According to the IMF, Bahrain’s economy grew by 5.3% in 2013; however, this was expected to slow somewhat to 3.9% for the following year. One of the main challenges faced by the Bahrain government is how to reduce public spending, especially given downward pressure on oil prices in the latter half of 2014. In this respect, the government has been moving away from the...
Despite the gradual economic recovery seen in the US and parts of Europe, the GCC has witnessed strong growth in recent years, and Bahrain is no exception. With its main stock market index reaching a three-year high in mid-2014, and spending on infrastructure anticipated in the second half of the year, there has been a renewed sense of confidence and cautious optimism...
As part of the kingdom’s long-term development strategy, private sector investment and innovation is set to play a key role in Bahrain’s future prosperity. The country has a long history of trade and has created an attractive environment for companies wishing to invest and establish a base from which to do business in the Middle East and beyond.
While the kingdom prides itself on offering tax-free incentives to businesses, it has also been developing industrial zones with added benefits for foreign investors, including contracts protecting tenants against future tax changes and, in some cases, bonded warehousing, which provides companies with certain exemptions from paying import duties.
For much of its history, Bahrain was the name for the eastern coast of Arabia. Only recently has it come to identify the islands of the Awal archipelago. The first notable inhabitants were of the Dilmun civilisation 6000 years ago, but it has attracted the attention of numerous empires over the centuries, including the Persians, Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Arabs,...
Following the collapse of the international shipping market, in 2012 the container route from Shanghai to the Gulf through Dubai saw the second-highest freight rate growth in the intra-Asian region. This is part of an emerging trend, with GCC-Asia trade maturing. A relationship that was once just based on energy demand is diversifying, and the GCC is seen as a viable...
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