BizBahrain Magazine Sep-Oct 2019_compressed

CONTENTS September - October 2019 

08 | Bahrain Maintains Status as 

Top Investor Destination 

Topping the list of Gulf countries with FDI inflows of $3.2 billion 

and $1.515 billion respectively are Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Bahrain’s 

6 percent increase on the previous year is significantly higher than 

the developing world average, and reflects the Kingdom’s 

competitiveness and attractiveness as an investment opportunity. 

FEATURES 

10 | Reverse Engineering to Future Proof Brands 

Interview with Aamir Shehzad 

Founder & CEO Spark Digitus & Tessellate 

16 | Creating a Platform for Women in Business 

Interview with Ahlam Janahi 

President, Bahrain Businesswomen’s Society 

18 | Preparations for BIDEC 2019 gathers Momentum 

Spotlight | BIDEC 2019 

20 | Bahrain Real Estate Market Trends - H1 2019 

Property Finder | Real Estate Analysis 

September-October 2019 

1

SECTORS 

MORE IN THIS ISSUE 

30 | Government: 

2 4th edition of the Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship 

2 The Sustainable Energy Centre releases annual report for 2018 

2 Forsati for Government 

2 iGA completes the transfer of Births & Deaths registration center 

2 NPRA new online booking service 

2 Latest baggage rules will improve efficiency at BIA 

34 | Banking & Finance: 

2 NBB first in Bahrain to start new initiatives 

2 KHCB launch ‘Flexi Home Finance’ 

2 Mobile Account opening through Face ID Authentication 

2 BBK to introduce a new electronic remittance service experience 

2 Bank ABC's introduces world's first Digital DNA Human 

2 Ithmaar Bank upgrading systems to further boost customer experience 

38 | Telecom: 

2 Additional frequency licenses to mobile operators 

2 Batelco offer entertainment content for customers with YuppTV 

2 Batelco mobile package ‘Mazeej’ 

2 Shop from Zain eShop 

2 Zain Fantasy League 

2 5G mobile data plans with Huawei Mate20X 

42 | Real Estate: 

2 Accor to debut Raffles brand in Bahrain 

2 Real estate Valuers to be regulated and licensed by RERA 

2 Mazaya mortgages with low down payments 

2 Mortgage financing for Burj Kadi project 

2 Consumer financing for Golden Gate 

2 Bilaj Al Jazair project 

46 | Technology: 

2 Introducing ‘IDENTITYX’ 

2 Modern Technology boosts Occupational Safety 

2 Blockchain Center of Excellence in Bahrain 

2 BCFC launched Sustainable Energy finance initiative in Bahrain 

2 Bahrain’s Al Jazira enhances operational efficiency with WMS 

2 Samsung’s Most Powerful Galaxy Note 

50 | Automotive: 

2 The new Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 4MATIC models 

2 The new BMW X6 

2 Hyundai Palisade 2020 

2 Nissan Altima 2.0-liter VCTurbo engine 

2 MG’s spacious new compact sedan 

2 Massive savings on JLR APPROVED pre-owned vehicles 

24 | Business Report | OBG 

26 | Expert Opinion | 

Information Technology 

28 | Integrated Security 

Solutions | G4S 

58 | Biz Dashboard 

60 | Tenderboard 

54 | Other Business: 

2 World's largest Underwater Theme Park ‘Dive Bahrain’ opens 

2 AWS Summit Bahrain 

2 KAIE adds FERM Power Tools to growing portfolio 

2 The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain launches The Arena 

2 Bahrain’s First fully dedicated Franchise service providers 

2 Carrefour open new Hypermarket in Jawad Dome 

2 September-October 2019

UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF 

HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS 

PRINCE KHALIFA BIN SALMAN AL KHALIFA 

PRIME MINISTER OF THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN 

2019 

19-23 

NOVEMBER 


The 28 th Middle East 

International Jewellery 

& Watch Exhibition 

Bahrain International 

Exhibition & Convention 

Centre 

ORGANISERS 

OFFICIAL CARD ACQUIRER 

AND MOBILE APP SPONSOR 

GENERAL SPONSOR 

VIP AND GENERAL SPONSOR 

www.jewelleryarabia.com 


3

CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE 

With the summer making its way out and the holidays behind us, there has 

been renewed energy in business circles again. A good time to take stock 

of the economic health of the country during the first half of the year. 

Topping the list of Gulf countries with FDI inflows of $1.5 billion, Bahrain’s 6 percent 

increase on the previous year is significantly higher than the developing world 

average, and reflects the Kingdom’s competitiveness as an investment prospect. 

The task of cutting out red tape and reducing bureaucracy remains high on the 

Kingdom’s agenda, and will no doubt further the expansion of important sectors. 

Our main feature throws further light on the resilience of Bahrain’s economy and 

highlights the increasing demand for foreign investment. 

It is encouraging that in a highly competitive market, Bahrain is driving digitization 

and has taken the initiative in areas such as fintech. Aamir Shehzad, a pioneer in 

the digital communications industry and an entrepreneur with a vision to provide 

groundbreaking projects in the industry, is our cover personality this issue. His 

brainchild, Spark Digitus, has been pushing the boundaries of digital marketing in 

the region with strong creative and technology arms. 

We are honoured also to feature in this issue, President of the Bahrain 

Businesswomen’s Society, Ahlam Janahi. She discusses the significance of the 

society’s contribution to Bahrain. Along with this come all the regular features from 

our brilliant contributors, and a round up of the happenings in Bahrain’s business 

world. 

I leave you now to enjoy another great issue. Make sure you visit our website for 

daily news updates and follow us on social media to stay in touch with Bahrain’s 

business community and news. 

Happy reading! 

Adel Al Safar 

Chairman 

Write to the Publisher: info@bizbahrain.com 


gulfair.com 

Maldives 

Non-stop flights starting 

26 th October 2019

THE TEAM 

Editor in Chief 

General Manager 

Designer 

Sales & Marketing 

Editorial Contributors 

Production and 

Layout 

Printed at 

Publisher 

In Association with 

Reena Abraham 

reena@bizbahrain.com 

Sameer Asif Butt 

sameer@bizbahrain.com 

Ashjad Azeez 

Sree Unni 

+973 3383 6777 bizbahrain 

Mohamed Isa, Dr. Jassim Haji, Heather Longden, 

Arafat Tehsin, J. Tate, Dr. Alex R. Suchy von Weissenfeld, 

Jose Paul Martin, Ali Al Aradi, Monsi Rabah 

Dar Akhbar Al Khaleej, Kingdom of Bahrain 

info@bizbahrain.com 

www.bizbahrain.com 

Read more on: www.bizbahrain.com 

The opinions and views contained in this publication by the journalists, writers and the interviewee are not necessarily those of the publishers. All efforts have been 

made to ensure accuracy of the information contained in this publication. However bizbahrain cannot accept legal responsibility for any error or omission. 


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Main Feature | Economy Review 

BAHRAIN MAINTAINS STATUS AS 

TOP INVESTOR DESTINATION 

by Reena Abraham 

The eagerly awaited annual 

World Investment Report 

(WIR) 2019, released by The 

UN Conference on Trade and 

Development (UNCTAD) stated that 

FDI across the world had dropped by 

13 percent in 2018 to $1.3 trillion. The 

report charts global investment flows, 

analyses of trade trends and examines 

government policies that seek to expand 

world trade. However interestingly, it 

also reported that developing countries 

witnessed an upswing of 2 percent. In 

total, the developing world received 54 

percent of global FDI flows, which the 

report labelled as record-breaking. 

The Middle East, and the West Asian 

sub-region of which it is a part, saw FDI 

inflows grow by 3 percent to reach $29 

billion, and outflows meanwhile, reached 

about $49 billion. These statistics mark 

the end of a nearly decade-long decline 

in inflows, indicating the region’s 

growing significance to foreign investors 

as well as the region’s ability to invest 

abroad. 

Topping the list of Gulf countries 

with FDI inflows of $3.2 billion and $1.515 

billion respectively are Saudi Arabia and 

Bahrain. Bahrain’s 6 percent increase on 

the previous year is significantly higher 

than the developing world average, and 

reflects the Kingdom’s competitiveness 

and attractiveness as an investment 

opportunity. Saudi Arabia accounted for 

the majority of FDI into Bahrain. 

Saudi Arabia accounted for the 

major segment of FDI into the Gulf. 

Non-oil trade between with Bahrain 

has flourished, growing by 11 percent 

from $2.7 billion in 2017 to $3 billion in 

2018, helped largely by the King Fahd 

causeway. Work on a second causeway 

is due to begin in 2021. Overall, the 

aggregate value of Bahrain’s non-oil 

exports rose by an annual 19.3 percent to 

over $2 billion during the first quarter of 

2019, Bahrain's exports to Saudi Arabia 


Main Feature | Economy Review 

ranked first with 24.2 percent of total 

non-oil exports. 

Indeed, Bahrain’s increased FDI 

inflows are in large part thanks to 

its close connection with KSA, the 

As reflected in WIR 2019, 

Bahrain’s economy is 

now more diversified 

and less reliant on 

hydrocarbon revenues. 

The additional foreign 

investment coming into 

Bahrain has boosted 

quality of life for the 

Kingdom’s citizens 

through increased 

growth and job 

opportunities. 

region’s largest market. WIR 2019 notes 

that increased interest in Bahrain’s 

manufacturing sector from major 

international companies such as 

Mondelez played a key role. The KSA 

market was undoubtedly a major driver 

for the company when it set ups base in 

Bahrain. Credit for bringing Mondelez 

and other international names to 

Bahrain must also go to the Bahrain 

Economic Development Board (EDB) 

and its strategic partners in the public 

and private sectors. As reflected in 

WIR 2019, Bahrain’s economy is now 

more diversified and less reliant on 

hydrocarbon revenues. The additional 

foreign investment coming into 

Bahrain has boosted quality of life 

for the Kingdom’s citizens through 

increased growth and job opportunities. 

The kingdom’s rich heritage as a 

trading nation, superior infrastructure 

connectivity and status as the gateway 

to the Mena region are attributes that 

undoubtedly play a part for overseas 

investors. 

The successful establishment of 

Bahrain’s Special Economic Zones 

(SEZ) is also a clear reflection of the 

Kingdom’s innovative approach. Chief 

amongst these are the region’s largest 

fintech hub, Bahrain FinTech Bay - a 

regulatory sandbox that allows start-ups 

and entrepreneurs to test new products 

and services. Also of significance is the 

Central Bank of Bahrain’s commitment 

to encourage new ways of working 

such as crypto-currencies for which it 

announced comprehensive regulations. 

At the launch of UNCTAD’s WIR 2019 

hosted by The Economic Development 

Board (EDB), previous Chief Executive 

Khalid Al Rumaihi said, 

“Foreign direct investment creates 

jobs, diversifies the economy and fuels 

growth, so we are delighted to see such 

strong momentum, even against a 

challenging global backdrop. 

“The UN report is yet another 

affirmation of Bahrain’s growing 

attractiveness to investors from around 

the world. We are increasingly becoming 

an attractive investment destination in 

the Middle East, thanks to our ability 

to offer a flexible, agile and highly 

competitive economy, that is not only 

diversified, but also sustainable in the 

long-term, 

"As overseas investment 

into Bahrain continues 

to grow, we must remain 

focused on what is 

attracting investors to 

the kingdom. Our ability 

to work collaboratively 

across public and 

private sectors to 

build a businessfriendly 

environment 

is the foundation to our 

economic success, and 

will continue to be the 

number one draw for 

entrepreneurs, startups 

and multinationals 

alike." 

Khalid Al Rumaihi 

“As overseas investment into 

Bahrain continues to grow, we must 

remain focused on what is attracting 

investors to the kingdom. Our ability 

to work collaboratively across public 

and private sectors to build a businessfriendly 

environment is the foundation 

to our economic success, and will 

continue to be the number one draw 

for entrepreneurs, start-ups and 

multinationals alike.” 

Bahrain has “undertaken a number 

of significant initiatives in the first half 

of this year to build on this success and 

we expect to announce a number of 

further measures in the coming months, 

helping investors to access the GCC 

opportunity.” 

Among prominent developments 

in 2018 has been the establishment of a 

$100 million Fund of Funds to help fund 

start-ups across the Middle East; and 

a growing number of companies using 

the Central Bank of Bahrain’s regulatory 

sandbox to develop new products and 

services. 


9

Interview | Aamir Shehzad 

Reverse 

Engineering to 

Future Proof Brands 

In the demanding corporate world, effective communication 

can mean the difference between sealing a deal and missing 

out on a potential opportunity. 

Bahrain-based digital marketing agency, 

Spark Digitus, has been pushing the 

boundaries ever since inception in 

2012. CEO Aamir Shehzad, well-known 

as a forward thinker with unbounded 

innovation capital, is a pioneer in 

the communications industry. As 

an entrepreneur, he established an 

innovation process within his tech and 

creative companies - “a future-proof 

methodology” - that empowers visionary 

organizations to be responsive in the face 

of future digital challenges. 

During the morning he spent with 

bizbahrain, he spoke about how he 

channels innovation and chooses where 

to expand, and as he talked a clear vision 

of the road map for Spark Digitus and its 

creative arm, Tessellate, emerged. 

For more than a decade now, Aamir 

Shehzad has been a proponent of 

building future-proof brands, advocating 

how to generate a cross-pollination 

structure which blends tech and creative, 

to empower visionary brands, elevate 

organisations and transform companies. 

The ‘master innovation artist’ as he is 

often referred to by fellows marketeers, 

has found the ultimate secret of his art: 

the key to any industry he chooses. 

“We are dreamers, doers and specialists 

in a creative environment that are 

pushing possibilities through technology 

and digital,” he says. 

Given Spark's evolution that is highly 

connected to Shehzad’s personal 

background and growth, the agency is 

currently moving both vertically and 

horizontally, each direction portending 

more disruption. The expansion rationale 

comes from a super-lucky or uncanny 

confluence - an ability to look back from 

the future to the client’s needs. 

“We are the experts of the future. From 

my first day as a designer, I have chosen 

to look at the market from a different 

angle. If you position yourself as a leader 

at the top of your game and oversee years 

before the present moment and you start 

working “backwards” from there, it all 

becomes obvious. With this reversed 

engineering in mind, you can visualize 

a different reality. Therefore, brand 

limitations and market limitations are 

not an issue anymore.” 

Aamir Shehzad 

10 September-October 2019 

Founder & CEO Spark Digitus & Tessellate


11


At this moment, SparkDigitus and 

Tesselate together have capabilities to 

put their finger into any vertical, while 

Banking, Telecom and Government being 

their core target. "We grow according 

to our vision. We want to get better, not 

necessarily bigger. “Quality” is in our DNA 

or, in the wise words of Aristotle, we are 

what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is 

not an act, but a habit". 

Please brief us about your career journey 

and the vision with which SparkDigitus 

was set up? 

I am a firm believer in creating your 

own success. As a self taught man, 

curiosity and learning were - and still 

are - crucial aspects of my evolution. I 

fell in love with my destiny in 2006 and 

the episode is pretty much like in that 

famous Einstein quote: 

“The important thing is not to stop 

questioning. Curiosity has its own 

reason for existing. One cannot help 

but be in awe when he contemplates 

the mysteries of eternity, of life, of 

the marvelous structure of reality. 

It is enough if one tries merely to 

comprehend a little of this mystery 

every day.” 

Rewinding a little, early in my life 

I had glimpses of what awaits beyond 

the design board. My training within 

the industry began actually in 2004, 

but my “official” career began in 2006 

in a Bahrain-based agency, Vahid 

Associates, pioneering from the first 

day on their first ever animation project. 

During the next few years at Vahid, 

I was mentored to cut above the rest 

as a designer. The following job roles 

unleashed and polished the talent and 

paved the way for my future role as a 

founder of Spark Digitus. 

I spent a lot of time during those 

early years, after work, learning 

and understanding new softwares, 

technologies, and design. For me the one 

motivating factor was to improve and to 

constantly do better. This attitude has 

been ever since one of my main drivers. 

When I look back now, I think there were 

several areas where I was a pioneer for 

which I can proudly claim to have been 

among the first in Bahrain. 

Working with Vahid Associates, we 

created the first digital annual reports 

for Batelco in 2006, and won the Bahrain 

eGovernment award for that. Back then, 

there were very few people who had an 

understanding of digital or who were 

driving their business towards digital. 

Those early years were crucial. My 

mentorship with Vahid was paramount 

because I learned there to exercise my 

eye for details, the eloquent speech, 

the immaculate content delivery. Soon 

there was recognition. People were 

talking about my zeal and anticipation 

of content needs. The reputation as a 

creative fountainhead soon followed. 

In 2011, I started a company called 

Auriga in partnership and evolving from 

there we started Spark Digitus the next 

year. By this time, of course, I had a clear 

idea of what I wanted to do. 

There are many agencies that 

started at that time and have not 

survived, but one of the things that 

sets us apart and which I believe is 

the reason we are still here, is that we 

always believed that the work we do 

must be of international standards and 

we have tried to maintain that. 

There are many others who do that, but 

what makes you different? 

We are forward thinkers and 

innovators. We are very selective with 

our work because we cannot accept 

anything but excellence. Excellence 

takes time, friction, discovery but the 

results are propelling our clients beyond 

any expectations. I can say that we are 

partners in vision. 

At this moment we have the 

capabilities to tap any market, any 

industry, any challenge. But I believe in 

focus in terms of the target audience, we 

have our core areas of specialization - 

Financial, Telecom and Government. 

We understand the requirement 

of our clients from the top of their 

potential, imagining their industry ten 

or maybe twenty years ahead. 

“How do you create value for vision?” 

is what we ask ourselves. 

We are very much “customer first” 

in our outlook: the simplest and the 

most engaging experiences for the most 

complex challenges. I have established 

at Spark Digitus and Tessellate an 

innovation process, a sort of “futureproof 

reversed engineering” where we 

focus on customer needs but we look 

at them from a future perspective. We 

leverage the uncertainty around clients’ 

preferences and bring business-clarity 

using our keen core for technology, 

user experience and our out-of-the-box 

creativity. 

The process actually mirrors my 

two companies - Spark Digitus, the 

tech body, and Tessellate, the creative 

heart. By understanding their business, 

we have helped our clients achieve 

their goals. 

To dive in deeper, one of our major 

strengths is our understanding of user 

experience. This has helped us when we 

worked with some of the biggest names 

in the region. Amongst others, some of 

the companies we have worked with 

are STC, Riyad Bank, Ithmaar Bank, Al 

Faisaliah Group KSA, TRA, Zain, EDB 

and Batelco to name a few. 

In Saudi and Bahrain, for example, 

we always find ourselves pitching 

along the top players and these are 

“those” moments when you have to pull 

out the big guns. We pour our passion 

into the smallest detail and it works 

every single time. 

So, I would say, we have created a 

space that carries both - uniqueness 

and a standard of excellence - we have 

a style that is our own which cannot be 

replicated. 

We approach solutions by defining 

the proper user journey. It helps us 

define a direction as to how we can 

design an outstanding experience. 

We ended up redefining workplaces 

in complex Sharepoint projects. We 

provided highly customised content 

through our websites and mobile apps. 

We designed highly targeted marketing 

campaigns and lead generation 

campaigns that exceeded expectations. 

For this unconstrained era, the most 

important feature for your digital annual 

report is to “honor your leadership”. 

To give our clients (and our 

clients’ clients) the very best possible 

experiences, we leverage our star-focus 

in UX and the skills of an incredibly 

diverse, remarkably talented group of 

awarded creatives and portray your 

achievements and major milestones in 

striking visual stories. 

We are ahead of our time and create 

unique futuristic experiences with a 

keen eye focused on what to innovate 

and to create our unique path. 


I have established at Spark 

Digitus and Tessellate an 

innovation process, a sort 

of “future-proof reversed 

engineering” where we 

focus on customer needs 

but we look at them from a 

future perspective. 


13


What exactly is meant by digitization 

and why are businesses experiencing 

digital transformation? 

Digital transformation is the 

integration of digital technology into 

all areas of a business, resulting in 

fundamental changes in how a business 

operates and the value they deliver to 

their customers. Put simply, it’s about 

changing the way a business interacts 

with its customers and how they provide 

their customers with a consistent 

experience whenever and wherever 

they need it. Digital transformation 

is forcing companies to change their 

business models and adapt to the new 

market reality. 

What’s interesting about this is that 

it’s not the companies that are driving 

this change. Instead, this change is being 

driven by the customer. Today, customers 

expect relevant content in relation to what 

they’re doing anytime, anywhere and 

in the format and on the device of their 

choosing. It’s their journey that dictates 

your strategy. 

In order to keep up with this new 

kind of “always-connected” customer, 

your business must embrace technology 

to deliver an unmatched customer 

experience. Fortunately, putting the 

customer first is already at the center of 

many organizations strategy. 

Tell us a little more about how the two 

aspects of creativity and technology 

work in a symbiotic relationship to 

serve the client. 

A creative approach to problem 

solving is what helps us reach a solution 

- it provides us with a fresh perspective. 

Recent technological advances are 

helping us to innovate not only against 

the brief we’ve been set by clients, but also 

against the client themselves - changing 

the way their brand works entirely. 

It was the appreciation of the 

significant importance of creativity and 

design that lead us to establish Tessellate, 

a branding and design agency which has 

become a creative arm for Spark Digitus. 

Our passion for creativity and deep 

knowledge of the digital has given us an 

edge to create the brands of the future. 

The institutions that excel today are 

those that integrate imagination and 

problem solving, exploration and deep 

expertise. Steve Jobs said it perfectly, 

“The best way to create value in the 21st 

century is to connect creativity with 

technology.” 

If digitization is a fundamental 

requirement for marketing and PR, what 

are the main roadblocks to understanding 

it for your customers or prospects? 

