The Middle East

As both a regional and global leader in Islamic finance, Bahrain benefits from supportive regulation, capable human resources, and a reputation for diversified and mature offerings. Demonstrating this, the Islamic banking and insurance segments have recorded elevated growth rates compared to their conventional counterparts in recent years, even as the industry faced macroeconomic headwinds....

Despite facing challenging macroeconomic headwinds, in addition to illiquidity and limited levels of free-floating shares, Bahrain’s capital markets have been among the best-performing in the GCC in recent years. Indeed, the Bahrain All Share Index reached a nine-year high in mid-2019. Benefitting from lively trading activity, increasing market capitalisation and an expanding debt market,...

A powerful driver of economic and non-oil growth, Bahrain’s banking sector plays an important role in ongoing diversification and development efforts. Furthermore, the kingdom has maintained its status as a regional financial centre, even with increasing competition from GCC neighbours. With financial technology developing rapidly, and profits, soundness indicators and asset growth remaining...

Benefitting from its robust financial services, industrial and manufacturing sectors, Bahrain’s economy is one of the most mature and diverse in the GCC...

In 1932 Bahrain pioneered oil production in the Middle East, and in doing so established the region’s initial framework for the petroleum industry. The new resource enabled Bahrain to modernise its economy by moving beyond traditional industries such as pearl diving and fishing. Today, the country’s national plan, Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, aims to enhance private sector growth as well as...