meed-logo

line1 line2 line3
SIGN IN / REGISTER

Bahrain banks have cause for cheer

8 November 2023

Bahrain’s crowded banking sector has seen a sustained improvement in performance over the past year, amid generally stable economic conditions in which higher oil prices and procyclical public spending play a key role.

Loan books are in good shape. According to the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), the non-performing loan (NPL) ratio of conventional wholesale banks stood at just 2.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2023, compared to 2.5 per cent in the same period in 2022 – and well down on the 5 per cent seen at the height of the Covid-19 crisis.

Profitability has returned to banks, and higher interest rates – one source of those profits – have not yet had a material impact on loan quality.

Bank metrics have held up quite well, says Amin Sakhri, director – financial institutions, at Fitch Ratings. “There is a broadly stable NPL ratio and deterioration has been contained. We could have expected to see higher rates causing deterioration of asset quality in 2023 but the impact has been limited. We were seeing some deterioration, but it is very well contained.”

In addition, says Sakhri, liquidity in the system remains strong and is supported by higher oil prices. Capital buffers also remain sound and are supported by healthy internal capital generation from profitability overall.

Strong profit growth

The largest banks have seen profits swell this year. Bank of Bahrain & Kuwait showed a 20.9 per cent increase in first-half 2023 profits to BD37m ($98m), on the back of higher net interest income. National Bank of Bahrain showed a smaller 4 per cent increase in net income to BD40.8m ($108m) for the six months to the end of June, driven by higher income from loans and investment securities.

Even so, the overall profitabily of Bahraini banks is low compared to that of competitor countries. The system-weighted average return on assets at 1.2 per cent in 2022 was the lowest in the GCC region, according to the Washington-based IMF, which may reflect intense competition in a market that comprises 75 conventional and Islamic banks.

The shifting global interest rate environment inevitably has a bearing on performances.

According to S&P Global Ratings, a higher-for-longer interest environment means liquidity will be scarcer and more expensive, potentially affecting Bahrain, which has a growing external debt position. The agency points out that Bahrain's retail banks have large and expanding net external liabilities, which at the end of the first quarter of 2023 reached 26 per cent of total domestic lending. Against that, S&P Global Ratings notes that 60 per cent of the foreign liabilities are interbank, and 60 per cent are sourced from the GCC, giving reassurance that external funding will remain stable.

Loan-to-deposit ratios consistently below 80 per cent are another indicator that local deposits and external liabilities are recycled into government and local central bank exposures, said S&P.

Banks that are more corporate-focused benefit more on the asset side because the loans are on floating rates and re-price more quickly upon rate hikes, says Sakhri. “High rates have been supportive, but a bit less so than in markets like Saudi Arabia or the UAE, as these have higher proportions of lower-cost funding.”

Well capitalised

The strong capital positions of Bahraini lenders are a source of strength when it comes to supporting domestic project activity.

“Generally, Bahraini banks are well capitalised. The average Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio is solid, even in a GCC context, and the loan-to-deposit ratio, as reported by the CBB, is fairly low,” says Sakhri.

This means banks have the ability to absorb a large part of these projects. “We are not really concerned in terms of where banks are going to deploy capital, but it is important to bear in mind that households are under pressure, primarily due to the increase in the cost of living,” Sakhri adds.

Another area where Bahrain has been a regional leader is in financial technology (fintech) and digital banking. According to the World Bank Global Fintech Database, Bahrain was already a leader compared to the region and upper middle-income countries in 2017, with about 80 per cent of the population having made use of digital payments.

Since then, Bahrain has taken significant regulatory steps to create a favourable environment for fintech, including the introduction of a fintech unit at the CBB, a regulatory sandbox and new regulations for the digitalisation of banking and payment services.

As the IMF noted in a September 2023 assessment, digital payment service solutions, such as mobile payment applications, contactless payment cards and e-wallets, have been adopted by the public.   

Meanwhile, the door is still open for consolidation in a crowded banking system. The majority of these lenders are small, but just three of the country’s banks have a 50 per cent share of total assets.

The merger of Ahli United Bank and with Kuwait Finance House in 2022 was a cross-border deal, but the traditional drivers for domestic consolidation – which in the Gulf tend to be state equity owners looking to rationalise their shareholdings – are largely absent in Bahrain.

“Bahraini banks are generally profitable and their financial profiles are healthy, so there is no immediate need for mergers,” says Sakhri.

That will leave the country with perhaps more banks than it strictly needs, a legacy of its former position as the Gulf’s main financial centre.

https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/11273948/main.gif
James Gavin

Register for MEED's guest program now to access this article.

Click here to register
Exclusive from Meed
Related Articles
  • Saudi Arabia tenders next phase of King Saud Air Base

    10 September 2026

     

    Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence & Aviation has started the tendering process for the next phase of the King Saud Air Base in the kingdom.

    Contractors have been given until 20 October to submit their bids.

    The scope of works covers the construction of the headquarters building, administrative buildings, operations and maintenance area, police camp facilities, weapons and ammunition area, residential facilities, airfield facilities and other associated facilities.

    The project duration is three years.

    The air base spans an area of 383 square kilometres (sq km) in the Hafr Al-Batin area of the kingdom’s Eastern Region.

    Contracts worth about SR6.6bn ($1.8bn) for the project’s first phase were awarded early last year.

    The joint venture of local firms Isam Khairi Kabbani Group and Alfanar Projects was appointed as the main contractor for the first package, which was worth about SR2.9bn ($783m).