The objective of using data to drive 

marketing is to learn more about your 

audiences and acquire new leads using 

historical and real-time data and integrate 

this data across multiple platforms to 

have consistency with your marketing. 

The issue that is making it complicated 

for digital marketing is that brands are 

not spending enough time using data to 

identify audiences. We need to look at 

more than just past performance metrics 

to determine strategies but also look at 

predictive data and develop personas to 

personalize towards. 

By identifying your organization’s 

overall goals and objectives, you then 

work backward. What are the main 

KPIs and what data would be helpful in 

getting there? Ensure that the goals are 

not just for marketing but aligned with 

the overall goals of the organization from 

stakeholders to sales. 

This means breaking down your 

silos from marketing, financial, customer 

service, and other initiatives to see 

the bigger picture. There needs to be 

a single view of how an organization 

would describe their customer and their 

measurement for ROI to make data-driven 

strategies a success. 

We grow according to our 

vision. We want to get 

bigger and better with the 

focus on “Quality” which is in 

our DNA. In the wise 

words of Aristotle, we are 

what we repeatedly do. 

Excellence, then, is not an 

act, but a habit. 

In your opinion, what are the digital 

marketing strategies that bring the best 

ROI to business? 

In the long term, brand awareness 

and persuasion through dozens of 

touchpoints is an increasingly important 

factor to consider in your overall digital 

marketing ROI. However, brand awareness 

and perception shifts in the long term 

can be a bit tricky to measure. This fact 

increases the importance of determining 

your financial ROI figures and building a 

system to track them. 

The strategies which are focused on 

a single side of digital marketing ROI will 

only give you results in a short term. It’s 

important to consider both the short-term 

and long-term benefits, the immediate 

financial return, and the long-term effects 

of positive awareness generation and LTV. 

Every company and marketing 

decision you make should be determined 

by data. The marketing world should no 

longer accept spray and pray approach. 

You have the ability to determine 

exactly what’s working and what needs 

improvement. You need to be testing 

constantly. There is an extraordinary 

plethora of tactics, platforms, tools, and 

dashboards at your disposal. Utilize them 

to your advantage. 

To achieve success, companies 

must step back in their journeys toward 

digital proficiency. Digital, of course, 

doesn’t operate within a vacuum, 

and therefore should become an 

integral element of marketers’ overall 

marketing strategies and budgets. 

Companies must approach their digital 

marketing strategies in the same 

manner as all others in order to create 

the seamless omni-channel experience 

customers have come to expect. 

That entails starting with structured 

thinking about a digital strategy’s 

objectives, necessary infrastructure, 

and measurements. Afterall, digital is 

the most effective way to measure your 

marketing performance too. 

In what ways can digital communication 

improve relationships with customers? 

When you think about it, 

the relationship between digital 

communication and customer experience 

is co-related. Your customers want to be 

able to interact with your business on 

the device and channel of their choice. 

In the digital realm, you might think that 

means your website or your app, but do 

consumers really feel that you're building 

a relationship with them by simply 

visiting your site or launching an app? 

Probably not. It's important to remember 

you can’t build a relationship in silence. 



Ideally, organizations should try to 

reach their customers across multiple 

touch points and frequently enough to 

prevent opening a door to the competition. 

In order for this to happen, the business 

must speak with a single voice. That’s 

not always easy to get right, especially 

in large corporations where different 

departments may have very different 

views on customer communication. 

However, perhaps more importantly, those 

departments need to have a consolidated 

view of their customers. This goes a 

long way to ensuring that customers 

only receive messaging that’s 

contextual and relevant. 

In your opinion what is the most lasting 

trend that is likely to continue to shape 

public experience and perception? 

In delivering personalized content 

experiences, marketers have successfully 

implemented AI capabilities, including 

Machine Learning, into previously 

manual operations such as search 

engines. Google Now and Apple’s voice 

assistant Siri are only two famous 

examples of this advanced technology. 

As the technology gradually becomes 

more mainstream, Artificial Intelligence 

is also making inroads into fields such 

as finance and retail. The banking sector 

for one, has openly embraced AI, making 

it part of its customer-facing processes, 

and using it to design unique machinebased 

intelligent assistants to address 

customers' frequently asked questions 

and banking needs. AI has also impacted 

retail since customers are now looking 

for more personalized online and offline 

shopping experiences. 

With AI solutions, we know exactly 

what consumers are thinking, saying, 

and feeling about the brand in real time. 

Similarly, with the onslaught of social 

media available (and the AI to analyze it), 

we can understand what customers are 

feeling. It gives us the ability to harness 

this data in real-time and then quickly 

modify messaging or branding for 

maximum effectiveness. 

With AI solutions, we know 

exactly what consumers are 

thinking, saying, and feeling 

about the brand in real time. 

Do you think Bahrain has the ability to 

drive digitization in the region? 

The Government of Bahrain 

has taken up the challenge and has 

approached it with energy and initiative, 

and consequently we have seen an 

entire startup eco system emerge. I 

believe Bahrain is on the right track and 

supported by the several governmental 

bodies and institutions which will surely 

result in more innovation discovery. We 

can see the direct impact of this in the 

rise of FDI into the country, and now 

other countries in the region are picking 

up on the trend. We are the first to adopt 

5G in the region, to have Amazon World 

Service (AWS) headquartered here, as 

well as conduct the hugely prestigious 

AWS Summit. 

I am proud that Bahrain has taken 

the lead and shown its ability to drive 

digitization. One of my firsthand 

experiences was working with TRA 

Bahrain. What they have done in 

Bahrain putting in place policies, such 

as consumer rights, give you security 

and freedom - privileges which not many 

countries in this region enjoy. 

What’s next for you and for Spark Digitus 

and Tessellate? 

I always think about where I was, 

where I am today and where I want to 

go. This year has been great for us with 

the start of the new company, Tessellate. 

Besides that, we are doing a lot of large 

branding projects in Saudi Arabia. It is 

probably the biggest market and they 

have a vision and a direction and they are 

really pushing for digitization. 

But, in all honesty, the entire region 

- Bahrain - KSA - Oman - is thirsty for 

growth and transformation. Constantly 

evolving and forever expanding, home to 

optimism, energy and power, blazing a 

profound transformation trail, positioned, 

as we speak, at this digital frontier that 

excites my pioneering heart. 

I believe it is the right time to be 

in this particular expanded market, 

especially with this creative duo we have 

established: Spark Digitus -Tessellate. The 

creative process - the tessellation, how 

I often call it, is taking place in a higher 

dimension but it needs the mathematical 

precision of technology as a guarantee for 

building future proof brands. 

Our clients were fantastic in picking 

this up. We already have a small team 

in KSA, but we are planning to open 

a full-fledged office and have a bigger 

team there. And replicate the process in 

Oman as well. We are planning to open 

the world step by step. 

This is only the beginning. 

Four W3 Awards for 

Batelco Digital Annual Report 

Two W3 Awards for 

Ithmaar Bank Website 

Communication Award 

for TRA Digital Annual 

Report 

Innovation and excellence recognised with a number of Accolades and Awards through the years. 

Two Summit International 

Award For EDB Digital 

Annual Report 


15

Interview | Ahlam Janahi 

CREATING 

A PLATFORM FOR 

WOMEN 

IN BUSINESS 

Ahlam Janahi 

President, Bahrain Businesswomen’s Society 


President of the Bahrain 

Businesswomen’s Society, Ahlam 

Janahi needs no introduction. As 

Managing Director and Owner of 

Bahrain Horizon, My Bakery and 

Managing Partner of Gate Trading WLL and 

Damasquinos Trading, she wears many hats. 

As the President of the Bahrain 

Businesswomen’s Society, she has held the 

position between 2012-2016 and is in again 

for a second stint. She has also been Board 

member at BCCI, Founder and member of the 

Inner Wheel Club Bahrain since 1999-2001, 

and Member of Election Committee. With 

her energy and creative vision, she has 

brought about many progressive changes to 

the community, and won many international 

and national awards for her initiatives. 

Back in the spotlight in her second 

round as President of the Bahrain 

Businesswomen’s Society, Ahlam Janahi 

shares her insights about the role of the 

Society and what young entrepreneurs need 

to keep in mind when running a business. 

As the Bahrain Business Women’s Society 

celebrates its 19th Anniversary in 2019, what 

is your vision for BBWS as President? 

The vision of Bahrain Businesswomen’s 

Society is to be a globally sustainable, 

innovative and recognized network 

organization resulting positive change in 

the society and contributing to the entire 

economy of Bahrain. 

How has BBWS helped women business 

leaders and entrepreneurs so far? 

Bahrain Businesswomen’s Society 

(BBWS) is dedicated to supporting the career 

progression and success of all women in the 

business landscape. BBWS helps to promote 

its members’ businesses and empower 

female entrepreneurs with best practices 

that adequately support and position them 

in today’s competitive business world. Over 

many years, BBWS has connected women in 

the business community by hosting valueadded 

events, conferences and seminars, 

and by collaborating with strategic partners. 

What are some of the upcoming programs 

initiated and planned by BBWS? 

"World Entrepreneurship Conference" in 

collaboration with UNIDO will be in October 

2019 and "Business Entrepreneurship" 

in November 2019. BBWS will also create 

an incubator business center for Bahrain 

Businesswomen’s Society members to 

sustain their business and work with 

accelerators to support growing businesses. 

There will be the 3rd edition of the B2B 

International Businesswomen’s Exhibition & 

Forum and different workshops and events 

organized by BBWS committees. 

For you personally as an entrepreneur, what 

are some of your new business ventures? 

Since year 2009, I studied the market 

and opened my own Business (My 

Bakery), providing Lebanese bread and 

oriental Pastries, which is currently one 

of the leading bakeries in the kingdom of 

Bahrain that delivers delicious bread and 

offers a great service to its clients with 

professionalism. 

Recently I have also set up “The Event 

Makers”, in partnership with International 

event designers, which is an events 

management company. 

What is your advice for young business 

entrepreneurs in Bahrain? 

My advice is that every entrepreneur has 

to confront obstacles and challenges in their 

journey. Undoubtedly, a single mistake can 

turn into a failure. But the true failure is the 

one that occurs when nothing was learnt 

or changed after the previous mistake. 

Learning from your own mistakes is of the 

utmost importance if you intend to become 

successful. 

Consider each new mistake as an 

opportunity to learn something and gain 

experience. Use them to find out the best 

possible solutions to future dilemmas, 

and try to avoid errors whenever possible. 

Once you gain enough experience, you’ll 

positively understand the perspective of 

momentary failures, and you’ll make sure 

that they do not occur in the future. 

Act today to feel motivated and inspired. 

If one approach is not working, then shift to 

another. Just don’t stop - Keep trying. 


17


PREPARATIONS 

FOR BIDEC 2019 

GATHERS 

MOMENTUM 

Keen interest for the Bahrain International 

Defence Exhibition & Conference (BIDEC) 

scheduled for 28-30 October 2019 has begun 

to build as major international defence and 

security organisations join forces to support what has 

been hailed as one of the most strategic events of its kind 

in the region. Held under the patronage of His Majesty 

King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, HH Brigadier Shaikh 

Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Commander of Bahrain 

Royal Guard and Chairman of BIDEC 2019 has been the 

force behind the success of the event. Fully supported by 

Bahrain Defence Force, BIDEC 2019 will have continued 

government support from all functions, including 

specially selected committees within the BDF, Naval 

Force, Air Force, Royal Guard, National Guard and other 

government divisions. 



H.H. Brigadier Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa 

Commander of Bahrain Royal Guard and Chairman of BIDEC 

His Highness Shaikh Nasser 

expressed his support and enthusiasm 

saying, "We are proud to host one 

of the most comprehensive defence 

exhibitions in the region. We are 

especially proud that Lockheed 

Martin continue to demonstrate their 

support to the Kingdom of Bahrain 

by becoming a main sponsor of the 

event. A global event of this stature 

is not easy to pull together but we 

look forward to not just replicating 

the success of 2017 but taking it 

several steps further to make it an unmissable 

event. We also look forward 

to initiating important partnerships 

and the transfer of ideas, technology 

and developments in this vital area at 

BIDEC 2019. " 

The Middle East Military 

Technology Conference (MEMTEC) will 

also be held alongside the main event, 

and will discuss matters including the 

current status and future of military 

technology, cyber defence 

strategies, the impact of 

artificial intelligence on 

the functions of armed 

forces, the use of military 

technology to develop 

simulation models of war, 

the impact of military 

technology on regional 

conflicts, and the future 

of military industries in 

Middle East. MEMTEC 

aims to showcase how 

global developments 

and advancements in 

the defence sector will 

reshape conflicts in the 

Middle East. Once again, 

the Bahrain Center for 

Strategic, International 

and Energy Studies 

(DERASAT) is the 

Knowledge Partner for 

the Conference. 

H.E. Dr Shaikh 

Abdulla bin Ahmed Al 

Khalifa, Chairman of 

MEMTEC and Chairman 

of DERASAT, spoke 

about the importance of 

using technology to find 

solutions 

and create 

closer ties, “Bahrain is 

a force for peace and 

global understanding. We 

have understood well the 

importance of military 

alliances to establish 

security and stability in 

the world in cooperation 

with friendly countries. 

The importance of 

military technology 

in the development of 

armed forces and in 

responding to threats to 

national security as well 

as its role in minimising 

post-conflict impact is 

undoubted. MEMTEC will 

examine the challenges 

facing this technology.” 

BIDEC 2019 will once 

again be organised 

by Clarion Events, the 

largest organiser of defence and 

security events in the world and 

Faalyat, a Bahrain-based events 

agency. BIDEC 2019 offers exhibiting 

companies the opportunity to 

demonstrate hardware and equipment, 

and to be seen on a high profile, 

international stage. The high level 

conference on the sidelines of BIDEC 

has proven to be a powerful platform 

to hear key decision makers from the 

government, military and defence 

sectors, giving unprecedented 

opportunities to discuss innovations, 

solutions and areas of collaboration. 

Over 200 exhibiting companies 

are expected to attend in the 2019 

show and over 10,000 guests are 

expected to visit over the course 

of the three-day event. Off-Site 

Activities are planned across Bahrain, 

including Shooting Displays, Military 

Vehicle Demonstrations, Parachute 

Demonstrations and Warship Displays. 

All will be available to attend via 

shuttle buses from the exhibition 

centre. 

H.E. Dr Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa 

Chairman of MEMTEC and Chairman of DERASAT 


19


BAHRAIN REAL ESTATE 

MARKET TRENDS - H1 2019 

by Property Finder 

Property Trends 

The Bahrain real estate market 

has witnessed in full the effect of the 

changes that have taken place over 

the past few years in the country. This 

includes the implementation of RERA 

and the regulations that it is bringing 

into the market, as well as some stability 

in prices. Naturally, this has led to more 

investments, especially from Saudi 

Arabia, and more interest in purchasing 

properties across the Kingdom, which 

has rejuvenated the sales market. This 

is partially due to the regulations that 

RERA has put forth, which have made 

investors more comfortable with the 

market’s growth and transition, as well 

as finding the opportunity for fairer price 

margins. 

There have been some changes to 

the most popular areas in the country, 

especially when it comes to finding 

apartments for rent, as the country’s 

offerings continue to expand and grow. 

Manama has now taken over the top 

searched spot, accounting for 24.5 

percent of searches between January 

and May of 2019. This is mainly due to the 

number of new properties that are going 

into handover in the area, especially as 

they are modern homes that renters tend 

to look for. Al Juffair remains the top 

searched area for those looking to invest 

in apartments for sale, with the area 

offering units at sensible prices. 

When it comes to villas, Saar 

dominates the top spot for both rentals 

and units for sale, with 33.2 percent and 

17 percent of the number of searches 

respectively between January and May 

of 2019. 

Prices across all four Governorates 

in Bahrain have seen a drop, which is 

most likely due to the natural course 

the market is taking, as well as pricing 

regulations that RERA has put in place. 

Most significantly, prices for apartments 

for sale in the Southern Governorate have 

dropped 15.6 percent when comparing 

July - December 2018 to January - June 

2019. When it comes to villas for sale 

in the same Governorate, a decrease of 

3.5 percent was recorded for the same 

timeframe. The same trend can be seen 

across the rest of the Governorates, but 

with less of a sharp decline. The Capital 

Governorate recorded a five percent drop 

in apartment rent, which is also likely 

due to an influx of new properties in the 

area, as well as an 8.6 percent decrease 

for villa rents. Apartment rents in the 

Muharraq Governorate also decreased by 

6.9 percent between July - December 2018 

and January - June 2019. 



PROPERTIES FOR RENT: 

Apartments: 

A decrease in price is the general 

trajectory recorded for apartment rents 

in the country, with only a few areas 

recording an increase. 

Most significantly, rents increased in 

Um Al Hasam as newer units and most 

significant d9 was recorded in Galali) and 

Hoora. 

VILLAS FOR RENT: 

Prices have been on an overall 

declining trajectory from January – June 

2019. Most significantly, villa rentals in 

Mahooz and Adliya. 

The only location to record a 

noteworthy price increase is Muharraq. 

Both Sanad and Budaiya have seen 

a minor increase in rents. This is a 

testament to the market shift of offering 

more affordable. 


Declining prices were recorded across 

the board for all areas in Bahrain when 

it comes to finding villas for sale. This 

is not surprising as many are adjusting 

their prices due to regulations from RERA, 

a more stable and transparent market, 

and in order to meet the current market 

demand. 

Muharraq and Shakhura has recorded 

the most significant drop in price. 

PROPERTIES FOR SALE: 

Apartments: 

Once again, a decline in prices has been recorded for most areas 

offering apartments for sale, with only a few exceptions. Bahrain Bay and 

Marassi Al Bahrain, two areas which have been instrumental in reviving 

the sales market, continue to attract the attention of investors and private 

owners, especially because these areas and developments offer new and 

modern properties for sale. 

A decrease in prices was recorded for most other areas, with Manama 

and Amwaj Island recording the most significant change when comparing 

July-December 2018 and January-June 2019. 


21


MOST POPULAR AREAS 

APARTMENTS FOR RENT: 

APARTMENTS FOR SALE: 

Al Juffair 

25.9% 

29.6% 

22.5% 

Al Juffair 

29% 

28.7% 

21.8% 

Manama 

17.3% 

12.6% 

25% 

Seef 

12.5% 

15% 

15.4% 

Seef 

11% 

13.7% 

9.9% 

Al Hidd 

11.4% 

5.3% 

8.3% 

Amwaj Islands 

10.5% 

18.7% 

12.1% 

Amwaj Islands 

11.3% 

15.8% 

15.9% 

Al Hidd 

Al Riffa 

Saar 

6.7% 

3.1% 

4.5% 

6.1% 

0.4% 

4.4% 

3.7% 

4.7% 

5.4% 

Variable 

% Searches 

% Total Listings 

% Total Leads 

Manama 

Dilmunia Island 

Reef Island 

6.1% 

5.5% 

6.6% 

4.7% 

5.4% 

5.6% 

3.8% 

6.6% 

7.2% 

Variable 

% Searches 


% Total Leads 

Busaiteen 

3.7% 

1.9% 

3.1% 

Bahrain Bay 

2.8% 

2.8% 

2.8% 

Janabiya 

2.8% 

2.2% 

2.9% 

Sanad 

2.7% 

0.8% 

0.9% 

Tubli 

2.3% 

0.9% 

1.6% 

Busaiteen 

2.6% 

2.3% 

3.2% 


0% 10% 20% 30% 

Value 

VILLAS FOR SALE: 

0% 10% 20% 30% 

Value 

Saar 

32.6% 

31.2% 

34% 

Saar 

19% 

16.9% 

18% 

Manama 

8.3% 

6.4% 

10% 

Diyar Al Muharraq 

13.4% 

11.5% 

14.6% 

Amwaj Islands 

7.8% 

9.9% 

12% 

Al Riffa 

11.8% 

10.9% 

16.7% 

Janabiya 

7.4% 

14.8% 

8.7% 

Amwaj Islands 

9.2% 

11.9% 

17.8% 

Al Riffa 

Hamala 

Al Juffair 

6.5% 

2.3% 

6.0% 

4.8% 

11.7% 

6.9% 

3.2% 

3% 

4.9% 

Variable 

% Searches 


% Total Leads 

Hamala 

Durrat Al Bahrain 

Hamad Town 

6.4% 

3.8% 

4.7% 

5.2% 

6.6% 

5.7% 

3.3% 

2.5% 

2.5% 

Variable 

% Searches 


% Total Leads 

Durrat Al Bahrain 

3.2% 

0.3% 

0.9% 

Sanad 

2.9% 

4.3% 

3.1% 

Al Hidd 

2.8% 

1.7% 

1.9% 

Janabiya 

2.6% 

3.3% 

4.4% 

Barbar 

2.3% 

3% 

1% 

Bu Quwah 

2.1% 

4% 

1.5% 

0% 10% 20% 30% 

Value 

AFFORDABLE SNIPPETS 

APARTMENTS FOR RENT (Monthly Rate) 

Top 10 most affordable areas for residential apartment rentals in Bahrain: 

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 

Value 

VILLAS FOR RENT (Monthly Rate) 

Top 5 most affordable areas for residential villa 

rentals in Bahrain: 

Ras Rumman Riffa Al 

Gufool 

Bu Kowarah Bu Ghazal 

Bu Kowarah Al Burhama Wahat Al 

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 

Sharqi 

Muharraq 

Average price: 

BHD 240 


BHD 300 


BHD 306 


BHD 325 


BHD 326 


BHD 450 


BHD 688 


BHD 718 

6 

Gudaibiya 

7 

Salmaniya 

8 

Tubli 

9 

Al Burhama 

10 

Exhibition 

Road 

4 

Gufool 

5 

Salmaniya 


BHD 351 


BHD 359 


BHD 365 


BHD 384 


BHD 393 


BHD 750 


BHD 769 


THE AVENUES BAHRAIN 

06 07 08 09 NOVEMBER 

Bahrain’s #1 Property Mall Event 

The dedicated boutique event for developments 

in Bahrain, regional and international real estate. 

gulfpropertyshow.net 

#gulfpropertyshow 

+973 17 299 123 

Strategic Sponsors 

Contracting Partner 

Venue Supporting Organisation Organiser 


23

Business Report | OBG 

Will Bahrain’s Infrastructure 

Drive Pay Off? 

