[2][3][4][5][6] Formerly a businessman, Kiwan was also a propagandist for the Assad regime, owning and operating media companies in the Arab world that served as the propaganda arm of the Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad.

[3][14] In 1992, he established Al-Waseet, a classified advertising newspaper in Kuwait, in partnership with local businessmen Sheikh Sabah Jaber Mubarak Al-Sabah and Mohammed Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi.

Initially a weekly publication in Kuwait, Al-Waseet expanded its operations to Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Lebanon and Egypt.

[36][37] On 28 November 2022, Bashar Kiwan was found guilty of criminal fraud, money laundering, and embezzlement of Comorian public funds.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Emirati tycoon Talal Al-Khoury invested US$34 million in the deal, but claims Kiwan defrauded him, embezzled the money for other uses, and sold the license to another operator.

[39] The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies identified Bashar Kiwan as part of a network of Syrians residing abroad who accomplished for the Assad regime functions of a dual nature, mainly in the financial and military sphere.

[3] Angelique Tournoud co-founded fashion accessory brand LE MARAIS 101 with Zina Khair, the wife of Bashar Kiwan's business partner Majd Suleiman.