Information & communications technology

Bahrain is the complete package

Bahrain’s market, although small, hosts a range of IT companies within the areas of IT services, IT distribution, IT consultancy, software developers and customer support centres. Ranked the first in MENA for ICT readiness, Bahrain offers the most competitive and affordable ICT services in the region.

Being the first regionally to fully deregulate its telecommunications market, Bahrain is now looking to build cloud first policy regulations. Wherein, Bahrain’s government is committed to accelerate the transition onto the cloud.

Bahrain offers various benefits including a business friendly regulatory environment, great access into the regional market, a robust ICT infrastructure, a cost competitive location, the availability of skilled human capital and various office setup options.

Business friendly regulatory framework

100%

ICT companies established in Bahrain are allowed to have 100% foreign ownership
0%

Bahrain also has 0% tax (corporate and personal tax), it is the most liberal tax regime in the gulf.

4

Submarine fiber optics systems
2

Terrestrial dark fiber systems
Bahrain offers bandwidth to connect to regional nodes in MENA, Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Australia

11^th

globally for Telecoms Infrastructure by the UN (2016)
1^st

in MENA in ICT readiness, Bahrain offers nationwide high speed 4G LTE network

As a pioneer within the region, Bahrain was the first country in the GCC to fully deregulate its telecommunications market.

Access to the market

Bahrain lies at the heart of the Arabian Gulf, providing fast and efficient access to a $1.5 trillion market. The regional route network & Bahrain’s central location allows easy access to the regional market.
The value of the total IT market in the Middle East is forecasted to reach USD 200 bn in 2017. The region presents various opportunities in a range of different sectors including:

Digital content & e-commerce

USD 200bn

MENA’s e-commerce sector will grow from USD20 bn in 2017 to USD 200 bn in 2020
13% p.a

The online gaming market is growing at 13% p.a. and mobile gaming at 18% p.a.
USD 4bn

The MENA region’s digital media market is forecasted to triple in size to USD 4bn by 2020

Cybersecurity

The average financial loss in MENA due to security incidents amounts to USD 2.5 mn. Therefore, the need for cybersecurity firms in the region is becoming a pressing matter.

Cloud (datacenter & software as a service)

41% p.a.

Projected to grow at 41% p.a.
83%

By 2019, 83% of datacenter traffic in MENA will be cloud based.

Business services

USD 1.3bn

GCC is a USD 1.3bn outsourcing market
41%

Growing at 41% to USD 1.86bn by 2021

All figures are in 100’s for an office of 300sqm and 7 employees

Source: Cost of doing business in Bahrain, KPMG report 2016

Total costs in USD

Source: Cost of doing business in Bahrain, KPMG report 2016

Ready-to-go commercial office spaces at:

Bahrain Financial Harbor
Bahrain World Trade Center
Al Moayyed Tower
Fakhroo Tower

Serviced offices:

Regus
Servcorp
Alliance

Landing pads/incubators:

C5 Accelerate
Brinc
CH9
Rukn

Hub for human capital

A hub for qualified talent, Bahrain ranks 1st in Human Capital Index in the MENA region. More than 90% of the ICT workforce is bilingual and 48% of graduates from Bahraini universities come from business administration and ICT courses.

Bahrain provides companies a great opportunity to build teams that match their needs.

As a result of Bahrain’s liberal business environment and visa system, companies are able to hire local and international hires to better service their regional clients.

Tamkeen, a semi-government organization bolstering the private sector, offers salary and training subsidiaries as well as grants to cover other costs (equipment, IT infrastructure, marketing).

Source: WEF – Human Capital Report 2016, Higher Education Council 2014