Bahrain has unveiled a series of 

new infrastructure initiatives in 

a bid to bolster current transport 

capacity and fuel the country’s wider 

economic growth. 

On June 24 Bahrain’s Ministry of 

Works launched stage one of the $62m 

Sheikh Zayed Highway extension. 

The development, to be carried out 

by the UAE’s Western Bainoona Group 

and financed by the Gulf Development 

Fund, will help reduce congestion 

along the route by increasing the road’s 

capacity from 50,000 to 80,000 vehicles 

per day. 

The announcement came a week 

after the news that road works for 

two separate projects, the Budaiya 

and Janabiya Highways, are expected 

to start later this year, following a 

five-year delay. The projects will cost 

$80m and will improve connections in 

Bahrain’s north-west. 

These developments form part of 

Bahrain’s recent infrastructure drive, 

with six new developments worth 

BD44m ($117m), among them a major 


Business Report | OBG 

sewage project, announced in April 

and May, followed by the inauguration 

in mid-June of a 12-km, 220-KV power 

line between the country’s northern 

Seef District and Prince Salman City in 

the north-west. 

The line will help increase power 

supply between key industrial and 

residential areas, and forms part of a 

broader $1.2bn power infrastructure 

plan that foresees the construction of 

15 220-KV substations and 48 66-KV 

substations. 

Projects central to long-term 

economic plan 

The launch and inauguration of 

these projects aligns with government 

efforts to place infrastructure 

development at the centre of long-term 

growth. 

With the kingdom looking to 

diversify its economy away from 

hydrocarbons revenue as part of the 

country’s development plan, Bahrain 

Economic Vision 2030, new projects 

are expected to provide significant 

investment and employment 

opportunities. 

Bahrain has outlined a $32.5bn 

infrastructure pipeline, which consists 

of developments in transport, mixeduse 

real estate, manufacturing, tourism 

and health care. 

Major projects include the $1.1bn 

modernisation of Bahrain International 

Airport and the construction of a 

second causeway linking the country 

to Saudi Arabia. 

The pipeline will be financed by a 

combination of $10bn in government 

funding, $7.5bn in assistance from 

regional partners Saudi Arabia, the 

UAE and Kuwait through the Gulf 

Development Fund, and $15bn from the 

private sector. 

In a positive sign for Bahrain and 

its attractiveness as an investment 

destination, foreign direct investment 

increased by 6% last year to $1.5bn, 

according to the UN’s “World 

Investment Report 2019”, with the 

largest slice of private investment 

coming from Saudi Arabia, at $745m. 

Meanwhile, the infrastructure 

focus has translated into significant 

growth in construction. According to 

the Ministry of Finance and National 

Economy, the sector, which makes up 

7.3% of GDP, expanded by 5.6% last year. 

This was far higher than the 

broader non-oil sector’s 2.5% growth 

and the 1.7% increase recorded by the 

sector in 2017. 

Growth prospects look strong amid 

fiscal overhaul 

The expansion of the construction 

sector and plan to use infrastructure 

development as a key driver of growth 

has been underpinned by a positive 

performance in the broader economy. 

According to data published by 

the Information and eGovernment 

Authority, GDP expanded by 2.7% yearon-year 

in the first quarter of 2019, 

consisting of a 9.2% increase in the oil 

sector and a 1.2% rise in non-oil GDP. 

The figures, which are above last 

year’s full-year growth rate of 1.8%, 

are the first economic indicators to be 

released since the kingdom approved 

the details of its 2019 and 2020 budgets 

in late February. 

The fiscal overhaul includes a 

series of spending cuts, revenueraising 

measures, such as the 

introduction of a 5% value-added tax on 

January 1, and funding from regional 

partners. It is designed to slash the 

country’s deficit - calculated at 11.7% of 

GDP last year - and return the budget to 

surplus by 2022. 

Despite the efforts to tighten public 

spending, outlays for investment 

projects were maintained over the twoyear 

budgetary cycle at $1.8bn per year. 

The approach appears to have been 

received well internationally, with 

ratings agency S&P Global predicting 

average annual growth of 2.4% through 

to 2022. 

Oxford Business Group (OBG) is a global 

publishing, research and consultancy 

firm which publishes economic intelligence 

on the markets of the Middle 

East, Africa, Asia and Latin America. In 

print and online, the critically acclaimed 

economic and business reports have 

become the leading source of business 

intelligence on developing countries in 

the regions they cover. OBG's monthly 

economic updates provide up-to-date, 

in-depth analysis on the issues that matter 

for tens of thousands of subscribers 

worldwide. OBG has been in Bahrain for 

13 years and has recently published The 

Report: Bahrain 2019. 

For more information, visit www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com 

or call us in Bahrain 

at 1715 1582. 


25

Expert Opinion | Information Technology 

How adaptive 

Technology is Helping 

Humanity 

by Dr. Jassim Haji 

I 

was taking part as a judge 

representing Artificial Intelligence 

Society for the young Bahraini 

innovators from various universities 

and I was amazed by number of projects 

touched-upon disability and humanity. 

Moreover, we are witnessing one of 

the largest ‘Technology in Humanity’ 

conferences in the region in Bahrain 

during November which is labelled as 

Insani-Tech 4.0. However let us learn 

more on how Artificial Intelligence is 

helping people with disabilities. 

Adaptive technology is still a newer 

term, medically speaking, however 

assistive technology and devices have 

been around long before AI technology 

began to incorporate itself. Canes and 

wheelchairs, for example, have a long 

history and are still extremely relevant 

today. Current technological trends have 

increasingly become a new favorite 

among those needing specialized 

devices due to disabilities. While some 

artificially intelligent technology is still 

fairly new the potential is all there. 

Below are the different strides being 

made in order to help AI aid those with 

disabilities. 

Robot Caregivers 

Theoretically speaking, robots 

could work around the clock to care 

for an individual without getting 

“tired” or needing a break. This is why 

breakthroughs for AI technology are 

gaining traction. In the last few years, 

Honda created a robot called ASIMO 

that can walk, recognize faces, and even 

have small conversations. Another robot 

introduced even earlier is NAO. It was 

similarly built to ASIMO however it is 

much smaller in size. The creators of 

NAO even mentioned that as time passes 

and the more use you get out of NAO, the 

smarter the robot actually gets. 

But how can these robots actually 

help those who are disabled? The idea 

is to eventually program these robots 

to fit the exact needs of the individual. 

Whether it be getting or making coffee, 

helping with chores around the house, 

making sure medicine is being taken, 

etc. Besides the initial purchase fee, you 


Expert Opinion | Information Technology 

wouldn’t have to worry about paying 

them either. Robots aren’t likely to forget 

like humans either, so having an AI robot 

to ensure that you go to the doctor, eat, 

and follow your daily routine could be 

especially important. 

AI for the Visually Impaired 

Serious strides are being made in 

technology for the blind. From textto-speech 

translations that describe 

emojis and pictures seen on social 

media to smart glasses and vision-free 

communication that could quite possibly 

serve as digital eyes for the blind, 

technology is booming and it’s all thanks 

to artificial intelligence. 

It’s also worth it to mention that the 

visually impaired will be able to benefit 

substantially from self driving cars. Not 

only can self driving cars help navigate 

the streets but along with other Artificial 

Intelligence technology, can determine 

your location and where you want or 

need to go and get you there safely. 

There is also even new technology 

being developed that would result in a 

“smart cane”. The idea is that the cane 

will include a camera, GPS, and facial 

recognition software. 

Exoskeletons for the Paralyzed 

Artificially intelligent machines are 

drastically improving for those who are 

paralyzed as well. Robotic exoskeletons 

are making it easier for those who are 

paralyzed from the waist down to walk 

and release pressure that results from 

sitting. This type of technology is still in 

its beginning stages so hopefully in the 

near future we’ll be able to see some real 

results from it. 

Whether it’s to care for the disabled 

or help them get around in their daily 

lives Artificial Intelligence is steadily 

growing in the field; it could one day very 

soon make a huge difference in the lives 

of those with disabilities and change the 

way they get around, are cared for and 

experience things in their lives - another 

angle where AI can contribute to the 

social good. 

Enabling Independent Living at Home 

Many people living with a disability 

rely on others for assistance moving 

around the home, cooking, or completing 

other daily tasks. AI-assisted technology, 

combined with advancements in the 

internet of things, has opened new 

possibilities in regards to accessibility. 

Smart home technology is enabling 

independent living with its AI 

capabilities. 

There are many examples of how AI 

is changing the lives of many at home. 

Using voice technology to tell your 

home to turn on/off lights, adjust the 

heat or air conditioning, or to turn off 

the stove are all things that help make 

independent living easier. Smart home 

hubs can even learn your routine over 

time and anticipate your needs, turning 

on lights or other appliances as needed. 

Some systems can adjust the thermostat 

with weather forecast data in mind. 

These examples demonstrate how AI 

technology in smart home products is 

removing the obstacles of daily living. 

AI technology in the home is 

also great in terms of safety. A smart 

home can be set up to tell if a person 

falls and can alert a loved one or 

emergency services to help. These 

safety concerns add another element to 

why independent living for those with 

a disability can be difficult. However, 

AI makes it possible for people to 

communicate, access their home, and 

feel safe independently. 

What’s Next? 

Artificial intelligence will change 

the IT field, engineering industry, big 

data, and many other tech-related fields. 

However, AI will also change the world 

for people on a day-to-day basis. As AI 

advances, it will become more accessible 

to everyday people. AI assistants will 

become the norm, and AI technology will 

continue to be more efficient. 

In terms of AI and those with 

disabilities, each advancement 

will be more inclusive. It will make 

bigger advancements in medical 

technology and help more people reach 

independence in ways they could have 

never imagined. What’s next for AI? More 

technology and more access to it for 

people with disabilities. 

AI technology is changing the way 

that people live in one way or another. 

Those changes aren’t just convenient 

- they help us to communicate, 

access more things, and to live 

more independently. From language 

recognition software, to self-driving 

cars, to smart home technology, to 

the technological advancements on 

the horizon, AI is helping those with 

disabilities have more agency in their 

lives in a profound way. 

Dr. Jassim Haji 

Technology Executive & 

Researcher 

www.facebook.com/DrJassimHaji 

bh.linkedin.com/in/dr-jassimhaji-7b5885125 


27

Integrated Security Solutions | G4S 

Global Security Solutions 

G4S is a leading global integrated security company with a heritage of more than 100 years. 

The need for security services is 

increasing due to the current 

instability across the region and 

the range of potential threats. 

The challenge of finding a provider 

offering integrated end-to-end security 

products and solutions to meet the 

specific demands of a business further 

complicates the process. Increased 

security requirements have also caused 

many players to emerge into the market 

and offer fragmented services that, in 

the long-run, are proving a greater cost 

rather than a viable investment. 

Here is where G4S comes into play. 

With expertise in the assessment and 

management of security and safety risks 

for buildings, infrastructure, valuables 

and people, G4S has a strong presence 

globally as well as in the Middle 

East region that complements global 

outsourcing trends. 

G4S in Bahrain: 

Established in Bahrain since 1993 

with over 600 employees, G4S Secure 

Solutions is one of the Kingdom’s 

most recognised and respected 

private security companies in the 

country. A market leader known for 

its dependability and quality driven 

ethics, its main areas of operation are: 

Manned Security Services including well 

trained uniformed personnel for events; 

Cash, Valuables and ATM Management 

Solutions; Electronic Security Systems 

including design, engineering, 

supply, installation, maintenance and 

integration of various customised 

security systems; Emergency Response, 

Risk Consultancy and soon Facilities 

Management services. 

G4S Bahrain has gained tremendous 

knowledge and experience about the 

prevalent local scenario. They have 

grown from strength to strength to 

emerge as the largest security company 

in the country. The G4S team draws upon 

its extensive geographical coverage, 

expertise, technology and best practices 

to provide the most viable security 

solution to its customers. The benefits 

of this approach are clear. Businesses 

that rise to the challenge of securing 

their environments in a more integrated 

way are better placed to protect critical 

assets and reputations, reduce costs and 

deliver a better experience for the people 

they employ and serve. 

At G4S, they understand that 

businesses which look at their security 

challenges more comprehensively can 

unlock hidden benefits to help them 

thrive and prosper. 

For more information, 

Call +973 17 714 409, +973 17 710 994 

or visit www.g4s.com/en-bh 



29

Highlights | Government 

4th edition of the 

Bahrain Award for 

Entrepreneurship 

The Labour Fund “Tamkeen” 

announced the launch 

of the Bahrain Award for 

Entrepreneurship in its fourth 

edition for the year 2019-2020, 

under the patronage of HRH 

Prince Salman bin Hamad Al 

Khalifa, Crown Prince, Deputy 

Supreme Commander and 

First Deputy Prime Minister 

Chief Executive of 

Tamkeen, Dr. Ebrahim 

Mohammed Janahi, said, 

“The Bahrain Award for 

Entrepreneurship commences 

for its fourth consecutive 

year as a result of the 

continued Royal directives 

aimed at further enhancing 

the Kingdom’s economic 

development, through 

supporting diversification 

efforts driven by innovation 

and knowledge. The Award’s 

purpose is to support the 

Kingdom’s comprehensive 

development, in line with the 

Bahrain Economic Vision 

2030. And as part of Tamkeen’s 

longstanding mission, the 

Award continues to bolster 

the private sector’s efforts 

in further strengthening the 

Kingdom’s economy, through 

supporting and honoring local 

entrepreneurs.” 

Tamkeen highlighted 

that they will be accepting 

applications and nominations 

from enterprises commencing 

on Thursday, 05 September 

2019 until Saturday, 05 October 

2019. 

Businesses and 

entrepreneurs can register 

and nominate in the 

following seven categories: 

Microenterprise of the Year, 

Start-up of the Year, SME 

of the Year, Enterprise of 

the Year with International 

Footprint, Sustainable 

Business Award, and Female 

Entrepreneur of the Year. The 

seventh award category is 

the Lifetime Achievement 

Award, which honours the 

longstanding achievements 

of an accomplished Bahraini 

entrepreneur who has had a 

positive influence and made 

significant contributions to 

developing Bahrain’s local 

economy and community. 

Applications and 

nominations can be made 

through the website at www. 

bahrainae.com wherein an 

eligibility criterion is set 

and additional information 

regarding each category is 

available. Applicants are 

required to address a set 

of questions and provide 

information related to the 

relevant category 

The prestigious Award 

was launched in 2015, under 

the patronage of His Royal 

Highness the Crown Prince. 

It is a pioneering national 

program aimed at motivating 

and inspiring local business 

owners to contribute to 

Bahrain’s economic prosperity. 

The Award provides a leading 

local platform structured to 

enhance business innovations 

and promote the culture 

of entrepreneurship in the 

Bahraini community. 

The Award holds an 

importance in developing 

the performance of Bahrainbased 

organizations and in 

further strengthening the 

Kingdom’s entrepreneurial 

competitiveness regionally 

and internationally. 

The fourth edition is 

anticipated to attract a greater 

number of participants in the 

wake of the continuous growth 

of the entrepreneurship 

sector in Bahrain, along with 

the growing desire of local 

entrepreneurs to compete for 

the Award. 

For further information 

regarding the Bahrain Award 

for Entrepreneurship, visit 

www.bahrainae.com or social 

media channels @bahrainae. 

The Sustainable 

Energy Centre 

releases annual 

report for 2018 

Electricity and Water 

Affairs Minister Dr. 

Abdulhussain Mirza, 

released the Sustainable 

Energy Centre annual report 

for 2018, highlighting the 

most prominent projects 

and initiatives achieved by 

the centre in the areas of 

renewable energy and energy 

efficiency. 

Initiatives include - 

Completion of the policy of 

the Net Metering System, 

which allows people to install 

solar energy systems on their 

homes or facilities. 

Tender for the 

construction of a 100 MW 

solar power plant. 

Installation of solar 

energy systems in The 

Avenues Mall. 

Inauguration of the first 

government building with 

renewable energy. 

The pilot project for the 

installation of solar energy 

systems in bus stations by the 

Ministry of Transportation. 

Launching the initiative 

of launching the roofs of 

government buildings in 

tenders for the installation of 

solar energy systems with the 

participation of the private 

sector. 

The Sustainable Energy 

Centre prepared and launched 

in 2018 Bahrain’s Wind Atlas, 

the first comprehensive 

study of wind sources in the 

country. 

Partnering with the 

Ministry of Industry, Trade 

and Tourism to launch the 

initiative to put energy 

efficiency labels on air 

conditioners as an indicator 

of the amount of energy 

consumed by units. 

Other initiatives and 

projects included the 

completion of the preparation 

of the Green Building Guide, 

replacing the lighting of 

government buildings and 

street lighting with energysaving 

lighting (LED), setting 

the efficiency standards 

of vehicles, identifying 

systems of energy efficiency 

management of government 

buildings, building 

institutional capacity and 

training people and entities 

to qualify them in proper 

installation for solar systems 

to promote the domestic 

market. 

Developments for the 

National Energy Efficiency 

Plan and the National 

Renewable Energy Plan. 

Participated in a 

number of conferences and 

exhibitions to raise awareness 

about the advantages of 

renewable energy. 

The centre’s achievements 

in raising awareness about 

the importance of renewable 

energy. 


Government 

Forsati for 

Government 

Forsati for Government 

Project was launched by 

Information and eGovernment 

Authority (iGA) in collaboration 

with Microsoft and ICT 

training provider ThinkSmart, 

aims to upskill Bahraini 

government employees to 

meet the challenges posed by 

the global digital economy, 

leading to eTransformation of 

Government Services. 

iGA, Microsoft and 

Thinksmart will work 

together in this initiative 

to improve Bahraini 

Government Employees overall 

competitiveness with respect 

to the latest skills needed 

for the eTransformation of 

the Government Services. 

Microsoft will work to provide 

courses, certifications 

and technical guidance 

to thousands of Bahraini 

government employees. 

Training paths will 

include Microsoft basic tools, 

professional IT, cloud training, 

digital transformation, 

BlockChain and exposure 

to technologies that have 

emerged as part of the Fourth 

Industrial Revolution. 

Each path will be 

customized to align with the 

job role of the participant 

like: Data science, Artificial 

intelligence and BlockChain. 

This will enhance the skills 

of government employees as 

they are the main and most 

important source which the 

development of the entities 

is built on, that comes in line 

with Bahrain Vision 2030. The 

collaboration with Microsoft 

in the IT field empowers and 

enriches the training program, 

while providing the program 

by ThinkSmart comes as 

a support to the IT privet 

companies to be the operator 

of this field in the Kingdom,” 

mentioned iGA’s Acting 

Director, Government Systems 

Support & Maintenance 

Hesham Ebrahim AlHashemi. 

Such a key project for 

the Bahraini government 

employees, will enable them 

to upgrade their skills with 

the latest job role-based 

certifications. This has come 

at the very right moment 

when the iGA is leading the 

digital transformation in the 

country and all the Bahraini 

government employees should 

become part of this vision. 

ThinkSmart will manage 

the programme, and train IT 

employees from all Ministries 

in Bahrain. The Registration 

for the project has already 

started and all the Bahraini 

government employees are 

urged to come forward and 

register for the program and 

start their trainings from 

October. 

NPRA new 

online booking 

service 

A 

new service initiated by 

the Nationality, Passports 

and Residence Affairs 

(NPRA) to book appointments 

online started from August 

25, provides services for 

nationality, passports and 

residence requirements. 

The innovative Skiplino 

application can be downloaded 

for free via smart devices and 

enables users to book, rebook 

or cancel appointments. 

Applicants still have the option 

to report directly personally to 

the NPRA headquarters and 

asses the advanced quality of 

services. 

The new service was first 

launched early this year at 

Muharraq Security Complex, 

which enabled applicants 

to finalise their transactions 

easily and smoothly. 

iGA completes 

the transfer of 

Births & Deaths 

registration center 

The Information & 

eGovernment Authority 

(iGA) completed the transfer 

of the Births & Deaths 

Registration Center to its new 

premises at iGA’s main branch 

in Isa Town. 

The services opened to 

the public from September 1. 

The new facility is ready to 

provide services to nationals 

and residence from 7.30am 

to 1pm from Sunday to 

Thursday. August 29 was 

the last working day for the 

department at its former 

premises at the Ministry of 

Health. 

iGA also reminds 

the public that personal 

attendance by relatives 

is required for certificate 

issuances in certain cases. For 

births, attendance is required 

for the issuance of birth 

certificates for individuals 

born prior to 1994, and also for 

certificate printing requests 

for citizens born abroad. 

Attendance is also needed for 

certificate printing requests 

for citizens or residents 

who passed away within 

Bahrain or abroad. And finally, 

personal attendance is needed 

for death or birth certificate 

issuances in cases where they 

are requested by Bahraini 

court orders or rulings. 

Deaths must be reported 

within 72 hours from the date 

of death, extendable to 60 days 

in cases where the deaths 

occurred outside the Kingdom. 

The law specifies that new 

births must be notified within 

15 days of the date if they are 

within the Kingdom and 60 

days if abroad. 

