Bahrain Economic Development Board (Bahrain EDB), is participating in the Money20/20 Europe Forum in Amsterdam, Netherlands, from June 4 to June 6, 2024, to showcase key investment opportunities in Bahrain in addition to the latest developments and success stories in the financial services and fintech sector. Offering a prime opportunity for Bahrain EDB to connect with global thought leaders, build relationships with potential investors, and gain access to insightful discussions on the industry’s latest trends; key team members and senior executives from the Labour Fund, Tamkeen, as well as Bahrain FinTech Bay and Benefit Pay are additionally attending the industry-leading forum.
Bahrain’s 100-year-old financial services sector, one of the most established in the region, is currently the highest contributor to real GDP, standing at 17.8% in 2023. Additionally, a major contributor to employment figures, the financial services sector currently employs over 14,000, with Bahrain’s highly skilled and bilingual local workforce representing 70%.
Dalal Buhejji, Executive Director of Business Development for Financial Services at Bahrain EDB, said, “As we continue to work towards attracting investments into key sectors as part of Bahrain EDB’s mandate to foster an attractive investment environment, thereby contributing to economic growth and diversification, events like Money20/20 provide an ideal platform to showcase Bahrain’s thriving financial services ecosystem to key global decision-makers and investors. Our supportive environment, highly skilled workforce, and forward-looking regulatory frameworks continue to foster creativity, innovation, and opportunities for global investors looking to tap into the fast-growing Middle East region and beyond.”
In addition to on-ground support at the dedicated Bahrain pavilion at the forum, which aims to promote the island nation’s robust financial services and fintech sector, highlighting its competitive advantages and investment opportunities, key members of the Bahrain-based entities are attending the various panel discussions exploring topics in the likes of the current and future landscape of financial services sector worldwide. Suzy Al-Zeera, Chief Operating Officer at Bahrain FinTech Bay, is speaking at a discussion panel titled “Fintech Forges East: Trends and Partnerships in the Middle East and Turkey,” providing insight into the key factors driving growth in the MENA region, primarily the GCC, and how Bahrain is positioning itself for success and driving innovation in the region. Money20/20 is one of the premier global events for the financial services industry, with a particular focus on the rapidly expanding fintech sector, and continues to bring together key decision-makers, industry experts, and specialists in payments, financial technology, and various financial services, year after year, attracting participants from over 100 countries and facilitating more than 18,000 meetings.
