Economy Bahrain economy The latest economic and demographic indicators for Bahrain, including GDP, inflation, oil prices, trade, population, unemployment and more June 6, 2025
Trade Bahrain’s trade deficit widens as imports surge Bahrain’s trade deficit has widened by more than a quarter as non-oil imports have increased. The difference between exports and imports widened by 32 percent to BD166 million ($440.3 million) in April 2025, compared to BD126 million in the same month last year, state-run Bahrain News Agency reported, citing official data. The value of non-oil […] May 30, 2025
Real Estate Investcorp Capital exits 12 US residential assets Investcorp Capital, majority owned by Bahrain-based Investcorp, has exited 12 residential multiple-occupancy real estate assets across five states in the US. The exit was secured at $550 million, the company said in a statement. The company claimed the sale was at a “premium” but did not disclose further gains “Though rent growth has cooled from the […] May 29, 2025
Retail Investcorp nets fourfold gain on exit from India’s Citykart Bahrain-based asset manager Investcorp has reportedly sold its entire stake in Citykart, an Indian fashion retailer, making a fourfold return on its 2019 investment. The stake sale was part of the startup’s series B funding round, which saw Citykart raise INR5.4 billion ($63 million), local media reported. Investcorp acquired the stake from the asset management […] May 27, 2025
Economy Bahrain T-bills oversubscribed despite debt concerns The government of Bahrain sold close to $190 million in three-month treasury bills this week in a sale that was almost three times oversubscribed, despite IMF concerns over the kingdom’s rising debt levels. The BD70 million in bills carry a weighted average interest rate of 5.23 percent, the state-run Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported on […] May 26, 2025
Logistics Investcorp to spend $550m to expand Oman’s Duqm port Bahrain-based asset manager Investcorp will invest $550 million to expand the Port of Duqm in Oman, as part of a strategy to build a regional infrastructure portfolio. Investcorp Aberdeen Infrastructure Partners (AIIP), a joint venture with UK-based fund manager Aberdeen, will be a shareholder in the project alongside Cap Infra, a consortium comprising the Port of […] May 19, 2025
Opinion Trade Trump in his happy place: Purple carpets and big deals in Saudi Arabia The challenge now is to maintain the momentum and atmosphere of the trip May 14, 2025
Manufacturing Alba earnings dented by rising raw-material prices Aluminium Bahrain (Alba), which is listed on the Bahrain Bourse, said its earnings were hit in the first quarter of 2025 due to higher raw material (alumina) prices. Net profit fell 26 percent to BD18.1 million ($48 million) in the quarter ended March 31, 2025, compared to BD25 million a year ago, the company said […] May 14, 2025
Banking and Finance Bahrain’s Mumtalakat reports biggest profit in its history Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat has posted the biggest profit in its 19-year history, reversing a loss in 2023, according to the Bahrain News Agency. Its consolidated net profit reached BD363 million ($963 million) in 2024, versus a net loss of BD497 million the year before, the state-run agency reported. “The past year marked a […] May 7, 2025
Economy Bahrain’s current account surplus shrinks on high debt servicing Bahrain’s current account surplus narrowed last year on the back of lower oil revenue and higher external debt servicing, a ministry of finance report shows. The update may add to concerns around Bahrain’s fiscal challenges. A country’s current account balance is a record of its transactions with the rest of the world. Bahrain, the Gulf’s […] May 6, 2025
Exclusive Economy IMF official urges Bahrain to cut debt and spending The International Monetary Fund is urging Bahrain, the Gulf’s most indebted country, to do more to reduce liabilities, bring government finances under control and spur economic growth. “It’s a no brainer,” Jihad Azour, IMF Middle East and Central Asia director, said in an interview with AGBI in Dubai. “They need to consolidate; they cannot avoid […] May 1, 2025
Food & Drink Bahrain’s Calo acquires UK meal delivery brands Calo, a Bahraini foodtech startup, is making its first foray outside of the Gulf by expanding into the UK. The company, which was founded in Bahrain but now has its headquarters in Saudi Arabia, is acquiring UK-based meal delivery brands Fresh Fitness Food and Detox Kitchen in the expansion. Caspar Rose, the former head of […] May 1, 2025
Trade Ahead of Trump visit, New Jersey courts Gulf investment New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is leading a mission to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain as US states compete for a share of more than $2 trillion of investment and trade which Gulf Arab countries have pledged to the US over the next decade. The trip, which ends on Saturday, comes just two weeks […] April 30, 2025
Analysis Economy Ratings agency moves Bahrain outlook to negative A major ratings agency has downgraded its outlook on Bahrain to negative, warning that fiscal reforms may be insufficient to lower the kingdom’s debt-to-GDP ratio and that foreign currency reserves remain weak. Lower oil prices and reduced crude production due to maintenance work at Bahrain’s Abu Safah oil field, which it shares with Saudi Arabia, […] April 24, 2025
Banking and Finance Al Ansari says BFC buyout will lift revenues by a fifth Dubai-listed Al Ansari Financial Services expects a 13 percent rise in profits and a 20 percent increase in revenues following its acquisition of BFC Group Holdings, a competing money exchange business, the company CEO has said. “After completing the BFC deal, we have become the largest exchange company in the UAE and Bahrain and the […] April 15, 2025
Industry Investcorp Capital earns 40% profit on sale of US industrial assets Abu Dhabi-listed Investcorp Capital has sold its US industrial real estate portfolio, generating a high return on investment. The US National I portfolio, spanning six investments across six states and 2.3 million square feet, was sold for $360 million, a 40 percent gain over its initial purchase price of $262 million less than four years […] April 8, 2025
Analysis Artificial Intelligence AI ‘employees’ make their mark in the Gulf From customer service to the C-suite, AI “employees” are climbing the corporate ladder in the Gulf as the technology behind them improves. Regional wealth funds such as ADQ are now using AI “boardroom advisers” to help make decisions according to Middle East AI News, while startups are raising capital and launching so-called “AI employees”. These […] April 4, 2025
Editor's Insight Economy Bahrain at a crossroads: Economic challenges loom The nodding donkeys in Awali, where oil was first discovered in the centre of Bahrain in 1932, are museum pieces now. The government is pushing for the surrounding oil settlement, an unreconstructed mid-twentieth century company town complete with cricket pitch, pub and church, to be listed by Unesco as a world heritage site. To the north […] March 28, 2025
Tax Bahrain approves environmental tax on companies Bahrain is to become the first country in the Arabian Gulf to introduce an environmental tax on companies as the island state struggles to rein in a growing budget deficit and bring government finances under control. The government of the region’s smallest nation by population has approved in principle a levy on carbon dioxide emissions […] March 26, 2025
Real Estate Bahrain struggles to fill existing office space as supply grows Bahrain is facing difficulty in filling its available office space even as the kingdom prepares for more supply. Demand for the space is “weak”, with limited interest from existing businesses and new entrants, commercial real estate services and investment provider CBRE said in a report. The Gulf state, the smallest by population in the six-member […] March 25, 2025