In cases where the births 

occurred outside the Kingdom 

of Bahrain, the relative 

must bring an original birth 

certificate attested by the 

country in which the birth 

took place, along with copies 

of the father’s and mother’s 

passports or identity cards, a 

copy of the marriage contract 

(Bahraini) and a copy of the 

passport or identity card of 

the applicant. 

Hospitals in Bahrain 

report births and issue 

personal numbers so that 

guardians can complete the 

birth certificate and identity 

card issuance process 

electronically through the 

national portal bahrain.bh. 

If, in one of the above cases, 

personal attendance applies, 

the applicant must bring 

copies of the passport or 

identity card of the newborn, 

father and mother, and a copy 

of the lost birth certificate (if 

any), along with a copy of the 

marriage contract. 

In cases of deaths outside 

the Kingdom, relatives 

of the deceased up to the 

third degree must bring the 

original and a copy of the 

death certificate issued by 

the country in which the 

death occurred, along with the 

original passport or identity 

card of the deceased, and the 

original passport or identity 

card of the applicant. 

In cases of deaths within 

Bahrain, relatives of the 

deceased up to the third 

degree must bring medical 

notification of the cause of 

death from the hospital or the 

Public Security Directorate at 

the Ministry of Interior, along 

with the original passport or 

identity card of the deceased, 

in addition to the original 

identity card of the applicant. 


31

Government 

Latest baggage 

rules will 

improve 

efficiency at BIA 

Effective October 1, 2019, 


Airport (BIA) will introduce 

new baggage acceptance 

rules to eliminate jams in the 

Baggage Handling System 

that cause shutdowns, 

delays, and inconvenience 

to passengers and airlines, 

Bahrain Airport Company 

(BAC) announced. 

Items that will no longer 

be permitted include round 

and irregular shaped bags, 

irregular shaped bags tied 

with loose rope or string, bags 

with loose straps, and blanket 

wrapped bags. Regular outof-gauge 

and odd-shaped 

items such as baby strollers, 

bicycles, wheelchairs, and golf 

bags will be still allowed. 

BAC is committed to 

running a friendly and 

efficient airport, and 

consistently works to ensure 

the highest levels of safety 

and security. The new rules 

will support these objectives 

by maintaining the integrity 

of the Baggage Handling 

System, making it safer and 

more efficient for airport staff 

to execute their daily duties 

and, in, turn helping deliver a 

better service to customers. 

Irregular shaped items 

tied with rope or linen can 

easily snag on the conveyor 

belts, causing system 

downtime, delaying the 

processing of baggage at the 

airport, and inconveniencing 

other passengers. To avoid 

delays at the check-in area, 

BAC advises all passengers 

to use baggage with at least 

one flat surface, regular travel 

bags, or properly packed 

boxes with a flat surface. 

The new rules also 

will play a major role in 

enhancing the efficiency of 

the state-of-the-art Baggage 

Handling System at BIA’s new 

Passenger Terminal Building. 

The new system features 

an 8.6-kilometre conveyor 

belt and will be capable of 

processing up to 4,800 bags 

an hour. Baggage will be 

carried from the passenger 

terminals to the aircraft via 

advanced automated systems 

that provide a high level of 

protection against the loss 

or damage of passengers’ 

belongings. 

Mumtalakat 

leads Kingdom’s 

cloud migration 

drive 

Bahrain Bourse and the 

Middle East Investor 

Relations Association 

(MEIRA) has launched a new 

chapter in Bahrain, to further 

develop and enhance best 

practices in Investor Relations 

(IR) across the Kingdom of 

Bahrain. 

Bahrain Mumtalakat 

Holding Company 

(Mumtalakat), completed its 

cloud services migration to 

Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) 

Bahrain data centres, the first 

in the Middle East. 

The first government 

organisation to complete this 

migration in Bahrain, the 

move by Mumtakalat comes 

on the heels of the recent 

establishment of three data 

centres in Bahrain by AWS to 

offer cloud storage to regional 

organisations amid growing 

demand in the Middle East. 

This latest migration allows 

Mumtalakat to reduce its 

usage of international data 

centres while improving 

the speed and resilience of 

its information technology 

services. 

The Mumtalakat 

Information Technology team 

undertook the migration 

immediately after the opening 

of the local AWS data centres 

and oversaw the process for 

both Mumtalakat and Bahrain 

Real Estate Investment 

(Edamah), a Mumtalakat’s real 

estate investment subsidiary. 

‘The entire migration 

process was handled inhouse 

by my team,’ explained 

Mohamed Sater, Mumtalakat’s 

Head of Information 

Technology. ‘This is the 

main advantage of having a 

capable and trained team to 

handle the migration activity, 

speeding up the migration 

and ensuring high quality 

service. Our softwares are 

now running in Bahrain, with 

a lower latency and faster 

speed. This was done with 

minimal downtime for our 

users.’ 

‘We have cut down our 

technology operational costs 

by over 50% as data backup, 

storage and security costs 

have declined considerably. 

Our partnership with AWS has 

been both fruitful and reliable,’ 

added Sater. 

This marks the latest 

in a series of firsts by the 

Mumtalakat Information 

Technology team who 

have been supporting their 

counterparts across the Group 

in Bahrain in their adoption of 

the Government of Bahrain’s 

Cloud First policy and the 

migration of their digital 

infrastructure to cloud-based 

solutions. 

NBR opens VAT 

registration 

for next group 

of Income 

generators 

The National Bureau 

for Revenue (NBR) 

announced the opening of 

the VAT registration process 

for entities generating or 

expected to generate between 

BD 18,750 and BD 500,000 in 

annual vatable supplies. 

Concerned entities that 

want to register early for VAT 

with the NBR have the option 

of choosing dates to start VAT 

implementation until the end 

of the grace period. The NBR 

emphasized the importance 

of collaboration and raising 

awareness on technical and 

procedural aspects of VAT to 

ensure the success of the VAT 

application process. 

It was noted that more 

than 4500 entities have 

registered for VAT since its 

launch within the Kingdom 

on 1 January 2019. 

For further information, 

please contact the Call Center 

on 80008001 or email vat@ 

nbr.gov.bh, in addition to 

leveraging the information 

available on NBR’s website 

(www.nbr.gov.bh), Twitter, 

Instagram and YouTube 

channel (@bahrainNBR). 


Government 

World Tolerance Summit coincides 

with International Day of Tolerance 

Under the patronage of His 

Highness Sheikh Mohammed 

bin Rashid Al Maktoum, 

Vice-President and Prime Minister 

of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the 

International Institute for Tolerance 

in Dubai, an initiative of Mohammed 

Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, 

is organising the second edition of the 

World Tolerance Summit (WTS) under 

the slogan ‘Tolerance in Multicultural: 

Achieving Social, Economic and 

Humanitarian Benefits to a Tolerant 

World’ at Madinat Jumeirah Convention 

Centre, Dubai, on 13-14 November 2019. 

This year's summit is expected to 

attract more than 2,000 dignitaries, 

as it coincides with International Day 

of Tolerance, and is in line with the 

President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa 

bin Zayed Al Nahyan, declaring 2019 as 

Year of Tolerance. 

The summit seeks to be an 

open platform for dialogue aimed at 

promoting human values, spreading 

the principles of tolerance, peaceful 

coexistence, and accepting the other 

without discrimination, and sending a 

message of love and peace to all parts 

of the world. State heads, diplomats 

from across the world, associations, 

international organisations and 

university students will attend the 

2-day conference. 

The summit programme includes 

a range of dialogue sessions and 

workshops, which is an important 

tool in exchanging experiences and 

building positive partnerships among 

countries. 

Various UAE government 

departments will exhibit their initiative 

to promote tolerance at offices and 

create better work environment on 

the sidelines of the event. Another 

feature, Tolerance Councils, will present 

interactive dialogues that discuss 

issues that concern the role of women, 

family and youth in establishing values 

of tolerance in society. 

The Library of Tolerance offers a 

wide range of books on tolerance from 

around the world, while the Art and 

Photography Exhibition presents forms 

of tolerance and images in society 

through works of art. The summit also 

offers a unique feature where residents 

will be interviewed periodically to 

hear their views on tolerance and 

coexistence in live broadcast on the 

official YouTube channel of the summit. 

The first session of the summit saw 

the participation of 1,866 participants 

from 105 countries around the world, 

including speakers, experts and 

specialists in the field of tolerance. 


33

Highlights | Banking & Finance 

NBB first in 

Bahrain to start 

new initiatives 

National Bank of Bahrain 

(NBB) recently announced 

some latest initiatives to 

continued enhancement of its 

service and value proposition 

for its customers. 

Bulk Cash Deposit Machines 

NBB introduced new, stateof-the-art, 

high-speed large 

Cash Deposit Machines (CDM) 

in Bahrain for its Business 

Clients, by digitalising their 

cash management and 

improving their accessibility to 

other bank services. 

Corporate clients are 

deploying NBB CDM’s in their 

head offices and retail outlets. 

Accessed by biometric scan, 

clients can deposit cash up to 

20,000 notes at a time. Cash 

is instantly credited to the 

clients account with no need 

to visit NBB branches. Cash 

is collected from the clients 

premises by Secure Services. 

Retail customers can also 

deposit large amounts of cash 

taking advantage of this 24/7 

easy deposit functionality by 

using their NBB debit cards. 

SelfSery 80 ATMs 

NBB first time in Bahrain 

deploy innovative SelfServ 80 

ATMs from NCR Corporation 

(NCR) to support its digital 

strategy for customer growth. 

NCR, a global enterprise 

technology provider for the 

financial industry, will also 

provide NCR Direct Connection 

(NDC) Enterprise software to 

NBB to help integrate their selfservice 

channel with the rest 

of its digital infrastructure to 

deliver a consistent consumer 

experience across physical and 

digital channels. 

NCR’s digital-first 

technologies and innovative 

software platforms allow to 

re-define the ATM experience 

for customers and seamlessly 

deliver next-generation 

banking services across 

physical and digital channels. 

NCR’s 80 Series ATMs 

will help NBB accommodate 

their customers’ growing use 

of mobile and contactless 

transactions. It features a 

large 19-inch multi-touch 

display that allows consumers 

to swipe, pinch and zoom 

their way quickly through 

transactions. 

National eKYC Platfrom 

NBB became the first 

bank to joined the National 

eKYC (Know Your Customer) 

platform mandated by the 

Central Bank of Bahrain 

and operated by The Benefit 

Company. This platform 

will be used by all financial 

institutions to simplify 

and ease client onboarding 

and KYC maintenance 

requirements electronically. 

The Benefit eKYC platform 

is a Cloud-based/Blockchain 

hybrid solution that provides 

financial institutions with 

the ability to retrieve and 

process client KYC and 

other data from the related 

bodies including Bahrain’s 

Information & eGovernment 

Authority (IGA) and will 

also include international 

screening without the need 

for a physical presence, 

document verification or 

authentication. NBB has been 

successfully transacting on 

the platform since it went live 

on 30 April 2019. 

Direct Debit Solution 

NBB signed an MOU 

with BENEFIT Company to 

offer a market leading Direct 

Debit Solution to its Business 

Customers. 

The service offers a host 

of value added features to 

streamline and enhance the 

collection process. Business 

customers are currently 

dependent on their payors 

on the timing and mode of 

payment (cheques/cash/ 

transfers, etc.), often creating 

delays and reconciliation 

challenges. Through 

Direct Debit tools, business 

customers can now obtain 

control of when they want to 

pull funds from their payor 

accounts as per mutual 

agreement. This ensures 

faster collection as well as 

eliminating reconciliation 

requirements. 

SWIFT GPI Certification 

NBB is the first Bank 

in Bahrain to successfully 

complete the SWIFT Global 

Payments Innovation (SWIFT 

gpi) certification. SWIFT gpi is 

the latest initiative launched 

by SWIFT to improve the 

customer experience in the 

world of international (cross 

border) payments. SWIFT gpi 

provides the customers with 

an array of benefits such as: 

faster payments, end-to-end 

tracking and confirmation 

of information when 

beneficiaries receive payment. 

At a later stage, NBB will 

provide customers with digital 

access to monitor payments 

providing greater visibility 

over the payment process. 

KHCB launch 

‘Flexi Home 

Finance’ 

Khaleeji Commercial Bank 

(KHCB), has recently 

launched “Flexi Home 

Finance" product, which 

allows clients to postpone 

two instalments a year and 

enable them to achieve 

other things that matter the 

most. The product comes 

to reaffirm the bank's solid 

commitment towards its 

valued clients, through the 

introduction of financing 

solutions that meet their 

aspirations. 

The product has been 

designed to grant clients the 

required flexibility to have 

full management of their 

financial liquidity throughout 

the year and to ensure 

their financial balance. 

Interested clients will 

benefit from swift approval 

of their applications, thanks 

to a special department 

dedicated to providing 

this service, as the bank 

acknowledges the important 

value of clients' time. 

KHCB Retail Banking 

Assistant General Manager 

Mazen Salman Sater, 

emphasized the bank's 

keenness on launching the 

most innovative products 

in Bahrain, an assertion 

reflected by the launch of 

“Flexi Home Finance”. This 

product would satisfy all 

clients that are seeking real 

estate financing which fulfils 

all of their requirements. 

“This product comes 

to facilitate the process of 

granting real estate financing, 

without effecting clients' 

other financial commitments, 

such as covering wedding 

expenses, children's school 

fees or other things that 

matter the most to them," he 

added. 


Banking & Finance 

Mobile Account 

opening through 

Face ID 

Authentication 

Bahrain Islamic Bank 

(BisB) launched fullyfledged 

digital branch which 

enables customers to perform 

a multitude of transactions 

without the need for human 

intervention, such as cardless 

cash withdrawal, chequebook 

printing, and instant card 

issuance through the use of a 

dedicated self-service kiosk, 

in addition opening accounts, 

applying for financing, or 

record management, providing 

the convenient option of 

speaking a bank representative 

through a video screen. 

Recently bank celebrated 

its 40th Year Anniversary 

in ground breaking style 

launching a tech-driven 

exclusive event entitled #BisB, 

where the Bank publicized its 

latest announcement digitally, 

broadcasting the news on 

the Bank’s YouTube channel 

where Bank revealed one 

announcement after another 

in tow, where Mahmood 

Qannati, the Head of Corporate 

Communications, revealed the 

Bank’s new brand and logo, Ms. 

Dalal Al Qais, General Manager 

of Retail Banking revealed all of 

the Bank’s latest innovations, 

including Finance Top up in 4 

minutes, the newly launched 

abilities of the Bank’s mobile 

application “BisB Digital”, 

as well as the Cardless Cash 

facilities available at any of 

BisB’s ATM’s to name a few. 

During the broadcast, 

BisB’s CEO, Hassan Jarrar 

promptly announced the 

Bank’s latest digital milestone; 

end-to-end account opening 

online. In less than 6 minutes, 

any new customer that wants 

to open an account with BisB 

can do so using real time face 

verification. Simply put, they 

only need to download the 

BisB Digital app from their 

smartphone, eliminating the 

hassle of visiting a branch. 

“This truly changes 

everything. Because the 

entire process, from A to 

Z, will be fully automated. 

Essentially, this means zero 

paperwork, zero hassle, no 

human interaction required,” 

he added before hinting at the 

Bank’s new brand ambassador 

that would be in charge of 

announcing all of the Bank’s 

future innovations, the 25 year 

old Bahraini Social Media 

Influencer, Omar Farooq. 

Bank ABC's 

introduces world's 

first Digital DNA 

Human 

Fatema'- a fully autonomous, 

AI-driven Digital Human, 

was introduced by Bank 

ABC and Soul Machines, 

as an integral part of the 

Bank’s customer experience. 

The ‘digital employee’ 

accumulates experiences, 

learns, and responds to 

customers individually through 

experiential learning, adding 

human-like intelligence to AI. 

Fatema uses an AI-powered 

Digital Brain to engage 

personally with customers 

and will work alongside Bank 

ABC’s mobile-only digital bank 

(to be launched by end of this 

year) team to offer a multifaceted, 

personalised customer 

experience. 

Fatema is the first 

synthetic Digital Human 

deployed by Soul Machines, 

created using the company’s 

Digital DNA technology, 

which allows for the 

production of unique, hyperrealistic 

interfaces that drive 

new ways to communicate, 

collaborate and cooperate. 

Fatema’s synthetic makeup 

was produced from a digital 

gene pool, which allowed Bank 

ABC to choose specific traits 

and attributes to develop the 

optimal digital human for their 

organisation. 

Fatema embodies Bank 

ABC’s endeavors into the 

optimization of technology to 

offer the most efficient and 

engaging customer experience 

by providing a stimulating 

interface for communication 

in a rapidly evolving digital 

environment. Fatema’s 

human-like appearance offers 

naturalised and intuitive 

interactions in direct contrast 

to contemporary modes that 

involve clicking, scrolling, 

searching and typing, on the 

part of the customer. 

Fatema is designed to offer 

a unique banking experience 

to the mobile-only digital bank 

customers and will appeal 

to tech-savvy individuals 

who have superior service 

expectations. In her day-to-day 

function, she will be involved 

with social media to provide 

the latest news and updates 

about the Bank and will also 

be available on specific digital 

channels where customers will 

be able to verbally interact with 

her on various subjects. 

BBK to introduce 

a new electronic 

remittance service 

experience 

BBK is introducing a new 

technological solution in 

the area of Money Transfer, 

which is aimed at enabling 

customers to enjoy the 

latest advent in technology 

through highly transparent, 

faster and more secure 

services. This new electronic 

remittance service will soon 

be introduced for all BBK 

customers to perform cross 

border payments to bank 

accounts, mobile wallets 

and cash-out locations with 

ease and attractive pricing 

through the MaxWallet App in 

collaboration with CrediMax 

and Mastercard International. 

This endeavor amongst 

other FinTech based 

projects the bank is in 

process of developing 

and offering, falls in line 

with the CBB’s initiative 

towards the financial digital 

transformation in the 

Kingdom. 

The service will be 

enabled on the current 

MaxWallet App under the 

“Send Money” button. BBK 

customers who are registered 

via the MaxWallet App can 

make payments/transfers 

to more than 30 destination 

countries with the relevant 

receiving channel of their 

choice. 

It is worth mentioning that 

this new e-remittance service 

costs less than the traditional 

international transfer 

channels and is backed by the 

Mastercard network, which 

features efficient facilities 

with enhanced security, 

through a single connection. 

MaxWallet is currently 

available for both Android 

and iOS devices on App Store 

and Google Play and the new 

Mastercard Send service will 

soon be added to the wallet. 


35

Banking & Finance 

Ithmaar Bank 

upgrading 

systems to further 

boost customer 

experience 

Ahmed Abdul Rahim 

CEO, Ithmaar Bank 

Ithmaar Bank, plans for a 

major upgrade that will 

improve its customers’ banking 

experience. The upgrade, part 

of Ithmaar Bank’s far-reaching 

digital initiatives, aims to 

maintain the Bank’s leading 

position in terms of innovation 

and technology. 

The announcement follows 

the formal appointment of 

one of the world’s leading 

banking solutions experts to 

help implement a Customer 

Relationship Management 

(CRM) platform upgrade that 

will put the Bank’s customer 

service capabilities among the 

best in the world. 

The sophisticated 

new Microsoft Dynamics 

CRM solution will enhance 

customers’ banking experience 

and help introduce new, 

customer-focused solutions 

in line with banking industry 

trends towards increasing 

personalisation, security and 

mobility, as well as customer 

engagement. 

Ahmed Abdul Rahim, 

CEO Ithmaar Bank said, “The 

new CRM will help us to serve 

our customers faster, better 

and smarter. It will allow for 

automated responses, intimate 

personalisation and, most 

importantly, an immediate 

360 view of customers. This, in 

turn, will allow us to anticipate 

customer needs even before 

they are articulated. The 

implementation of this 

innovative enterprise-wide 

CRM solution will also improve 

how we handle customer 

feedback, which will help us 

serve our customers better,” 

said Abdul Rahim. 

VeriPark Gulf FZE, which 

specializes in providing CRM 

as well as Omni-Channel 

Platform, Branch Automation 

CrediMax join 

eazyNet and 

PIE 

CrediMax B.S.C (c) and Eazy 

Financial Services B.S.C 

(c) (Eazy) recently signed 

MoU paving the way to join 

“eazyNet” the World’s First 

Biometric Payment Network. 

Yousif Ali Mirza, Chief 

Executive of CrediMax said, 

“The provision of the biometric 

payment Network “eazyNet” 

will empower our cardholders 

to a safer more convenient 

and secure way to conduct 

all their transactions and 

purchases through point of 

sale (PoS) terminals and other 

payment acceptance channels 

using their fingerprint. We 

look forward to elevating 

our cardholder’s shopping 

experience to the next level.” 

Dr. Nayef Tawfiq Al Alawi, 

Managing Director, Chief 

Executive of Eazy commented, 

“We are very excited to work 

with CrediMax to facilitate our 

customers with a seamless 

Biometric payment experience 

throughout the largest POS 

terminal in the kingdom, away 

from both plastic cards and 

mobile phones. Payments will 

never be the same again!” 

CrediMax and Payment 

International Enterprise (PIE) 

have recently partnered up to 

allow MaxWallet QR payments 

and Loyalty Management 

solutions to financial 

institutions around the world, 

is the leading Microsoft 

partner globally for Microsoft 

Dynamics CRM in the banking, 

finance and insurance 

industries. Ithmaar Bank 

appointed VeriPark to help 

implement the CRM upgrade as 

well as other customer-focused 

systems that will help the Bank 

improve its efficiency and 

productivity. 

Yousif Ali Mirza 

CE, CrediMax 

to be accepted on all PIE mPOS 

devices. This collaboration will 

expand MaxWallet acceptance 

across Bahrain and will be 

available on PIE’s mPOS 

devices, currently present in 

1,500 points covering all major 

SMEs throughout the Kingdom, 

by meeting their needs with 

sustainable, and affordable 

financial products. 

