Zain invested heavily across the continent through network upgrades and acquiring two more country licences. By June 2010, Zain had over 40 million customers across the continent, operating in Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

In early 2010, Zain accepted an offer for the sale of all its Africa operations. On 8 June 2010, Zain announced that it had satisfied all required conditions precedent to closing of the sale of 100% of Zain Africa BV to Bharti Airtel Limited for $10.7 billion on an enterprise basis.

Today, Zain operates on the African continent only in Sudan, South Sudan and Morocco.