By: Ahmed El-Shamsy

Mubasher: Bahrain FinTech Bay, an ecosystem builder, has joined forces with key partners to build an impactful and conducive environment that accelerates fintech innovation in Bahrain and the GCC region.

In an exclusive interview with Mubasher during the FinTech Forward 2025 (FF25) event in Bahrain, CEO Bader Sater revealed that more than 140 startups are currently operating at BFB.

The platform mainly focuses on developing the fintech ecosystem in Bahrain through partnerships with all of the relevant stakeholders and alignments through the public and private sectors.

“We work very heavily in terms of developing, first of all, the education front with the likes of education programs, and we do a lot of research and thought leadership,” Sater highlighted.

He added that the company works closely with international fintechs to help soft-land them into the Bahraini market. This is besides teaming up with the local companies through its incubation and acceleration programs to scale their businesses.

The CEO explained: “The CEO explained: “We take all of the learnings that we get from working with these fintechs and revert them to the regulator and the government of Bahrain, giving feedback in terms of which direction the Fintech market is going in Bahrain.”

How many startups have graduated from your program since its inception?

We've seen tremendous success from the likes of Rain Financial and Tarabat Gateway, which have capitalized on new regulations in Bahrain first and expanded in the GCC region.

Over the course of the past five or six years that we've been operating, we've had over 140 fintechs come through our doors and work through us to scale their business.

This is a testament to Bahrain as an ideal location to grow their business and to start innovating.

We have around 30 or so who are incubated at BFB, but they will graduate and set up their own offices and scale their business outside.

How do you perceive the Green Finance and its opportunities in Bahrain?

Bahrain has been really pioneering in achieving sustainability and working very closely with the UN to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while maintaining a push across the financial services sector.

The adoption of the SDGs aligns with the Bahrain banking sector's objectives to boost sustainable finance across all verticals of these financial institutions.

Which new sector do you see as ready for the next wave of transformation in Bahrain?

The Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB) recently introduced a stablecoin regulatory framework, which sets a new kind of tone in terms of what the possible opportunities are moving forward in the future.

I think what's really interesting is that even the CBB is not aware of this sector's future direction, as it's very new and people are still exploring these new regulations.

Is there any partnership with other countries in the MENA region?

Of course, Bahrain Fintech Bay has a very strong network across the GCC, North Africa, Europe, and the Far East.

We work very closely with Singapore, and we'll be attending the Singapore Fintech Festival along with our partners and representatives from the financial services sector.

Overall, we see Bahrain as a gateway to the rest of the GCC region, and that's what we're trying to push forward.

What's the great challenge for Bahrain Fintech Bay?

I think the challenge is always going to be the ability for us to manage and compete in the region. First of all, the scaling of companies and being able to stay ahead in the GCC markets.

But I think this is where Bahrain really stands out, it’s in its ability to make decisions very quickly and smoothly, becoming a real testbed for Fintech innovation.