Yousif Ali Mirza said: “This 

new service will encourage a 

new trend of payment habits to 

further enrich our customer’s 

payment experience. 

MaxWallet is one of many 

digital payment solutions 

offered by CrediMax with the 

sole aim of enhancing payment 

process to minimal time 

for both our Merchants and 

Cardholders. ” 

Fawaz Ghazal, CEO of PIE 

commented, “Our tie up with 

CrediMax will accelerate and 

facilitate a greater flow of 

payments, and offer additional 

choices for innovative payment 

services.” 

CBB issues rules 

on Insurance 

aggregators 

The Central Bank of 

Bahrain (CBB) issued 

the final rules on “insurance 

aggregators”. 

The introduction of 

insurance aggregator rules 

is a first step for the CBB 

towards “Insuretech”, a 

technology led transformation 

of the insurance sector 

which is rapidly gathering 

momentum globally. The CBB 

is one of few central banks to 

have introduced rules relating 

to insurance aggregators to 

further enhance the position 

of Bahrain as a leading 

fintech hub in the MENA 

region,” said Abdul Rahman 

Al Baker, Executive Director 

of Financial Institutions 

Supervision. 

Insurance aggregators 

are intermediaries with an 

insurance broker’s license 

who operate an online 

platform, whether hosted 

on an Internet website or 

available as a smart device 

application (app) which 

provides price comparisons 

and facilitates the purchase 

of insurance policies from 

several insurance licensees. 

With the introduction 

of insurance aggregators, a 

customer is able to find and 

choose insurance quotes 

from several insurance 

companies under a single 

electronic platform or mobile 

device application, instead of 

obtaining quotes individually, 

and purchase an insurance 

policy online from an 

insurance company. 

The above rules are 

available on CBB’s website 

(www.cbb.gov.bh). 


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Highlights | Telecom 

Additional 

frequency 

licenses to 

mobile operators 

The Telecommunications 

Regulatory Authority 

(TRA) in line with the 4th 

National Telecommunications 

Plan and after the approval 

of the Council of Ministers, 

granted additional frequency 

licenses to mobile operators 

in the 800 and 2600 MHz 

bands to meet the increasing 

demand for mobile services in 

the Kingdom of Bahrain, said 

Minister of Transportation 

and Telecommunications, 

Eng. Kamal bin Ahmed 

Mohammed. 

This step coincides 

with the changing pattern 

of consumer use of mobile 

services. Data consumption 

rates have grown steadily 

over the past years as 

demand for data services, 

especially social networking 

applications, has increased, 

requiring additional 

frequencies to meet the 

needs and expectations of 

consumers. 

TRA has contracted with 

a specialized consulting 

company to find out the 

best mechanisms for 

granting frequency licenses 

to operators in line with 

the characteristics of the 

telecommunications sector 

in Bahrain in addition 

to adopting the best 

international practices in this 

regard. Accordingly, TRA has 

published two consultation 

documents which examined 

the views of operators and 

manufacturers on the most 

appropriate mechanism for 

granting frequency licenses, 

including the proposed 

prices for the frequencies 

introduced. 

After extensive 

consultation, frequency 

allocation was performed 

through the administrative 

granting process of most 

frequencies (180 MHz out of 

200 MHz) and by bidding on 

the remaining 20 MHz. 

“The granting process 

was part of the requirements 

of the 4th National 

Telecommunications Plan to 

provide additional frequencies 

to mobile operators to ensure 

optimal use of this national 

resource. We look forward to 

operators’ continued efforts to 

develop mobile networks and 

services which will promote 

Bahrain's leading position 

in the telecommunications 

sector regionally and 

internationally. We value the 

fruitful efforts of TRA and 

the Spectrum Strategy and 

Coordination Committee with 

all its members that have led 

to successfully granting these 

important frequencies." Eng. 

Kamal added. 

"The demand of operators 

to obtain all frequencies 

available to them reflects 

the appropriate granting 

mechanism that has been 

adopted to meet the spectrum 

needs of the operators. We 

expect that the availability 

of additional frequencies to 

operators will have a positive 

impact in terms of the quality 

of services available and the 

sustainability of competition 

for the benefit of consumers 

in the Kingdom. The total 

revenues of this granting 

process exceeded BHD 15 

million.” Says TRA’s Acting 

General Director General of 

the Authority, Sh. Nasser bin 

Mohammed Al Khalifa. 

Batelco offer 

entertainment 

content for 

customers with 

YuppTV 

Batelco’s partnership with 

YuppTV; the largest South 

Asian OTT content provider, 

enable subscribers to the 

service to enjoy more than 

100 Indian Live TV channels 

in the Hindi, Malayalam and 

Tamil languages, in addition to 

benefitting from open access 

to a large video on demand 

library of Indian TV shows and 

Bollywood movies. Moreover, 

subscribers will never need 

to miss a show again thanks 

to Yupp TV’s catchup feature 

that records up to one week of 

Live TV. 

Commenting on this 

Batelco General Manager 

Consumer Division, Maha 

Abdulrahman said, “This aims 

to provide on demand video 

services to meet the needs 

of our customers, in-line 

with the increase in online 

entertainment offerings 

during this digital era. Batelco 

looks forward to satisfying the 

demand of different customer 

segments, as well as providing 

them with special offers.” 

Zahra Zayat, VP and Head 

of MENA for Yupp TV said, 

“It gives the opportunity for 

residents in Bahrain to enjoy 

watching their favourite TV 

channels and Bollywood 

movies, non-stop and on any 

device at any time, thanks 

to the attractive data bundle 

offered by Batelco. YuppTV’s 

objective is to provide a 

state-of-the-art TV experience 

for subscribers through 

providing a rich package at a 

very affordable price and we 

believe our partnership with 

Batelco will create great value 

particularly for the South 

Asian population in Bahrain.” 

Yupp TV is offered to 

Batelco’s Home Internet 

and Mobile subscribers for 

an additional BD4 monthly. 

Mobile subscribers who 

activate the YuppTV service 

will also benefit from 5GB 

of data FREE on top of their 

existing data packages. 

YuppTV content is accessible 

from a wide range of 

connected devices including 

android & iOS smart phones 

and smart TVs. Subscribers 

can download the Yupp TV 

application from the Google 

Play & Apple stores. 


Telecom 

Batelco mobile 

package ‘Mazeej’ 

Batelco recently introduced 

its latest mobile package, 

Mazeej. The package offers 

users the best of both worlds, 

combining the benefits of both 

PostPaid and PrePaid (SimSim) 

packages. 

The package was designed 

to provide customers with 

greater flexibility and control of 

their mobile usage. Subscribers 

to the Mazeej package will be 

able to enjoy 8GB of data as 

well as 500 minutes across 

all local operators. For any 

additional minutes, data or 

other services, customers may 

top up the same line with a 

Prepaid SimSim voucher. 

On the occasion of the 

launch of this packages, 

Batelco Consumer Division 

General Manager, Maha 

Abdulrahman commented, 

“This new package was 

Shop from Zain 

eShop 

Zain Bahrain partnered 

with Sharaf DG Bahrain, to 

offer customers the ability to 

purchase selective electronic 

equipment's directly from 

Zain eShop. 

Customers can now 

buy multiple electronic 

equipment's such as TVs, 

laptops, accessories, 

camera's, software's and 

gaming consoles directly 

through Zain Bahrain eShop 

developed in response to a 

demand we identified for 

greater flexibility in meeting 

our customers’ monthly usage 

requirements. We are very 

pleased to offer this package 

which contributes towards 

customers having greater 

control over their monthly 

spend, with no surprise bills, 

ultimately enhancing their 

experience.” 

Batelco places its 

customers at the core of 

its business and aims to 

continually improve its 

offerings in order to deliver an 

exceptional experience. 

portal https://eshop.bh.zain. 

com/. From there, select the 

equipment they would like 

to purchase and place an 

order. The placed order will 

be delivered directly to the 

customers within 48 hours 

upon availability. Customer 

can also avail extended 

warranty from 12-24 months. 

In addition, all Zain Bahrain 

customers will enjoy 

exclusive offers through the 

E-shop. 

Zain Bahrain customers 

can also renew their postpaid 

plans, sign up for new 

plans, and have SIMS and 

devices delivered straight 

to them all through Zain 

Bahrain eShop and Zain 

Bahrain app. The E-shop 

provide customers with 

an end-to-end innovation 

services at a one stop to 

make the experience quicker 

and more convivence for 

Zain Fantasy 

League 

Football enthusiasts in 

Bahrain can join 2019 

Zain Fantasy League. The 

competition, which is hosted 

through official league 

channels, kicked-off with the 

start of the 2019/20 English 

Premier League season, which 

started on 9 August 2019. 

The competition is open to 

any football enthusiasts who 

hold residency in Bahrain, 

regardless of whether they 

are a Zain Bahrain subscriber 

or not. 

Over the course of the 

competition, Zain Bahrain will 

select 38 weekly winners from 

amongst registered players, 

based on their performance 

and scores as recorded on the 

Fantasy League app. 

At the close of the Premier 

League season in May 2020, 

the top three players, based on 

them by offering easy options 

to make their purchases and 

best value offers. 

"We are delighted to 

continuously bring customers 

exclusive offers while using 

our digital channels. The 

partnership with Sharaf DG 

will ensure convenience 

to Bahrain residents by 

offering easy options to make 

their purchases and more 

value to our customers," 

said Ammar Al Ketbi, Zain 

Bahrain Director, Consumer 

Marketing & Sales reporting. 

This partnership with 

Sharaf DG comes in line with 

Zain's Bahrain continues 

efforts to engage with 

several strategic vendors, 

to offer innovative leading 

solutions and build long-term 

relationship with current 

and new business partners to 

launch new technologies and 

offers. 

points accumulated, will win 

a cash prize, with US$10,000 

for first place, US5,000 for 

second place, and US$1,000 

for third place. 

Abdulla Bin Khalid 

Al Khalifa, Director, 

Communication & Investor 

Relations Department, Zain 

Bahrain, said: "This is the 

second year of the Zain Fantasy 

League, which allows us to 

create an exciting experience 

for football enthusiasts across 

the Kingdom. We wish all 

players the best of luck." 

Zain Fantasy League 

comes under the International 

Fantasy Premier League, which 

is the largest fantasy football 

game in the world. Players 

can play the Fantasy League 

for free through two official 

channels, the website, fantasy. 

premierleague.com/,or the app, 

which is available for Apple 

and Android devices. The app 

enables users to fully manage 

their fantasy teams, keep track 

of their scores, make transfers 

and much more. 

Zain Bahrain is a keen 

supporter of sports activities 

in the Kingdom and has been 

involved in several initiatives 

over the years including the 

Zain Basketball League and 

supporting Muharraq Football 

Club. It also has its own sports 

team, Zain Racing, which takes 

part in various karting events, 

and is officially recognized as 

Semi-Pro by the karting world's 

premier ranking agency, SODI 

World Series (SWS). 

For more information on 

Zain Fantasy League, please 

visit www.bh.zain.com/en/ 

fantasypl 


39

Telecom 

WE ABLE aiming 

to be Disability 

Inclusive by 2022 

Zain Group, a leading mobile 

telecom innovator in eight 

markets across the Middle East 

and Africa, started an initiative 

of its far-sighted Disability 

Inclusion, WE ABLE, which is 

set to position Zain as being 

Disability Inclusive by 2022. 

Supporting the program 

is Zain's entry as a signatory 

into the International Labor 

Organization (ILO) Global 

Business and Disability 

Network Charter, where as 

a member of the Network, 

Zain is committing to a group 

wide plan. Zain's emphasis 

will be the development of an 

implementation plan that will 

act as a framework to guide 

the integration of people with 

disability into the company 

and include them in all facets 

of Zain's policies and culture. 

According to the United 

Nations Economic and Social 

Commission for West Asia 

(ESCWA), the unemployment 

rate in the MENA region for 

people with disabilities is 

as high as 86% for females 

and 66% for males. This high 

unemployment rate indicated 

to Zain's management the 

requirement to establish a 

clear framework to address 

the deficiency, while also 

highlighting the massive 

opportunity for the company to 

recruit people with disabilities 

to be part of Zain's 6,000 

talented workforce. 

WE ABLE is the brainchild 

of Zain Vice-Chairman and 

Group CEO, Bader Al-Kharafi, 

complementing the company's 

Gender Diversity and Inclusion 

program. The immediate aim 

of the Disability Inclusion 

initiative is to achieve the 

following: 

1. Increase the number of 

people who suffer with 

disabilities within the Zain 

workforce by 2022 

2. Ensure all training programs 

are Disability Inclusive by 2022 

3. Guarantee that accessibility 

across all Zain touchpoints are 

Disability Inclusive by 2022 

4. Identify innovative and 

assistive technologies enabling 

more people with disabilities to 

join the company and succeed. 

Bader Al-Kharafi said, 

"Zain's influential role in 

society means we must 

maintain our pioneering 

outlook with respect to 

creating positive change in 

the workplace and in all other 

areas of our activities. We are 

proud to stand as an example 

for other corporates to follow 

and the implementation of the 

WE ABLE initiative reflects 

our commitment to develop 

and implement a sustainable 

Disability Inclusion program. 

We believe it is high time 

that the contributions that 

people with disabilities are 

able to make in our workforces 

and in society in general be 

recognized, and we are pleased 

to have the opportunity to 

raise awareness in this area 

5G mobile data 

plans with 

Huawei Mate20X 

VIVA Bahrain launched 

their state-of-the-art Set 

top box, Jawwy TV HOME in 

collaboration with Intigral. 

Following the successful 

offering of its superfast 5G 

home broadband plans and 

devices, VIVA Bahrain has 

introduced 5G mobile data 

plans for its Postpaid and 

Prepaid customers enabling 

through our words and more 

importantly through our 

actions. "Zain has decided 

to position the introduction 

and development of disability 

issues within the workplace 

as a priority task that is part of 

our Diversification & Inclusion 

vision, and we will work with 

organizations and partners 

who are experts in this field 

to further strengthen this new 

strategy." 

Zain's Disability 

Inclusion program will adopt 

commitments 5, 6, 9 and 10 

from the ILO Global Business 

and Disability Network Charter 

as detailed below: 

5. Open up routes to economic 

empowerment and financial 

inclusion so that persons with 

disabilities can enjoy decent 

work and achieve financial 

independence. This will mean 

creating more and better jobs, 

providing social protection, 

ensuring the necessary skills 

training, making workplaces 

accessible and hiring people 

with disabilities. 

6. Revolutionize the availability 

and affordability of appropriate 

assistive technology, including 

digital, which will enable 

persons with disabilities to 

fully participate and contribute 

to society. 

9. Gather and use better data 

and evidence to understand 

and address the scale, and 

them to fully experience the 

next-generation technology. 

The new VIVA plans available 

on Huawei device Mate20X 

will be offered with the highest 

5G service speeds on the most 

technologically-advanced 

network in Bahrain. 

Customers can activate the 

new 5G service addon for BD 

5 starting 15th July, using the 

code *98037#, or log onto the 

VIVA mobile app or visit any 

VIVA shop. 

With an aim to deliver 

unprecedented digital 

nature, of challenges faced 

by persons with disabilities, 

using tested tools including the 

Washington Group Disability 

Question Sets. 

10. Hold ourselves and others 

to account for the promises 

we have made here today. 

We agree that our individual 

commitments will be reviewed, 

assessed and published on a 

regular basis, with the results 

published online. 

Maryam Saif, Chief 

Diversity and Inclusion Officer 

at Zain Group said, "We have 

spent the first two quarters 

of this year preparing for 

our approach to Disability 

Inclusion in our region. With 

collective research, feedback 

and advice from people with 

disabilities and representative 

organizations, we are 

implementing our strategy, 

with an emphasis on the 

development of a framework 

that will guide the integration 

of people with disabilities into 

our company policies and 

culture." 

Many countries across the 

MENA region have minimum 

quotas on the percentage of 

employees with disabilities, 

and Zain is committed to 

fulfilling and exceeding current 

quotas as well as investing 

in the training and further 

development of affected 

individuals. 

experience on its 5G network, 

VIVA Bahrain continues to 

pioneer advanced technologies 

and introduce new products 

and services that enables 

customers to enjoy exceptional 

coverage, high-quality content 

and IoTenabled 

applications. 


CIBAFI – Ivey Business School 

Executive Programme on Strategic Thinking, Agile Leadership 

and Curiosity, and Application of FinTech Innovations 

5 - 6 November 2019 

Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain 

Engage in interactive team exercises and 

capstone experience to challenge mental 

constraints and re-imagine customer 

experience. 

For registration, contact CIBAFI Secretariat at 

events@cibafi.org 

Tel: +973-17357300 

Fax: +973-17324902

Highlights | Real Estate 

Accor to debut 

Raffles brand in 

Bahrain 

Accor, a world-leading 

augmented hospitality 

group, is set to debut the 

iconic Raffles brand in 

Bahrain after signing a 

milestone agreement with 

GFH Financial Group (GFH) 

to manage the Kingdom’s 

first ultra-luxurious retreat 

consolidates Accor’s presence 

in Bahrain where it currently 

operates six properties. 

Raffles Hotels & Resorts 

is renowned for bringing 

old world elegance, first 

class travel experiences and 

genuine charm to the world’s 

most fascinating cities and 

desirable holiday hot spots 

since 1887. Raffles Bahrain 

will continue this legacy with 

a landmark takeover of the 

Al Areen Palace & Spa. This 

highly anticipated private 

resort features 78 pool villas 

as well as the region’s largest 

spa and hydrotherapy facility 

and landscaping inspired by 

the Arabian palace gardens. 

Major enhancements will 

transform the property into 

an exclusive and opulent 

oasis that immerses guests 

in Raffles’ bespoke well-being 

experiences. 

Major enhancements will 

transform the property into an 

exclusive oasis for the welltravelled, 

promising guests 

hand-crafted personalised 

experiences, with a focus 

on health and well-being, 

thoughtful and discreet 

service, unparalleled culinary 

expertise and an ambiance of 

timeless elegance for which 

the Raffles brand is globally 

renowned. 

Following its takeover of 

Al Areen Palace & Spa, Accor 

will conduct an extensive 

refurbishment program with 

a view to repositioning the 

property as the ultimate 

luxury retreat, complemented 

by its proximity to major 

venues and attractions 

including Bahrain 

International F1 Circuit, the 

new Bahrain Exhibition 

and Convention Centre, 

Al Areen Wildlife Reserve, 

Bahrain Sailing Club and 

the Lost Paradise of Dilmun 

Waterpark. 

Property enhancements 

attuned to Raffles brand 

standards will include the 

refurbishment of the 56 onebedroom 

Desert Pool Villas 

and 22 two-bedroom Royal 

Pool Villas, which feature 

open-air swimming and jet 

pools, and converting its four 

F&B outlets to six. 

With guest fitness and 

well-being central to the 

Raffles experience, the 

resort’s 10,000 sqm spa and 

hydrotherapy area, one of 

the Middle East’s largest and 

featuring 16 spa pavilions, 

the world’s first garden 

hammam and a hydrothermal 

garden, will be renovated 

and upgraded. Moreover, 

extensive health facilities 

including separate male and 

female gymnasiums, the kids’ 

club and indoor and outdoor 

swimming pools will see 

uplift and refurbishment. 

Raffles Bahrain will 

also introduce signature 

wellness experiences to the 

Kingdom, including Raffles 

Sleep Rituals, designed to 

help guests unwind, get a 

peaceful night’s rest and wake 

up feeling refreshed and part 

of the brand’s well-being 

strategy. 

Once renovations are 

complete, the property will 

then be re-launched as Raffles 

Bahrain - a luxurious, allpool-villa 

retreat in a serene 

location, complemented by 

the legendary Raffles service. 

Real estate 

Valuers to be 

regulated and 

licensed by 

RERA 

Shaikh Mohammed bin 

Khalifa Al Khalifa 

CEO, RERA 

Real estate Valuers will be 

required to apply to Real 

Estate Regulatory Authority 

(RERA) for a Valuer license 

and must meet the eligibility 

criteria in order to be granted 

a license to operate as a real 

estate valuer in Bahrain. 

Existing real estate valuers 

have until 2 November2019 

to regularise their affairs and 

apply for a real estate valuer 

licence. 

CEO of RERA, Shaikh 

Mohammed bin Khalifa 

Al Khalifa said, “Valuers 

play a very important role 

in the overall real estate 

ecosystem and therefore 

professionalizing, licensing 

and regulating this category 

is essential. When RERA 

launched on 1 March 2018 

the initial focus was on the 

licensing of Developers, 

Off-plan sales developments, 

real estate brokers and sales 

agents. In quarter four of 2018 

licensing requirements and 

regulations were extended 

to Property Managers 

and Owners Association 

Managers. 

“The more stringent 

regulation of the Valuer 

sector will be of benefit to 

the wider Bahrain economy 

and the banking / financial 

services sector in particular 

by ensuring that valid 

and reliable valuations 

are conducted by suitably 

qualified and expert licensed 

professionals. 

“RERA is introducing a 

new Valuer Classification 

model whereby Valuers 

will be licensed to value 

properties within different 

monetary bands, valuation 

bases and methods based on 

a range of criteria including 

their experience, real estate 

qualifications, competencies 

and expertise. RERA is 

working closely with leading 

international organisations 

in the valuation field, 

including the Royal Institute 

of Chartered Surveyors 

(RICS) and the International 

Valuations Standards 

Council (IVSC). The new 

RERA Valuer Classification 

model mirrors the RICS 

Professional Progression 

model thus ensuring 

accreditation by RICS, the 

prestigious international 

leader in the Valuation field. 

