With new regulations, the continued implementation of development strategies and the historic opening of the nation’s second exchange holding the interest of market participants, Bahrain’s capital markets have been receiving significant attention from investors. However, a number of challenges have presented themselves. The European debt crisis, local and regional unrest, and the lingering...
Financial Services
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Chapter | Capital Markets from The Report: Bahrain 2012
Famously one of the most diverse in the region, the Bahraini banking sector is composed of local, regional and international firms that have flourished in a liberal but well-regarded regulatory environment. The past year has been a challenging one for the industry, particularly given the unrest in the early months, yet most licensed lenders in Bahrain entered 2012 on the back of robust financial...
After a period of relative inactivity, Oman’s stock exchange, the Muscat Stock Market (MSM), could be about to see heightened activity with the listing of a number of important companies keenly anticipated.
Economic update | Nigeria: Compulsory insurance
1 Jun 2012
A slew of recent initiatives are targeting insurance reform in the corporate and retail segments in Nigeria, to help unshackle the latent potential of a sector that has traditionally struggled with spotty enforcement, limited capacity, and low penetration.
Economic update | Abu Dhabi: Seeking bonds abroad
1 Jun 2012
With investor demand for Islamic bonds growing, Abu Dhabi-based businesses are increasingly turning to the sukuk market to finance their activities, with four companies since November 2011 having issued sharia-compliant debt instruments. Meanwhile, the first three months of 2012 saw two major conventional bond issuances from Dolphin Energy and the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD).
Bahrain has weathered the effects of a difficult global economic period well, and its recovery has been solid, demonstrating the strength and flexibility of its economy. The government’s drive to diversify away from oil and gas dependence has been renewed, and a wealth of ambitious non-oil sector projects – from infrastructure to renewable energy technology – is now in the pipeline.