This chapter includes the following articles.
Financial Services
Bahrain is home to one of the region’s most vibrant financial sectors, with financial services rivalling oil and gas in terms of economic importance. Indeed, by late 2021 the financial sector had overtaken hydrocarbons as the largest contributor to the economy. The Islamic finance sector is also strong, with Bahrain ranking fourth out of 135 countries and second in the MENA region in terms of Islamic finance development in a 2021 report by financial analysis firm Refinitiv. Through initiatives such as the launch of the region’s first cross-border innovation centre in 2020, the kingdom is also working to establish itself as a global financial technology centre.
This chapter contains interviews with Jean-Christophe Durand, CEO, National Bank of Bahrain; Abdulrahman Ali Saif, CEO, Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait; and Hassan Jarrar, CEO, Bahrain Islamic Bank.