Strict adherence to the RICS 

qualifying requirements is 

essential to maintaining 

the integrity of the 

programme and retaining the 

international accreditation 

which ensures that those who 

complete the Valuer training 

will have a transferable and 

internationally recognised 

qualification’. 

Prospective Valuer 

Licensees are encouragedto 

visit the RERA website www. 

rera.gov.bh to obtain full 

information on the license 

application process and all 

requirements. 


Real Estate 

Mazaya 

mortgages 

with low down 

payments 

Al Salam Bank- 

Bahrain reaffirmed its 

commitment to helping 

customers realize their 

homeownership dreams. As 

a participant in the Ministry 

of Housing’s Mazaya Social 

Housing Scheme, the Bank 

offers attractive financing 

terms, including down 

payments starting from just 

BD500 and tenors of up to 25 

years. 

Mohammed Buhijji, Head 

of Retail Banking said, “As 

a socially responsible Bank, 

we are pleased to support 

initiatives such as the Mazaya 

Social Housing Scheme, which 

directly benefit Bahraini 

citizens and their families. 

Through this program, which 

brings the public and private 

sectors together to achieve 

a shared goal, we have been 

able to significantly reduce 

the time it takes for Bahrainis 

to purchase the homes they 

deserve. With the number of 

Mazaya applicants growing 

steadily each year, we 

remain committed to offering 

beneficiaries a range of 

financing solutions that meet 

their needs.” 

The Mazaya program 

provides easier access to 

mortgages and enables 

Bahrainis on the housing 

waiting list to buy directly 

from an approved list of 

projects. Under the program, 

eligible applicants can obtain 

mortgages with repayments 

capped at 25% of their income. 

To be eligible for Mazaya 

financing, applicants must 

be salaried Bahrainis with 

an approved employer and 

have a valid Mazaya eligibility 

letter. Al Salam Bank-Bahrain 

supports beneficiaries with 

property values of up to BHD 

120,000, offering Mazaya 

financing of up to BHD 81,000 

and top-up financing of up to 

BHD 38,500. 

Interested parties can 

apply at any Al Salam Bank- 

Bahrain branch or at Al 

Salam Express Center in the 

Seef area where a dedicated 

Mazaya sales team is ready 

to assist customers with the 

transaction. Customers can 

receive the approval on the 

same day provided they meet 

the eligibility requirements. 

Mortgage 

financing for 

Burj Kadi project 

Kadi Group signed MoU 

with BBK, commencing 

a strategic partnership 

agreement, through which 

BBK will provide mortgage 

financing to the customers of 

the Burj Kadi project. 

A Real-Estate 

development and services 

company based in Bahrain, 

Kadi Group has been 

successful in providing a wide 

range of services including 

property management where 

they offer quality properties 

suited for investments 

and attractive residential 

solutions. Under the terms 

of the agreement, customers 

of the Burj Kadi project who 

require funding in the form 

of mortgage loans will be 

advised to consider BBK as 

the end user funding partner. 

Sharif Adnan Yousuf, Kadi 

Group’s Executive Director 

said, “We are delighted to 

initiate this partnership 

with a reputable bank such 

as BBK which will provide 

our customers with the 

convenience they need in 

this modern day and age. Our 

main goal is to provide the 

best residential solutions at 

affordable prices for those 

who wish to own a property at 

the Burj Kadi project. 

Dr. Adel Salem, BBK’s 

Assistant General Manager of 

the Retail Banking Division 

said, “Kadi Group, a leading 

real-estate development 

and services company in 

Bahrain which has been 

offering attractive residential 

solutions which our 

customers can benefit from. 

In return, customers from 

all nationalities residing in 

the GCC who wish to own 

a property in the Burj Kadi 

project will enjoy excellent 

repayment structures at 

competitive interest rates and 

loan terms from BBK. 

Customers who are 

interested to own a residential 

property in the Burj Kadi 

project are welcome to apply 

for a mortgage loan with BBK. 

Consumer 

financing for 

Golden Gate 

Golden Gate collaborated 

with Kuwait Finance 

House, to provide off- plan 

consumer financing for its 

freehold residential tower at 

Bahrain Bay. 

The Project situated in the 

heart of Bahrain Bay consists 

of two towers containing 

746 luxurious apartments; 

and it is set to have the 

highest residential tower 

in the Kingdom of Bahrain. 

It features residential, 

commercial, retail, tourism, 

and public amenities, all 

cooled from an innovative 

and environmentally sound 

central facility. 

Khalifa Ahmed AlQoud, 

Head of Signature Segment 

at Golden Gate, said, “Golden 

Gate is considered the first 

international joint venture 

partnership between Kooheji 

Golden Gate and India’s 

Ajmera Realty and Mayfair 

Housing, and we are proud to 

be in partnership with Kuwait 

Finance House - Bahrain, one 

of the leading establishments 

in the region with a longstanding 

history of innovation 

and professionalism. Golden 

Gate is set to become a 

leading landmark in the 

region and create value to 

owners and residents, as well 

as being a means of attracting 

foreign investments to 

Bahrain.” 

Khalid Marrafi, Executive 

Manager and Head of 

Retail Banking Group at 

KFH-Bahrain, said, “Our 

collaboration with Golden 

Gate comes in line with the 

Bank’s efforts to provide 

suitable financing for our 

customers who wish to own 

their dream apartments, 

in addition to supporting 

future real estate projects in 

the Kingdom of Bahrain. We 

look forward to continue this 

approach and expand our 

partners' base in the future.” 


43

Real Estate 

Innovation and flexibility 

increasingly important to Bahrain’s 

Commercial office sector 

Commercial office stock is 

set to increase by 5% in 

2019 - according to the global 

property consulting firm 

CBRE as part of its Q3 2019 

Bahrain Market Snapshot. 

The snapshot reveals that 

Grade A and B Gross Leasable 

Area (GLA) has risen to 

1.33 million square metres, 

with the majority of supply 

within these grades in the 

Capital - with Seef District 

accommodating 41%. 

The country has been 

experiencing an imbalance 

in supply-demand since the 

global economic downturn 

almost a decade ago and 

Bilaj Al Jazair 

project 

The Bilaj Al Jazair project, 

which comes under 

Bahrain Real Estate Investment 

Company (Edamah), is a 

seafront mixed-use tourism 

and recreational development 

currently underway in Zallaq. 

The first phase of the 

project is expected to open 

by the end of this year. The 

masterplan for the 133 hectares 

of area with 3km as a public 

beach features food and 

beverage outlets, retail shops, 

hospitality, entertainment, 

leisure enterprises and 

residential components. This 

will be followed by work that 

will include a four-star hotel, 

branded boutique hotels and 

residential apartment buildings 

and will also include family 

CBRE predicts that this is set 

to continue. However, this 

does provide positive news to 

tenants as CBRE data reveals 

that average monthly rents 

have remained stable year-onyear 

at BD6 per square metre. 

The quarterly Market Snapshot 

reveals that monthly prime 

commercial rents top out at 

BD10 per square metre. 

Fitted commercial 

office space (sub 150 square 

metres) continues to be 

sought after by international 

corporates and local start-ups, 

demonstrating the success of 

recent Government initiatives 

to cultivate a business 

environment that enables 

entrepreneurs to flourish. CBRE 

also reports that serviced office 

operators are experiencing 

high demand and occupancy 

rates, which reflects current 

market needs. 

A recent, and growing 

trend that CBRE predicts 

entertainment and water sport 

activities. 

Phase two will include the 

development of a commercial 

marina housing retail and 

residential components, 

while further south will be the 

Bilaj Sea Village and Resort. 

Edamah is keen to start the 

construction of the first hotel at 

Bilaj Al Jazair during 2020. 

Also, leveling and sand 

replacement has been 

undertaken to make the 

Bahrain biggest beach, Al 

Jazair Beach a nicer and safer 

will continue in the short to 

medium term is an increase in 

the number of brands seeking 

co-working space in the 

Kingdom. This follows a global 

move towards non-traditional 

office environments - with 

flexible working and 

wellness solutions becoming 

increasingly important 

to local and international 

corporates alike. 

Heather Longden, 

Associate Director, CBRE 

Bahrain, commented, 

“Although we are continuing 

to witness subdued demand 

in commercial office space, 

there is definitely room for 

optimism, especially for 

developers and landlords that 

strive to meet the needs of the 

modern business community. 

In the short to medium term 

it will be very important for 

developers and landlords alike 

to diversify their offerings and 

ensure they provide the most 

innovative workplace solutions 

to successfully attract new 

tenants whilst retaining 

existing valued tenants.” 

place for Bahraini families 

and international visitors to 

enjoy. In addition to the beach 

regeneration, upgrading of 

existing facilities, improved 

parking and enhanced 

landscaping will be installed. 

As part of the above works, 

fencing and a vehicle entrance 

gate are being installed. 

Ultimately, the project could 

contain over 700,000 square 

metres of building floor area 

being hotels, apartments, villas, 

shops, restaurants, business 

and community facilities. 

Whilst the beach will remain 

the focus of the community, 

approximately 12 hectares 

of parks and gardens will be 

disbursed between buildings 

containing running and bike 

trails as well as active and 

passive recreational fields and 

features. 

ThaiMart - 

Thai-inspired 

shopping 

destination 

ThaiMart remains on track 

to open in the fourth 

quarter of this year in the 

iconic masterplan Diyar Al 

Muharraq. ThaiMart is set to be 

the region’s first “Thai-Inspired” 

shopping destination covering 

a 6,700 sq.m. space with around 

200 shops. The project is a 

fine and strong collaboration 

between Thailand's Vega 

Intertrade & Exhibitions LLC., 

and Bahrain counterpart Diyar 

Al Muharraq who have enjoyed 

a big success from Dragon City 

earlier. 

The solid business 

relationship between Thailand 

and Bahrain resulted in the 

birth of Thai Mart. With 

continuous economic support 

from both allies, they develop 

a long and strong cooperation 

which supports the new iconic 

Thai shopping destination. 

ThaiMart aims to provide 

a wide-range of striking Thai 

architecture, showcasing 

the trendiest and most 

exciting Thai products and 

services under one roof. It 

will also propel the shopping 

understanding with its 

impressive lineup of Thai 

retailers unsurpassed by any 

mall in Bahrain. 

ThaiMart will have a 

food court with tasteful Thai, 

international restaurants and 

regional chains. Jewellery 

zones, kids’ area and shopping 

alleys. 

The mall has made 

significant progress so far, with 

60% of their retail spaces leased 

and committed. The project 

is scheduled for handover on 

or before October 1, 2019 and 

by then the site will be open 

for most of the mall tenants to 

come in and start their fit-out 

works. 



45

Highlights | Technology 

Introducing 

‘IDENTITYX’ 

Ashar Nazim 

CEO, Aion Digital 

Aion Digital, one of the 

fastest growing FinTech 

solution provider in the GCC, 

announced its partnership 

with Daon, a global leader in 

biometric identity technology., 

to deliver a joint solution that 

transforms digital onboarding 

practices and satisfies even 

the most highly regulated 

industries and entities 

while delighting millions of 

customers across GCC’s six 

thriving markets and beyond. 

In the GCC, Aion Digital 

is already reshaping the 

customer experience for 

financial institutions in the 

region with its “digital bank in 

a box” approach to augment 

the digital capabilities of 

existing banks. Their digital 

onboarding platform not only 

allows customers to open bank 

account in under 5 minutes, 

but has also enabled banks to 

reduce the cost of customer 

acquisition by 50%. 

In July, Daon launched a 

new release of its IdentityX® 

Digital Onboarding solution, 

leveraging two decades of 

experience in state-of-theart 

biometrics and biometric 

liveness to build the most 

frictionless and fraudresistant 

customer onboarding 

experience ever conceived. 

Unlike competing products, 

Daon’s technology is proven 

to reduce abandonment and 

cut operating costs while 

satisfying even the most 

stringent AML and KYC 

compliance mandates. 

Ashar Nazim, CEO, Aion 

Digital said, “With Daon’s 

seamless ‘two-in-one’ platform 

for digital onboarding and 

authentication, banks can 

embed market-leading 

features, reduce abandonment, 

cut operating costs, and 

position themselves as 

innovators”. 

Modern 

Technology 

boosts 

Occupational 

Safety 

The potential of modern 

technology, especially 

Virtual Reality (VR), is very 

important to revolutionize 

occupational health and safety 

training in Bahrain. 

The steady growth of the 

industrial and technical labour 

market in the region leads to a 

higher possibility of workers 

encountering occupational 

hazards. In this regard, the 

Government of Bahrain pays 

close attention to occupational 

health and safety laws 

through the implementation 

of labourers rights and 

regulations to provide a safe, 

health-conscious environment 

for employees. 

The CEO of NGN International, 

Yaqoob Al Awadhi, stated that 

companies in the Kingdom 

stand to benefit from the 

development of Virtual Realitybased 

training for labour 

protection and industrial 

safety. The Kingdom of Bahrain 

has actively sought regional 

and international expertise in 

the field of occupational health 

and safety to provide workers 

with advanced protection on 

the field. 

The Occupational Safety and 

Health Council in Bahrain 

has highlighted its vision 

of working towards a work 

environment free of accidents, 

injuries and occupational 

diseases. “This requires 

intensive efforts and highlevel 

coordination among 

various concerned bodies, 

thus enhancing the concepts 

of occupational safety and 

health as a value adopted by 

developed countries, given its 

positive impact on production 

in various economic, trade and 

industry sectors. Companies 

must establish regulations 

for using work tools and 

mechanical vehicles and 

periodically evaluate safety 

supervisors in cooperation 

with civil society organizations 

and government authorities,” 

he stressed. 

The VR-courses enables the 

trainers to start emergencies 

in different sequences and 

even in parallel, giving the 

employees an opportunity 

to develop their emergency 

strategies. The safety and 

health of personnel is the 

top priority of any industrial 

enterprise, these companies 

are actively seeking ways to 

adapt modern technology to 

provide innovative training, 

which is more effective when 

compared to traditional 

methods. 

Emergency situations are 

difficult to reproduce in reality; 

however, Virtual Reality 

safety courses are based on 

immersive technologies which 

are capable of recreating 

scenarios such as work with 

high voltage equipment and 

even large fires. Accidents at 

worksites frequently occur due 

to employees being unsure 

of how to react. By training 

them with VR technology, 

will be able to study their 

reaction and educate them 

on better alternatives which 

could be life-saving in extreme 

situations. 

VR Safety Training courses 

currently make use of VR 

glasses and VR systems such 

Yaqoob Al Awadhi 

CEO, NGN International 

as helmets, joysticks and 

powerful workstations. Each 

of these formats has their 

advantages and various levels 

of immersion and mobility for 

the user. 

Blockchain Center 

of Excellence in 

Bahrain 

Thinksmart has announced 

the launch of Blockchain 

Center of Excellence in 

Bahrain, which is an initiative 

that will cover Blockchain 

Trainings, Consultancy, 

Research and Events. 

Certified Blockchain Expert 

is an ideal start for anyone 

who wants to gain a thorough 

understanding of Blockchain 

Concept, Cryptocurrency, Data 

Mining, Data Security, Smart 

Contracts etc. The successful 

completion of training provided 

with Certification from the 

International Organization 

for blockchain Research 

“The Blockchain Council”. 

The training is supported by 

Tamkeen for Bahrainis. 

The Center of Excellence 

is launched in order to work 

hand in hand with some of 

the biggest organizations in 

Bahrain who have taken a leap 

in implementing Blockchain 

Technology in the country. The 

trainings under the initiative 

not only give a much needed 

awareness of the subject to 

all concerned, but also assists 

organizations implement 

their projects faster and more 

efficiently. 


Technology 

BCFC launched 

Sustainable 

Energy finance 

initiative in 

Bahrain 

Bahrain Commercial 

Facilities Company 

(BFTC) recently launched the 

Sustainable Energy Finance 

Initiative (The Sun) for the first 

time in Bahrain, marking the 

importance of encouraging the 

use of clean energy because of 

its positive impact on reducing 

the costs of using traditional 

electricity and contribute for a 

cleaner environment. 

Dr. Adel Hubail, CEO of 

Bahrain Commercial Facilities 

Company commented, "The 

new financial scheme is based 

on the "Tenant-to-Owned" 

system, which provides an 

opportunity for the business 

sector to benefit directly and 

effectively from the installation 

of solar power systems in 

return for a monthly rent, 

which is determined by the 

size of electricity generated 

and available space in each 

building that allows the 

installation of solar panels on 

it. He noted that it is hoped that 

this product helps to reduce 

costs immediately up to 20% 

of the total consumption of 

conventional electricity.” 

The new financial product 

targets owners of all types 

of companies and property 

owners and houses in the 

Kingdom of Bahrain, and 

will provide a range of free 

services, including site study, 

the actual consumption of 

electricity calculation. Upon 

completion of the research 

and approval of the project, 

the company will design the 

optimal design to produce 

maximum power as well as 

installation and delivery, 

with a 12 year warranty 

against manufacturing 

defects and 25 years of power 

generation efficiency from 

the leading German Munich 

Reinsurance Company. The 

financial scheme includes all 

maintenance and insurance 

expenses throughout the lease 

period to ensure the most 

efficient operating conditions. 

Dr. Adel pointed out that 

the new financing product may 

be extended for seven years, 

after which the system will 

become all components free 

property of the tenant. 

He further added 

"Following extensive study of 

the most significant obstacles 

associated with the use of 

solar energy, especially the 

significant initial investment 

required of companies and 

factories intending to adopt 

solar energy, the Sustainable 

Energy Finance Initiative - 

The Sun, has been designed 

to address the barriers that 

have prevented the utilization 

of solar energy up to now. We 

are proud therefore to have 

reached agreement with Wuxi 

SUNTECH Power Co, based 

on their reputation as one of 

the top ten companies in the 

world for manufacturing solar 

panels.” 

Bahrain’s Al 

Jazira enhances 

operational 

efficiency with 

WMS 

Bahraini Security 

firm DMARC360 

partners with GCA 

DMARC360, a Bahrainbased 

technology startup, 

announced its partnership 

with the Global Cyber Alliance, 

a global community dedicated 

to eradicating cyber risk. 

DMARC360 enhances email 

deliverability with assisted 

DMARC implementation 

through an intelligent incident 

response / reporting platform. 

DMARC (Domain-based 

Message Authentication, 

Reporting & Conformance) is a 

framework mandated by global 

regulators and currently being 

adopted rapidly worldwide by 

public and private institutions. 

The recent partnership will 

enable both companies 

to collaborate collectively 

on research and security 

measures. 

Email has been the main 

channel of communication for 

organizations to reach out to 

partners, clients, prospects.. 

etc. Implementing DMARC 

and reaching a full compliance 

level ensures safer inboxes 

globally and promotes a 

Al Jazira, a Bahraini retailer 

and fast-moving consumer 

goods (FMCG) distributor, is 

automating its warehouse 

with Infor CloudSuite WMS 

(Warehouse Management 

System) by Infor, to help boost 

operational efficiency and gain 

visibility of its inventory. 

Al Jazira is expanding 

rapidly. It currently has eight 

stores and is the exclusive 

distributor for top FMCG 

brands including Heinz, L'Oreal, 

MCvities, Pinar, Hero, Mazola 

and Volvic in Bahrain. The 

company also has a fastgrowing 

food services business, 

adding to the demands placed 

on the firm’s warehouse. 

To facilitate growth across 

its businesses, Al Jazira’s 

stronger email security 

profile. One of DMARC360’s 

initiatives is to ensure DMARC 

compliance across all sectors 

within the region and enable 

the Middle East to become a 

leader in this space. 

”It gives us great pride to 

be one of the first startups in 

the region to partner up with 

GCA; I’m sure this will be a 

long-standing partnership 

that will aid and impact all 

organizations and individuals 

across the globe.” - Abdullah 

Mirza, Director of Strategy at 

DMARC360. 

The Global Cyber Alliance 

(GCA) is an international 

cross-sector initiative that 

focuses on eliminating cyber 

risk and increasing overall 

safety in cyberspace. Their key 

activities include uniting global 

communities to implement 

safe solutions for both 

individuals and organizations 

and finally measure and ensure 

optimum effectiveness. Aside 

from DMARC360, their current 

partnership network spans 

across 18 sectors and over 25 

countries, uniting like-minded 

cyber professionals and 

communities. 

senior management team 

realized that the company 

needed to automate its 

warehouse and gain full 

visibility of its inventory to 

achieve greater operational 

efficiency and oversight, 

and to improve inventory 

management. 

With the help of Infor 

CloudSuite WMS, Al Jazira 

will gain greater visibility into 

inventory, orders, equipment, 

and staff. This will increase the 

company’s ability to manage 

stock more efficiently while 

providing greater insights into 

the performance of individual 

products and offerings, and 

helping the company to 

develop strategic plans more 

effectively. 


47

Technology 

HUAWEI P30 

Pro is still 

the flagship 

champion 

The HUAWEI P30 Pro with 

massive 6.47 inch OLED 

display, the latest premium 

flagship from HUAWEI is one 

of the most coveted devices 

from the brand. The company 

has taken a step further by 

launching phones that pack 

powerful hardware, stunning 

design and user-centric 

features, all for a premium user 

experience. 

Housing the world’s first 

Leica Quad Camera setup, 

the HUAWEI P30 Pro does 

not shy away from difficult 

lighting situations, helping to 

create stunning photos and 

videos with great ease. This 

is made possible by the 40MP 

main camera with HUAWEI 

SuperSpectrum sensor, a 20MP 

Ultra-Wide angle camera, an 

8MP telephoto camera with 

SuperZoom and the HUAWEI 

Time of Flight (ToF) camera 

for rich bokeh effects. This 

powerful camera system also 

helps in shooting stunning 

videos, while also providing 

users with a new way to get 

creative with the Dual-View 

Video feature. 

