THE National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) served as a ‘Gold’ sponsor for the launch of The Business Year: Bahrain 2026, a high-profile event exploring the kingdom’s role as a global strategic gateway.
The event, titled ‘Bahrain 2026 – The Strategic Gateway for Global Business,’ gathered public and private sector leaders to discuss the country’s evolving investment landscape.
NBB Group chief executive officer Usman Ahmed participated in a high-level panel moderated by the bank’s chief corporate communications officer Hisham Abu Alfateh.
Mr Ahmed highlighted the financial sector’s role as the largest contributor to Bahrain’s GDP and detailed NBB’s digital transformation, which has blended innovative technology with the bank’s historical financial strength.
Addressing the bank’s growth, Mr Ahmed noted that NBB has delivered the highest return on equity among its peers, with a 50 per cent increase in earnings per share over the last five years.
He also touched upon the potential merger with the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK), describing it as an opportunity to create a “national champion” with greater regional relevance.
On the regulatory front, the CEO praised the Central Bank of Bahrain’s (CBB) balanced focus on growth and resilience, noting that a single regulator provides a unique advantage for digitisation and innovation.
He further identified local talent as one of the kingdom’s premier competitive advantages, reaffirming NBB’s commitment to nurturing young professionals through university collaborations and internship programmes.
NBB’s insights will be featured in the The Business Year: Bahrain 2026 report, further cementing its role in the kingdom’s economic dialogue.
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