30/12/2025 03:59 AST
National Bank of Bahrain's (NBB) strategic vision has enhanced its agility in adapting to the rapidly changing global and regional landscape, while delivering the highest return on equity amongst its peers with a 50% growth in earnings per share over the last 5 years, said Usman Ahmed, Group Chief Executive Officer of NBB.
He was taking part in a high-level panel discussion titled "Bahrain 2026 - The Strategic Gateway for Global Business" at The Business Year's Bahrain launch event. NBB participated as a Gold Sponsor of the event.
The event brought together key stakeholders from across the public and private sectors to explore the Kingdom's evolving investment landscape and global positioning.
Usman highlighted the financial sector's longstanding role as a pillar of national growth, noting that it remains the largest contributor to Bahrain's GDP.
He outlined NBB's transformational journey, highlighting how through very significant investments in technology over the last few years, the Bank has infused highly innovative and seamless digital experiences with its historical and deep-rooted financial strength, reinforcing customer trust and convenience.
Moderated by the Bank's Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Hisham Abu Alfateh, the session centered around the themes critical to Bahrain's economic trajectory, including strategic expansion, human capital development, regulatory strengths, ease of doing business and Bahrain's role as an investment gateway.
On future expansion, Usman spoke about the recently signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK) to explore a potential merger, describing it as an opportunity to create an enhanced national champion, with greater regional relevance that would deliver strong value for its customers, shareholders and employees by bringing together the complementary strengths and network of both institutions.
On Bahrain's regulatory environment, Usman emphasised Bahrain's unique advantage of having a single regulator for the financial sector and commended the Central Bank of Bahrain's (CBB) balanced focus on growth and resiliency, adding that regulatory support for digitisation enables banks to innovate confidently and efficiently.
Addressing Bahrain's human capital, Usman described local talent as one of the Kingdom's most significant competitive advantages. He affirmed the bank's commitment to nurturing the next generation of professionals through close university collaborations, robust internship pathways, and initiatives that bridge academia with industry.
The evening concluded with a networking reception, providing an opportunity for attendees to engage with business leaders and policymakers shaping Bahrain's strategic future.
NBB will also be featured in The Business Year: Bahrain 2026 report, reinforcing its position as a key driver of economic dialogue and thought leadership in the Kingdom.
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