Powering the HUAWEI P30 

Pro flagship is the massive 

4,200 mAh battery, which 

gives users more than a 

day of intensive use, while 

also recharging back up at 

high speeds thanks to the 

40W HUAWEI SuperCharge, 

which recharges 70% in just 

30 minutes. Users are also 

given the option of wireless 

charging, with the 15W 

HUAWEI Wireless Supercharge 

sold separately. Additionally, 

they can provide charge to 

other phones and devices with 

the HUAWEI Wireless Reverse 

Charge technology, provided 

it supports the Qi wireless 

charging standard. 

At its heart, lies the Kirin 

980, Huawei’s fastest chipset 

yet, which not only brings 

efficient performance, but 

also works towards taking 

better shots because of the 

on board AI. The chipset is 

also supported by GPU Turbo 

3.0, which enhances graphics 

for better visuals, and 8GB of 

RAM for smoother operation. 

Users can also choose between 

128GB, 256GB and 512GB 

storage options. 

It is available in Breathing 

Crystal, stunning Aurora, the 

gorgeous Amber Sunrise, 

elegant Black or the newly 

launched Pearl White. 

Samsung’s most 

powerful Galaxy 

Note 

The most powerful Galaxy 

Note ever - the Galaxy 

Note10, is the new line of 

premium smartphones that 

combines elegant design 

with powerful performance 

and productivity tools to 

help users make the most 

of every moment. Inspired 

by a generation that flows 

seamlessly between work 

and life, Note10 gives users 

the freedom to work the way 

they want and showcase their 

creative spirit, all on-the-go. 

Galaxy Note10 allows users 

to utilize state-of-the-art tools 

to capture stunning video 

and photos—allowing their 

channels, stories and posts to 

stand out and make an impact. 

A new-and-improved version 

of the S Pen is also packed into 

the Galaxy Note10, building on 

Bluetooth Low Energy-enabled 

capabilities with Air Actions, 

allowing users to control 

certain aspects of the device 

using different gestures with 

the S Pen. 

With an almost bezel-less 

edge-to-edge display – and 

a small, centred cut-out for 

the front camera, intuitive UI, 

and gorgeous colour choices, 

Galaxy Note10’s attention to 

detail leads to a more beautiful 

device and more immersive 

experience. In addition to that, 

a powerful battery, advanced 

hardware, and gamingoptimized 

features come 

together to help users perform 

at their best. 

Additionally, the Galaxy 

Note10+ lasts through the day 

with just 30 minutes of charge. 

It also comes with 256 GB and 

512GB of built-in storage, with 

the ability to add an additional 

1TB of external storage. Other 

ground-breaking capabilities 

include an expanded Samsung 

DeX, and partner integrations 

such as Microsoft all offer 

productivity solutions which 

make it easier for users to 

accomplish their goals. 

For the first time ever, 

the Galaxy Note comes in 

two sizes, while the Galaxy 

Note10 packs a 6.3-inch display 

combining the power of the 

S Pen, a the Galaxy Note10+ 

features the biggest Note 

display ever with a 6.8-inch 

display on a device that’s still 

easy to hold and use. 

The Samsung Galaxy 

Note10 is available with major 

retailers and Samsung brand 

stores in Bahrain. The device 

is offered in Aura Glow, Aura 

White and Aura Black. 

The price of the device is 

depend on memory size: 

Galaxy Note+ (512GB) BHD 465 

Galaxy Note10+ (256GB) BHD 420 

Galaxy Note10 (256GB) BHD 365 

Samsung Gulf Electronics 

is giving the chance to its 

customers in Bahrain to 

get their hands on the next 

level power Galaxy Note10 by 

trading up their old device. For 

a limited time in 2019, until 

December 31–customers can 

trade-up select models with 

selected Samsung’s partners 

and receive the best price 

based on the condition of their 

current phone. 

Tally Solutions 

reached out to 

over 1500 SMEs in 

Bahrain to spread 

awareness about 

VAT 

T 

ally Solutions, a leading 

international accounting 

and compliance software 

provider has already hosted 

over 100 seminars in the 

past few months which has 

benefited over 1,500 businesses 

to raise the level of VAT 

awareness and knowledge of 

corporations impacted by the 

new policy. 

The company aims to 

assist the SMBs to help 

understand about VAT and 

how technology adoption can 

improve their transition to 

VAT. Over the past 10 months, 

the company has been 

hosting educative forums for 

companies, especially SMEs, 

in Bahrain to acquaint them 

with the various aspects of the 

new taxation and its impact 

on business processes and 

procedures. 

In latest release 6.5.3 of 

Tally.ERP 9, customers can 

now generate Bahrain VAT 

returns in MS Word format, 

and use it to file returns on the 

NBR portal. This is supported 

for half yearly, quarterly and 

monthly returns. 


Under the Patronage of His Excellency 

Minister of Labour & Social Development 

Mr. Jameel Bin Mohamed Ali Humaidan 

Golden Trust Training and Consultancy 

x 

cordially announces 

أسبوع التمكين الوظيفي 

Career Empowerment Week 

تأثير الثورة الصناعية الرابعة على متطلبات التدريب و التعليم المهني 

The Impact of the 4th Industrial Revolution on the Training & Vocational Education Needs 

29 September - 3 October 2019 

The Diplomat Radisson Blu Hotel | Kingdom of Bahrain 

Joined by industry experts, international speakers, trainers and consultants 

Forum Objectives: 

• Empower the workforce by upskilling their competencies in line with the developments of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. 

• Review the adaptation and suitability of the future skills and competencies proposed globally and their impact on the regional 

and local training industry in creating and sustaining employment. 

• Identify solutions to the challenges faced by employers and leaders in empowering, developing and sustaining their human capital. 

• Explore the best practices of investing in youth talent development and capacity building to achieve organisational efficiency and 

productivity. 

• Spread the culture of training and vocational education among the employees and job seekers. 

Interactive Workshop Titles: 

• Understanding & Dealing with Deraillers 

• Critical & Analytical Thinking in Complex Problem Solving 

• People Management using Transformational Leadership 

• Coaching Towards Increasing Corporate Competencies & Productivity 

For more information, please contact: 

+973 17644955 | 33991881 | 36365067 

Managed By 

Strategic Partner 

Media Partners 

DAILY TRIBUNE

Highlights | Automotive 

The new 

Mercedes-AMG 

GLC 43 4MATIC 

models 

Mercedes-AMG introduced 

a comprehensive range 

of measures in a fundamental 

update of its successful GLC 

43 4MATIC SUV and Coupé 

models (combined fuel 

consumption: 10.6-10.21 l/100 

km; combined CO2 emissions: 

242-232 g/km). 

The AMG-specific radiator 

grille, the new-design lights, 

the expressive front apron 

and the broad emphasis of 

the rear end with its round 

twin tailpipe finishers add 

up to make these entry-level 

models into the world of 

Mercedes-AMG SUVs visibly 

more appealing. 

The 3.0-litre V6 biturbo 

engine now develops 

287 kW (390 hp), in other 

words 17 kW (23 hp) more 

than before. In conjunction 

with the responsive AMG 

SPEEDSHIFT TCT 9G 

transmission, the rear-biased 

AMG Performance 4MATIC 

all-wheel drive system and 

the AMG DYNAMICS agility 

control system, it has thus 

been possible to enhance the 

driving experience, as well as 

the car's agility, still further. 

The latest version of 

the MBUX infotainment 

system, with AMG-specific 

functions and displays, 

introduces an innovative 

control concept that adds to 

the vehicle's feasibility for 

everyday use, and establishes 

an even closer connection 

between vehicle, driver and 

passengers. Whether it's 

operated with the touchpad, 

Touch Control buttons on 

the steering wheel, by voice 

control or gesture control: the 

operating system of the GLC 

43 4MATIC is just as versatile 

as it is flexible. 

And needless to say, 

the trailblazing voice 

control activated with the 

words "Hey Mercedes" is 

also on board. Thanks to 

artificial intelligence, MBUX 

recognises and understands 

nearly all sentences from the 

fields of infotainment and 

vehicle operation, even if they 

are expressed indirectly. 

This is further enhanced 

by the exceptional amount of 

space provided for passengers 

and luggage, as well as by 

a comprehensive range of 

safety features. 

This mid-size 

performance SUV’s interior 

features sports seats as 

standard, which offer 

improved lateral support 

The new BMW 

X6 

The next generation of 

the successful model 

skilfully and intricately 

combines the sportiness of a 

coupé with the functionality 

of an SUV. The GLC Coupé 

impresses with its distinctive 

appearance, innovative 

driving assistance systems, 

a new engine line-up and 

the latest generation of the 

MBUX Mercedes-Benz User 

Experience multimedia 

system with its wide range of 

control options. 

The new BMW X6 blends 

the agile and versatile 

driving properties of a Sports 

Activity Vehicle with the 

head-turning looks of a 

coupé. The third-generation 

X6 employs a clean, 

exclusive design language to 

underscore its confident and 

to both the driver and front 

passenger. The upholstery, 

in black ARTICO man-made 

leather/DINAMICA microfiber 

(Leather is standard for 

GCC), has a distinctive seat 

upholstery layout with red 

topstitching. 

The GLC 43 4MATIC 

SUV and Coupé come 

with a choice of five drive 

programs: "Slippery", 

"Comfort", "Sport", "Sport+" 

and "Individual". Using these 

allows the characteristics 

of the vehicle to be 

individualised even further 

with the mere touch of a 

finger. The available range 

extends from efficient and 

comfortable to extremely 

sporty. 

commanding appearance. 

Advanced powertrain and 

chassis technology team up 

with a wealth of innovations 

to deliver a uniquely 

sporting yet also luxurious 

driving experience. Like its 

predecessor. 

The new BMW X6 has 

grown by 26 millimetres 

in exterior length over the 

outgoing model (to 4,935 

mm) and by 15 mm in width 

(to 2,004 mm). It now stands 

6 mm lower (at 1,696 mm) 

and combines dynamically 

stretched proportions 

with exceptional visual 

muscularity. The car’s 

wheelbase has increased by 

42 mm to 2,975 millimeters. 

The large, single-frame 

BMW kidney grille is the 

most striking feature of the 

front end, the outer edges 

of the kidney grille now 

approaching the headlights 

at a clearly defined angle. 

The new BMW X6 is available 

for the first time as an 

option with an illuminated 

BMW kidney grille, which 

adds an exclusive flourish 

to the exterior design. The 

illumination is activated by 

opening or closing the car, 

but the driver can switch 

it on and off manually too. 

This lighting function for the 

kidney grille is also available 

while driving. 

If the optional BMW 

Laser light with Adaptive 

LED headlights is specified, 

a BMW Laser light spotlight 

with Selective Beam 

optimizes the non-dazzling 

high beam function, whose 

range increases to around 

500 meters. 

BMW laser light can 

be identified by the blue 

x-shaped elements inside 

the signature BMW twin 

headlights. The flanks of 

the new X6 are defined by 

familiar BMW proportions, a 

crisply drawn character line, 

and the dynamic roofline. 

19-inch light-alloy wheels 

are fitted as standard, with 

other wheel variants ranging 

in size from 20 to 22 inches 

available as an option. The 

BMW X6 M50i and BMW 

X6 M50d come with 21- 

inch light-alloy wheels as 

standard. 

The new BMW X6 is 

available from launch in 

xLine and M Sport model 

variants as an alternative to 

standard specification. The 

two equipment lines each 

have their own distinctive 

design cues. 


Automotive 

Hyundai 

Palisade 2020 

First Motors, the exclusive 

distributor of Hyundai 

vehicles in Bahrain, has 

launched the all-new 2020 

Hyundai Palisade, a bold 

addition to Hyundai’s winning 

SUV range. 

Hyundai Palisade longer, 

wider and taller than the everpopular 

Hyundai Santa Fe, the 

new mid-size Palisade rides on 

an all-new SUV chassis with 

exceptional second- and thirdrow 

roominess. It offers eight 

seats, along with a generous 

cargo area and reconfiguration 

flexibility. 

The design of the 

Hyundai Palisade gives 

the vehicle an elegant look 

that is characterized by the 

Nissan Altima 

2.0-liter VC- 

Turbo engine 

Following the successful 

launch of the all-new 2019 

Nissan Altima in the Middle 

East earlier this year, Nissan 

announces availability of 

the 2.0L VC-Turbo engine for 

consumers across the region. 

The new VC-Turbo engine 

by Nissan is the world’s first 

production-ready variable 

compression (VC) ratio 

engine and delivers improved 

performance and efficiency to 

add on the Altima’s low and 

wide exterior look. The car also 

introduces an elevated luxury 

experience through its interior 

design coupled with two new 

powertrains, and advanced 

Nissan Intelligent Mobility 

features. 

The VC-Turbo engine is 

luxury SUV. From the front, 

a dominant cascading grille 

is framed by composite 

headlamps and a vertically 

connected lighting signature. 

A powerful, extended hood 

profile creates an impressive 

road presence, complemented 

by bold C-pillars and a 

panoramic glass side to convey 

spaciousness. Full volume 

over-fenders and body sides 

offer muscular detailing, and 

the rear emphasizes a wide and 

stable stance. 

The vehicle's interior 

includes power third-row 

seats that fold and unfold at 

the touch of a button, seven 

USB outlets with connections 

for every seating row, and 16 

cup holders. The audio system 

includes a Driver Talk intercom 

function, so the driver can 

speak quietly to passengers in 

the rear rows, and a Rear Sleep 

Mode that switches off the 

rear speakers while driver and 

front passenger can continue 

listening to the audio. For 

one of the most advanced 

internal combustion engines 

ever created, and continuously 

adjusts its compression ratio to 

optimize power and efficiency. 

With the availability of 

the new 4-cylinder engine, 

which replaces the previous 

generation’s 3.5-liter V6 

engine, Altima fans can now 

enjoy similar performance 

of the car while providing 

better fuel efficiency. The 

VC-Turbo provides enhanced 

performance that offers a 

double-digit percentage 

increase in fuel economy. 

In operation, the VC-Turbo 

engine offers any compression 

cool AC, Palisade also features 

an industry-first, innovative 

new roof vent diffuser design 

that offers a high degree of 

flexibility in directing air from 

the climate control to the rear 

passengers. 

The audio and navigation 

display is a generous 10.25 inch 

touchscreen in widescreen 

format, coupled with a 12.3- 

inch fully digital TFT center 

instrument cluster. Two 

Bluetooth® devices can be 

connected simultaneously, 

infotainment systems integrate 

with Android Auto and 

Apple CarPlay, and there is 

a wireless charging pad for 

compatible devices. 

On the safety side, Palisade 

has seven standard airbags: 

dual front, dual side, driver’s 

knee, and roll-over-sensing 

side curtain airbags. In 

addition, several advanced 

safety technologies are fitted, 

including driver-assistance 

features as part of Hyundai 

SmartSense. 

ratio between 8:1 (for high 

performance) and 14:1 (for high 

efficiency). The engine delivers 

248 horsepower @ 5,600 

rpm and 273 lb-ft of torque 

@ 4,000 rpm (premium fuel). 

The unit's single-scroll turbo 

ensures immediate accelerator 

responses on demand. 

Compared with the 

previous-generation Altima's 

3.5-liter V6 engine, the 2.0-liter 

VC-Turbo requires less space in 

the engine bay. The integrated 

exhaust manifold in the 

cylinder head contributes to 

the compact engine packaging, 

improves turbo response and 

enables the catalytic converter 

to heat up quickly for lower 

emissions. The engine also 

contributes to lower NVH levels. 

The VC-Turbo engine uses 

both multi-point injection and 

gasoline direct injection to 

balance efficiency and power in 

all conditions. 

Hyundai Sonata 

Hybrid 

Hyundai Motor’s solar roof 

system makes its debut 

on the Sonata Hybrid. The 

system recharges the battery 

to increase travel distance 

while preventing unnecessary 

battery discharge. The solar 

roof system, with 6 hours of 

daily charging, is expected to 

increase travel distance by an 

extra 1,300km annually. 

Hyundai also applied 

world first ASC technology to 

improve the dynamic driving 

experience and fuel economy 

of the vehicle. ASC applies 

new control logic software 

to the Hybrid Control Unit 

(HCU), which then controls 

the electric motor to align the 

rotational speeds of the engine 

and transmission, ultimately 

reducing gear shift time by 30%. 

Sonata is equipped with 

Smartstream G2.0 GDi HEV 

engine and 6-speed hybrid 

transmission. The engine’s 

power output is 152ps and 

maximum torque is 19.2kgf·m. 

The vehicle’s electric motor 

delivers power output of 38kw 

and maximum torque of 205 

Nm. Combined system power 

output is 195ps and vehicle also 

boasts combined fuel economy 

of 20.1km/l. 

The hybrid has latest high 

tech convenience features 

such as Digital Key, Forward 

Collision-Avoidance Assist, 

which is capable of pedestrian 

detection, an advanced 

active safety feature that 

alerts drivers to emergency 

situations, and braking 

autonomously if required. 

Lane Follow Assist, which 

automatically adjusts steering 

to help keep the vehicle 

centered in its lane of travel. 


51

Automotive 

MG’s spacious 

new compact 

sedan 

MG Motor’s all-new MG5 

is on sale across the 

Middle East with prices 

from USD 9,900 for the entry 

level model up to USD 12,600 

(excluding VAT) for the top of 

the range. Ensuring that the 

region’s car buyers will no 

longer have to compromise 

when choosing a compact 

sedan, the all-new MG5 brings 

together spacious sporty 

styling with an impressive 

list of hi-tech features and 

entertaining performance and 

handling. 

The new MG5 is totally 

new from the ground-up, with 

a sporty look that perfectly 

suits those with an active 

lifestyle. At the front, the 

lightening blade design LED 

headlights, daytime running 

lights and chrome Wingspan 

grille make a strong visual 

statement, while the double 

curve of the side panels 

serves to accentuate the new 

model’s sports credentials. 

Designed with the techsavvy 

millennial audience in 

mind, the MG5 is equipped 

with a raft of cutting-edge 

features. The on-board 

infotainment system 

includes a 10.1-inch touch 

screen, Apple CarPlay and 

Android Auto. Cruise control 

comes as standard, while 

push button start, keyless 

entry, a panoramic sunroof, 

electrically adjustable seats 

with manual lumbar support 

for both driver and passenger, 

a rear-view camera and a 

360o surround-view camera 

for ultimate safety are also 

available, depending on 

model. 

Despite sitting in the 

highly competitive compact 

Massive savings on JLR APPROVED 

pre-owned vehicles 

Jaguar Land Rover Bahrain 

makes purchasing an 

APPROVED Certified Pre- 

Owned vehicle as easy as 

possible by providing savings 

of up to 7,000 BHD on various 

models. 

With the showroom 

dedicating an entire floor 

only for the APPROVED 

models, customers have the 

convenience of browsing 

through the entire range 

available in one place 

with ease. The showroom 

houses all the latest models 

in varying specifications, 

ensuring that customers can 

drive away with their dream 

vehicle that is unique. 

The Jaguar Land Rover 

Bahrain customer promise 

on all APPROVED pre-owned 

vehicles includes: 

• Minimum 2 Year 

Warranty: Designed 

sedan sector, the MG5 is 

particularly roomy. At 

4601mm long, 1818mm wide, 

1489mm high, and with a 

2680mm wheelbase and 512 

litre boot, the new model 

benefits from best-in-class 

interior space. 

MG5 comes with a lively 

yet efficient 1.5L petrol engine 

delivering max power of 118hp 

and up to 150 Nm of torque, 

and mated to a fuel efficient 

CVT. An entertaining driving 

experience is bolstered 

by MG’s XDS system for 

enhanced cornering, a choice 

of three steering models and 

ESP traction control across all 

trims. 

MG5 passive safety 

features include a hightensile 

steel cage-style 

body, the use of advanced 

laser brazing technology 

to enhance overall vehicle 

strength and stiffness 

powered by curtain airbags. 

An auto-hold function, ABS, 

EBD and a corner brake 

control all contribute to active 

safety. 

specifically for Jaguar 

and Land Rovers less 

than five years old and 

with less than 145,000 

km at the time of 

purchase. 

• Minimum 2 Year, 24/7 

Roadside Assistance: 

Roadside Assistance 

is in place to give a 

customer complete 

reassurance and a 

truly seamless service, 

when required. It 

covers all eventualities; 

from a breakdown or 

an accident to minor 

emergencies such as a 

puncture or lost keys. 

• 165 Multi-point 

Inspection: With trained 

technicians using the 

latest technologies, 

the best diagnostic 

equipments and 

following a stringent 

checklist of 165 

inspection processes, 

customers are ensure 

that their vehicle is in 

optimum electrical and 

mechanical condition. 

• Certified Mileage and 

History Check: All 

APPROVED vehicles 

come with a Certified 

Mileage and Ownership 

History to ensure that 

there is no finance 

outstanding on the 

vehicle 

• Road Test: Vehicles 

undertake a road 

test during which 

our technicians 

look to assess the 

unique performance 

characteristics of each 

vehicle. For instance, 

suspension, vibration, 

braking systems, 

engine performance, 

transmission and nine 

other specific areas are 

monitored to ensure 

the vehicle's optimum 

performance. 

• Independent Inspection: 

To maintain the 

high standards, an 

independent inspection 

of our services, facilities 

and staff is undertaken. 

This covers all aspects 

of the APPROVED 

Programme from a 

customer's perspective, 

from the facilities to the 

vehicles themselves. 

Ensuring that all 

customer needs are met, 

Jaguar Land Rover Bahrain 

also presents the entire range 

of APPROVED models on 

its website. Customers can 

get complete information, 

including cost details and 

financial service options, on 

every APPROVED vehicle 

available through the 

website. 


