The kingdom of Bahrain (rated “BBB-”) has developed into a seasoned and popular issuer, tapping local and international capital markets in 2015 for a record amount of debt. Bahrain raised 800m in Bahraini dinars and 1.5bn in US dollars, as the kingdom sought to strengthen its economy and finance its growing deficit, which is estimated to reach...
Like other bourses in the region, the Bahrain exchange faced strong economic headwinds in 2015 as a result of falling oil prices and the unrest in the wider Middle East. Nevertheless, a process of market development continues in the form of technical upgrades, legislative improvements and a steady stream of new investment instruments. As...
In addition to conventional instruments, the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) has introduced various Islamic products to support sharia-compliant banking. The kingdom has a high penetration of Islamic financial institutions, comprising six sharia-compliant retail banks and 18 wholesale banks, along with seven takaful (Islamic insurance)...
A push to bring new products and services to the stock market is being steered by the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), which regulates the country’s financial services industry. The launch comes against a backdrop of reforms, which marks part of a broader, two-pronged bid to strengthen the position of the Bahrain Bourse (BHB) at home and boost...
The Bahrain Bourse (BHB) will soon be listing its first real estate investment trust (REIT). This will be a welcome addition for investors seeking diversification and exposure to the Bahrain real estate sector, with this segment currently limited to Seef Properties, a malls operator. A REIT is a regulated legal structure that holds income-...
As the Bahrain Bourse (BHB) continues along its path of institutional development, it does not do so in isolation. Both the regulator and the exchange authorities have for many years played a productive role within regional and global bodies that share many of the same ambitions in terms of market development, and the past year has seen some...
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