Russell told state-run Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that British innovation in green and digital provide huge opportunities for further collaboration for Kuwaiti investors. "We look forward to continuing to work with them in the years ahead and see a bright future for our ongoing trade relationship", the Lord Mayor said. He estimated current investments from the GCC nations - Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and the UAE - are greater than 140bn ($195bn), adding that the City continues to welcome these investments into green infrastructure programs. And he believed future investments seem to be heading more toward green finance and fintech. Russell recently held discussions with senior figures in Kuwait and across the Gulf region on an array of topics, but mainly in terms of green investment in the lead-up to COP26, which will take place in the UK in November. And he said the prospect of an eventual trade deal with the GCC, which would collectively make it a bigger trading partner for the UK than China, would be a giant step forward. Kuwaiti investments in UK infrastructure include 20 percent stakes in London City Airport, Associated British Ports, Thames Water, and several significant properties in and around the Square Mile and Canary Wharf.