TRANSFORMING 

PROCESS ENGINEERING 

THROUGH INNOVATION 

14 - 16 October 2019 

Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre 

The premier process engineering event in the Middle East 

Now in its 5 th edition, MEPEC is the meeting place for groundbreaking innovations as oil and 

gas companies seek to remain competitive, in terms of cost and efficiency, sustainability and 

attracting their next generation of workers. 

www.mepec.org 

The World Petroleum Council launches its first downstream conference 

The WPC Downstream Conference is a global forum that brings together the strategic 

refining and petrochemical leadership to debate the integrated approach to optimal delivery 

of the building blocks for human progress. 

www.wpcdownstream.org 

The leading Awards & Symposium for women in the energy industry in the 

Middle East 

LEWAS honors talented women, address pressing issues, develop better opportunities and 

create long-lasting partnerships across the industry and beyond. 

www.lewa-symposium.org 

Industry Initiatives – Ensuring the future success of the industry 

Witness Chemical Engineering 

students from Universities compete 

for the only AIChE Chem-E-Car 

competition in the Middle East. 

ChemME 

ENGage the Youth 

An initiative that will attract a large 

number of students and early career 

professionals from the MENA region. 

2017 

Showcase your startup, demonstrate 

novel techniques and cutting-edge 

innovations at MEPEC. 

Prime Sponsors 

Official Sponsors 

Platinum Sponsor 

Gold Sponsors 

Silver Sponsors 

GET INVOLVED! Contact us at info@mee-events.com l + 971 September-October 4 427 0739. 2019 

53

Highlights | Other Business 

World's largest 

Underwater 

Theme Park ‘Dive 

Bahrain’ opens 

The largest underwater 

theme park, Dive Bahrain, 

recently opened for public. 

The initial phase of the 

project has been completed 

recently by submerging a 

70-meter long Boeing 747, 

20-22 meters below the water 

North of Bahrain, to become 

the first attraction of the 

100,000 m2 theme park area. 

Prior to the official 

opening, the dive park was 

also inspected by a group of 

diving professionals from 

registered dive centers, who 

were able to ensure all safety 

requirements are fully met 

to guarantee a safe diving 

experience and environment 

necessary for the public. 

The underwater theme 

park is considered the largest 

in the world and aims to 

further boost tourism within 

the strategy of Bahrain 

Tourism Authority (BTA) 

to promote the sector by 

availing of beaches and 

islands in Bahrain. The 

park’s location was chosen 

according to the highest 

marine environment safety 

standards in consultation 

with the registered dive 

centers, which were 

able to ensure all safety 

requirements are fully met 

to guarantee a safe diving 

experience and environment 

necessary for the public. 

Those who want to 

go for underwater dive 

experience can book with 

any of the registered dive 

centers listed on the website 

www.divebahrain.com. 

The listed centers are the 

only registered centers, 

and have all participated 

in an orientation dive and 

are familiarised with key 

rules and regulations in 

preparation to organise trips 

to the park and offer a safe 

and enjoyable experience to 

the public. 

The dive park will 

include several structures in 

addition to the aircraft, such 

as a replica of a traditional 

Bahraini pearl merchant’s 

house, which is being 

overseen and sponsored 

by Diyar Al Muharraq, an 

artificial coral reef and 

other sculptures that will be 

fabricated and submerged to 

provide a safe haven for coral 

reef growth and a habitat for 

sustainable marine life. 

The eco-friendly park 

will also provide researchers 

with rich information and 

data on marine ecology and 

biology, and will enhance 

environmental awareness on 

the importance of preserving 

marine life. 

AWS Summit 

Bahrain 

AAmazon Web Services 

(AWS) Summit in Bahrain 

took place on September 

15th, bringing technologists 

together to connect, 

collaborate, and learn more 

about AWS. With the recent 

launch of the AWS Middle 

East Region in Bahrain, the 

summit was an opportunity 

for attendees to learn more 

about the new infrastructure 

and how they can benefit 

from it to innovate and grow. 

The full day summit also 

included various educational 

and training sessions 

on topics ranging from 

getting started on AWS, to 

deep dives into innovative 

cloud technologies such 

machine learning, serverless 

computing, data analytics, 

and much more. 

Teresa Carlson, Vice 

President, Worldwide Public 

Sector, AWS, highlighted 

how the newly launched 

regional data centers bring 

flexible, affordable, reliable, 

and secure cloud computing 

technologies close to end 

users in the Middle East, 

helping organizations 

speed up their digital 

transformation initiatives 

and more rapidly innovate 

for the citizens of the 

region. The keynote also 

featured AWS customer 

presentations by Shaikh 

Salman bin Mohammed 

Al Khalifa, Deputy CE, 

Operations and Governance, 

Bahrain Information and 

eGovernment Authority; 

Sael AlWaary, Deputy Group 

CEO, Bank ABC; and Ahmed 

Hamadan, CEO and co- 

Founder, Unifonic. 

The day also included 

a We Power Tech panel 

discussion, bringing 

together leading women in 

technology who are driving 

digital transformation across 

organizations in the Middle 

East powered by diversity 

and inclusion. The panel 

included Huda Ahmed 

Mohsen, Chief of Information 

Technology at Bahrain 

Ministry of Information and 

Authority; Louise Blake, 

VP Data, Seera Group; Mais 

Rihani, Chief Technology 

Officer at Aramex; and 

Sameera Mohammed Al 

Atawi, Information and 

Communications Technology 

Director at the American 

University of Bahrain. 

In July, AWS announced 

the opening of the AWS 

Middle East (Bahrain) Region. 

With this launch, AWS 

now spans 69 Availability 

Zones within 22 geographic 

regions around the world. 

The new AWS Middle East 

(Bahrain) Region offers 

three Availability Zones. 

AWS Regions are composed 

of Availability Zones, 

which each comprise at 

least one data center and 

are located in separate 

and distinct geographic 

locations with enough 

distance to significantly 

reduce the risk of a single 

event impacting business 

continuity, yet near enough 

to provide low latency for 

high availability applications. 

Each Availability Zone has 

independent power, cooling, 

and physical security and 

is connected via redundant, 

ultra-low-latency networks. 

AWS customers focused on 

high availability can design 

their applications to run in 

multiple Availability Zones 

to achieve even greater faulttolerance. 

AWS infrastructure 

Regions meet the highest 

levels of security, compliance, 

and data protection. 


Other Business 

KAIE adds FERM 

Power Tools to 

growing portfolio 

Kanoo Automotive & 

Industrial Equipment 

(KAIE), a subsidiary of 

Ebrahim K. Kanoo, celebrated 

the addition power tools 

professionals to its portfolio; 

FERM, is an internationally 

renowned power tool brand 

from the Netherlands, which 

specialises in designing and 

developing high quality power 

tools for use in the fields of 

sawing, drilling, sanding, 

cutting, grinding and milling. 

The power tools are all 

Kanoo Travel 

& American 

Express GBT 

form joint 

venture 

Kanoo Travel, one of 

the largest travel 

management networks in the 

Middle East, and American 

Express Global Business 

Travel (GBT), the world’s 

leading business partner 

for managed travel, have 

entered into a definitive 

agreement for GBT to acquire 

a controlling stake in Kanoo 

Travel. GBT will form a joint 

venture with Kanoo Travel to 

provide managed travel and 

events services to clients 

in the Middle East. Kanoo 

Travel, which has been a 

key member of GBT’s global 

travel partner network for 

many years, operates in 

the United Arab Emirates, 

Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain 

and Oman. The transaction 

designed and tested according 

to strict European standards 

and comply with the latest 

safety requirements. 

KAIE head of operations 

Sudhindra Kalibhat, said, “KAIE 

works diligently to introduce 

the best and most efficient 

tools to our customers in the 

automotive and heavy industry 

fields, and also have a growing 

portfolio of products that can 

benefit individuals and small 

enterprises. FERM has a strong 

reputation in the power tools 

market and their design and 

technology is trusted globally.” 

Currently, FERM exports 

their power tools to more than 

45 countries worldwide and is 

expanding fast towards being a 

global leader in power tools. 

FERM CEO; Rick Rosberg 

commented; “We are proud to 

have KAIE as our exclusive 

distributor for the Kingdom 

Nabeel Khalid Kanoo 

President, Kanoo Travel 

is subject to receipt of 

regulatory approvals and 

customary conditions and is 

expected to close in Q4 2019 

or early Q1 2020. 

GBT will hold 65% of 

the new joint venture, 

headquartered in Dubai, 

and assume management 

and operational control of 

the business. YBA Kanoo 

Group, Kanoo Travel’s mother 

company will hold the 

remaining 35% stake in the 

joint venture. 

Meanwhile, Kanoo Travel 

President Nabeel Khalid 

Kanoo said that for more 

of Bahrain because of their 

strong position in the local 

market and both companies 

share the same long-term 

market vision. Our power 

tools, made for professional 

and industrial usage, fit 

perfectly in the current product 

portfolio of KAIE. Kanoo has 

a broad assortment of FERM 

professional power tools and 

spare-parts available for the 

Bahrain market. 

KAIE was established in 

1990 and is the sole distributor 

of more than 40 world 

renowned brands, providing 

high quality automotive and 

industrial equipment as 

well as tools. In addition to 

aftersales support such as 

installation, service and annual 

maintenance, KAIE offers 

customers consultation and 

expertise of highly qualified 

sales engineers. 

than 70 years, Kanoo Travel 

has provided innovative 

travel management solutions 

across the region. “GBT’s 

global clients, many of 

whom we already service, 

stand to benefit from a more 

consistent global offering 

because of this JV. 

“Our own clients in the 

Middle East will profit in 

the long term from having 

access to GBT’s total travel 

and expense ecosystem, 

proprietary technology and 

global reach. Our people 

are also excited by the 

possibilities that come with 

being part of the world’s 

most recognisable business 

travel brand. 

“Backed by one of the 

largest independent, familyowned 

companies in the 

Gulf, YBA Kanoo; Kanoo 

Travel offered dependable, 

compliance-driven, and 

cost effective services 

that exceed customers’ 

expectations. 

MODA Mall 

secures new 

global brands 

Bahrain’s luxury shopping 

destination, MODA Mall 

continues to lead in high-end 

retail with four new tenants 

added to its thoughtfully 

curated luxury line-up of over 

80 fashion and 50 jewellery 

international and local brands 

available through 150 outlets 

in the mall. 

MODA Mall is always on 

the drive to attract brands 

from across the world that are 

unique and complements the 

lifestyle of its shoppers, with 

high-end shoes, bags, fashion, 

jewellery, and watches 

considered to be the engine 

of global spending by affluent 

and millennial shoppers, 

most evident amongst the 

GCC consumers. Being at 

the forefront of driving 

luxury retailing in Bahrain, 

the mall has successfully 

secured three lifestyle 

brands as tenants, Tumi - a 

global travel brand offering 

premium leather products 

and accessories, S.T. Dupont - 

a French luxury manufacturer 

of leather goods; and LodinG 

- a high-quality shoes and 

menswear apparel brand. 

Adding to this, the mall 

has also expanded with 

tenant portfolio of brands 

offering personalised luxury 

items and services with the 

opening of the exclusive 

Rolex Service Centre offering 

professional maintenance 

and care for Rolex watches. 

As for enhancing its food & 

beverage offerings, having 

recently introduced the 

Flat White café, the mall 

will further be looking into 

bringing in more high-end 

dining experiences and ‘grab 

& go’ stores to increase the 

choice of culinary options for 

its visitors. 


55

Other Business 

The Ritz- 

Carlton, Bahrain 

launches The 

Arena 

The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain 

announced the debut of 

its new Arena in partnership 

with the Maestra Group. The 

new 43,000 square foot, stateof-the-art 

conference and 

exhibition facility includes 

full capabilities to host global 

conferences, large receptions, 

award ceremonies, weddings 

as well as bespoke meetings. 

Overlooking the Arabian 

Gulf in the heart of Manama's 

Seef district, The Ritz-Carlton, 

Bahrain offers all the amenities 

of a modern, fast-moving 

business hub and hotel in a 

beautiful resort setting, as well 

as being only 20-minutes from 

Bahrain International Airport 

and major tourist attractions. 

The new Arena facility adds 

to the resort’s existing MICE 

offerings, which includes 

two boardrooms, two grand 

ballrooms, and numerous 

intimate meeting spaces, 

totalling over 90,000sq ft. Each 

event, however big or small, 

also benefits from worldrenowned 

Ritz-Carlton service, 

with the addition of full-board 

or half-board group catering 

and conference options. 

Overseen by awardwinning 

design, technical and 

scenic production specialist, 

Maestra Group, the venue is 

set to be the most sought-after 

space in the region. Boasting a 

capacity of 4,200 people and an 

instinctive design means it is 

capable of hosting a variety of 

events from banquet receptions 

to global conferences. A 

platform to deliver diverse and 

innovative events including 

international trade shows, car 

launches, weddings, seminars 

and music concerts, and 

due to its adaptability and 

functionality, no two events 

will be the same. 

Bahrain’s First 

fully dedicated 

Franchise 

service providers 

In the Arabian Gulf, The 

Quality domestic franchises 

were few and far between, and 

were largely seen as inferior to 

their predominantly western 

counterparts, who took full 

advantage of the resulting 

seller’s market in the last few 

decades. 

All that has changed quite 

dramatically. Today, local and 

expatriate entrepreneurs are 

churning out food and retail 

concepts that are original, 

regionally relevant and even 

audacious. Many are on a 

roll and have sold multiple 

franchises within the GCC and 

beyond. 

As a result, the western 

franchisors aspiring to operate 

in this part of the world 

increasingly face a serious 

challenge from local brands, 

few GCC countries like the 

Bahrain is still underserved 

in the home-grown local 

franchise development sector 

and our goal is to change that. 

But, Thanks to major public 

and private sector initiatives, 

people in the Gulf are more 

informed about franchising 

than at any other time in the 

past. Franchising events, 

workshops and seminars are 

widely accessible and facilitate 

informed decision making, 

especially with regard to 

domestic franchise options. 

Investing in a home-grown 

franchise headquartered 

in the region, the increased 

availability of quality 

consulting services has 

made development of one’s 

own original concept a very 

feasible option. Hence, in a 

way, overseas franchisors 

with limited local recognition 

are also competing with 

businesses that haven’t 

even started yet, with many 

potential brands making 

its way into franchise 

development in the region, 

Team FranOvia’s Goal is 

to encourage and develop 

Bahrain’s home-grown brands 

into the global franchise 

system benefiting the brand 

recognition and the economic 

development of the country as 

we are headquartered in the 

Kingdom of Bahrain. 

As the region embraces the 

democratization of franchising, 

the playing field will keep 

levelling out and merit, not 

origins will continue to have 

the bigger say. And that can 

only be good news for any 

franchisor worth his salt. 

In short, we’re franchise 

consultants and our main 

function is to help businesses 

to expand by franchising - 

it’s what we’re all about! We 

work along with business to 

develop successful franchise 

systems and support them in 

global expansion, FranOvia’s 

Marketing Division is a fully 

integrated digital marketing 

agency specializing in inbound 

and outbound marketing 

programs - to deliver real and 

measurable results of the most 

effective digital strategies to 

drive more traffic, qualified 

leads to your business. 

Carrefour open 

new Hypermarket 

in Jawad Dome 

C 

arrefour, which is 

operated in Bahrain by 

Majid Al Futtaim, recently 

opened its most sustainable 

hypermarket yet in Barbar’s 

iconic Jawad Dome. 

Free from single-use 

plastic bags at cash counters, 

the branch will offer cassavabased 

alternatives instead 

which are bio-degradable in 

months, contain no petroleum 

element and are non-GMO 

certified. 

Apart from cassava 

bags, customers can opt for 

reusable bags which are sold 

at a nominal price of 0.300 fils 

each and come with a lifetime 

replacement guarantee. The 

store itself also incorporates 

several energy efficient 

features. 

Jerome Akel, Country 

Manager of Carrefour 

in Bahrain said “Much 

consideration has gone into 

the development of this store 

as part of our journey to 

become net positive in carbon 

and water by 2040, from its 

physical attributes like using 

energy efficient LED lighting, 

to the range of eco-friendly 

products in stock. We hope 

that this new branch can 

inspire our customers make it 

easier for them to lead more 

sustainable lifestyles.” 

The new hypermarket 

features several signature 

concepts including a honey, 

olive and nuts counter, in 

addition to a new Food-2- 

Go section complete with 

freshly prepared sushi, baked 

goods, pizza, shawarma, 

tahina, cashew butter and 

more. It will also have a 

dedicated stand of Bahraini 

Halwa made by renowned 

confectioner, Hussain Moh’d 

Showaiter. 



57

Biz Dashboard 

TRA Market Indicators Q2 2019 

Mobile subscribers: 

2,086,839 

Average Usage: 

232 minutes 

Penetration: 

139% 

Mobile Prepaid 

Subscribers: 

1,435,790 

% of Prepaid of 

Mobile Market: 

68.8% 

Mobile Postpaid 

Subscribers: 

651,049 

% of Postpaid of 

Mobile Market: 

31.2% 

Fixedline 

subscribers: 

226,004 

Penetration: 

15% 

Average Domestic 

Minutes: 

132 minutes 

Market Share for PR Coverage 

Banking 39% 20% 18% 13% 7% 3% 

Others CBB NBB KFH ASB BBK 

Telecom 30% 27% 20% 15% 8% 

Batelco TRA Zain VIVA Kalaam 


Broadband 

Subscribers 

2.33 Million 

Broadband 

Penetration Rate 

156% 

Fixed Wired 

Subscribers: 

86% 

Fixed Wireless 

Subscribers: 

14% 

Outgoing Mobile 

Inter. Minutes: 

399,832,607 

Outgoing Fixed 

Inter. Minutes: 

1,299,749 

Total Data Traffic 

167 Petabyte 

Fixed Broadband Traffic 

95 Petabyte 

Mobile Broadband Traffic 

72 Petabyte 

Avrg. Traffic Per 

subscription: 

24 GB 

Avrg. Fixed Traffic: 

161 GB 

Avrg. Mobile Traffic: 

11 GB 

Source: Bahrain Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) 

Real Estate 53% 19% 15% 7% 4% 2% 

Others Diyar Al Muharraq Golden Gate Eagle Hills 

Manara Dilmunia 

Other Business 40% 16% 14% 12% 10% 8% 

Others ALBA GPIC BAC/BAS Gulf Air 

E.K. Kanoo 

bizbahrain.com - Web Portal Overview as on August 2019 Total Articles (20,158) Total Views 

September-October 

(4,158,813) Total 


Visitors (895,269) 59

Listing | Tender Board Bahrain 

Company Name 

Tender Subject Tender No. Tender Type Closing Date 

Ministry of Works, 

Municipalities Affairs 

and Urban Planning 

(Saudi Fund for 

Development) 

Alfateh Highway Upgrade 

(Main Works) 

RFP/MOW-SFFD/2019/11 Public 04/12/2019 


Authority (Planning and 

Studies) 

Water Transmission Augmentation 

Works for Madinat Salman (AMAS) 

and Ramli Housing Developments- 

Water Station Works 

(Lot A and Lot B) 

RFQ/EWAPlan/2019/22 Public 27/11/2019 

Bahrain Petroleum 

Company (Bapco) 

Purchase of Five (5) Portable 

Marine Fuel Stations 

RFQ/Bapco/2019-421 Public 06/11/2019 


Authority 

Invitation for Pre-Qualification of 

Local Contractors for Measured Term 

Contract for Geophysical & Land 

Survey Works in Water & Electricity 

Distribution Directorates 

RFI-PQ/20193924215146 Public 06/11/2019 

Ministry of Health 

Providing (8) Office Boy to Work in 

the Various Administrative Offices 

in the Ministry 

RFP201912426215740 Public 30/10/2019 

Bahrain Tourism & 

Exhibition Authority 

(BTEA) 

Manama Souq Shop-front 

Maintenance & Modification of 275 

Shops 

RFP/BTEA/134/2019 Public 30/10/2019 

Bahrain Real Estate 

Investment (Edamah) 

Leasing Partial Land in Samaheej 

RFP/Edamah/2019/88 Public 30/10/2019 

Bahrain Petroleum 

Company (Bapco) 

Provision of Site Investigation and 

Materials Testing Services 

RFP/Bapco/2019-549 Public 30/10/2019 

Central Stores 

Directorate - EWA 

Station Bus Coupling Module for 

RPS Strategies Project 

CSD-837 Public 23/10/2019 


Circuit 

Tender for the Rental of Giant 

Viewing Screens 

BIC/86/2019 Public 16/10/2019 

Source: www.tenderboard.gov.bh 

www.arabianindustry.com/tenders 


UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF HIS MAJESTY KING HAMAD BIN ISA AL KHALIFA, KING OF THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN 

Winner 

BEST TRADE SHOW OVER 

10,000SQM IN THE MIDDLE EAST 

MESE 2018 AWARDS 

معرض ومؤتمر البحرين الدولي للدفاع 

Bahrain International Defence 

Exhibition & Conference 

10,000 + 

visitors 

bahrain’s premier international 

tri-service defence show 

28 - 30 October 2019 

Bahrain International Exhibition & Convention Centre 

Fully-Hosted VIP 

Delegation Programme 

200 + 

Exhibiting Companies 

5 Off-site Activities + 

Strategic Military Conference 

Officially Supported by 

Knowledge Partner 

Bahrain Defence 

Force 

Royal Bahrain 

Air Force 

Royal Guard 

Royal Bahrain 

Naval Force 

National Guard 

Ministry of 

Foreign Affairs 

Ministry of 

Information Affairs 

Platinum Sponsors 

Gold Sponsor 

Silver Sponsor 

Media Partner 

In Conjunction with 

Organised by 

MEMTEC 

MIDDLE EAST MILITARY 

TECHNOLOGY CONFERENCE

BizBahrain Magazine Sep-Oct 2019_compressed

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