    The consortium comprising Riyadh-based Albawani, Shibh Al-Jazira Contracting and Kuwait’s Alghanim International won the second package, worth about $1bn.

    According to GlobalData, Saudi Arabia’s defence budget is projected to grow from $68bn in 2027 to $86.3bn by 2031, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1%.

    READ THE SEPTEMBER 2026 MEED BUSINESS REVIEW – click here to view PDF

    Nuclear power ambitions gather pace; Kuwait keeps dealmaking alive despite war; Region invests in raising gas processing capacity.

    Distributed to senior decision-makers in the region and around the world, the September 2026 edition of MEED Business Review includes:
    To see previous issues of MEED Business Review, please click here
    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19544241/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Sabic awards $3.47bn contract for ammonia and urea complex

    10 September 2026

    Register for MEED’s 14-day trial access 

    Sabic Agri-Nutrients, an affiliate of chemicals giant Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic), has awarded the main engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for its seventh project in Saudi Arabia’s Jubail Industrial City, which will significantly expand its ammonia and urea production capacity.

    South Korea’s Samsung E&A has won the contract for the project known as San VII, valued at $3.465bn, Sabic Agri-Nutrients said in a filing with the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul) on 10 September. It added that its board approved the final investment decision on the project on 9 September.

    The San VII project in Jubail Industrial City, in the kingdom’s Eastern Province, will have a production capacity of about 1.2 million metric tonnes a year (t/y) of conventional ammonia and 2.6 million metric t/y of urea. The complex will also feature a post-combustion carbon capture unit.

    Sabic had earlier announced receiving approval for feedstock allocation from the Saudi Ministry of Energy in March for the project, which will expand Sabic Agri-Nutrients’ urea production capacity by 54%, from approximately 4.8 million metric t/y to 7.4 million metric t/y.

    The San VII project replaces a previously planned low-carbon or blue ammonia project with a conventional ammonia and urea facility. The project, which was previously known as San VI, was slated to produce 1.2 million metric t/y of low-carbon ammonia and 1.1 million metric t/y of urea and specialised agri-nutrients.

    Before being restructured into its current form, MEED reported in March last year that Samsung E&A was the frontrunner to win the main EPC contract for the project.

    Sabic Agri-Nutrients expects construction on the San VII project to begin in Q4 2026, with commissioning scheduled to start in Q3 2030. The commissioning period will last four months, ahead of the start of commercial production and completion of the project in Q4 2030.

    The San VII project “is also expected to represent a significant step toward enhancing the company’s competitiveness and sustainability through the integration of advanced carbon capture technologies and the reduction of emissions intensity across its operations. This will contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of its products, supporting the company’s sustainability and carbon neutrality ambitions”, Sabic Agri-Nutrients said in its Tadawul filing.

    “The project is considered one of the key pillars of the company’s 2040 strategy, which aims to strengthen the kingdom’s position in the agricultural nutrients export market and contribute to global food security, in line with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030,” it added.

    Sabic Agri-Nutrients

    Formerly Saudi Arabian Fertiliser Company (Safco), Sabic Agri-Nutrients was the first petrochemicals company to be established in Saudi Arabia in 1965.

    Sabic Agri-Nutrients, in which Sabic owns the majority 50.1% share, is one of the leading global fertiliser producers, with a portfolio that includes urea, ammonia, phosphate and other specialised products.

    For the second quarter of 2026, the company reported a sharp decline in profitability, primarily driven by a drop in revenue and lower sales volumes compared with both the previous quarter and the same period last year.

    Sabic Agri-Nutrients saw its net profit fall by 64.25% to $101m, compared with $282.66m in the second quarter of last year, and by 69.11% on a quarter-on-quarter basis.

    The company’s Q2 revenues were down by 26.65% year-on-year at $643m, and by 16.11% quarter-on-quarter. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) in Q2 stood at $165m, a drop of 51% year-on-year and 55% quarter-on-quarter.

    Sabic Agri-Nutrients further said its profitability suffered from a 31% quarterly decline in agri-nutrient sales volumes, recorded at 960,000 metric tonnes. Although global supply chain disruptions triggered a 27% price increase for agri-nutrients during the second quarter, the short-lived macro-driven bump was not enough to fully offset the slide in sales volumes.

    In December 2022, Saudi Aramco and Sabic Agri-Nutrients delivered the world’s first commercial-grade blue ammonia cargo to South Korea. Locally based Lotte Fine Chemicals received the shipment of 25,000 metric tonnes of independently certified blue ammonia in the southern city of Ulsan.

    Following that milestone, the company struck several deals in 2023 with customers worldwide to supply low-carbon ammonia and urea.

    In April 2023, Sabic Agri-Nutrients shipped the first independently certified low-carbon ammonia from Saudi Arabia to Japan, where it is being used as fuel for power generation. The ammonia cargo was produced with feedstock from Saudi Aramco, sold by Aramco Trading Company to Fuji Oil Company and transported by Mitsui OSK Lines.

    After that, Sabic Agri-Nutrients shipped 5,000 metric tonnes of low-carbon ammonia in May 2023 to a customer in India, Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative.

    The company then shipped 5,000 metric tonnes of low-carbon ammonia to Taiwan Fertiliser Company in June 2023.

    Sabic Agri-Nutrients’ latest shipment is believed to have been in July 2023, when it shipped a 2,700-tonne cargo of low-carbon urea to Ravensdown, a New Zealand farmer-owned agricultural co-operative company.

    Separately, Sabic Agri-Nutrients announced signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Maaden Integrated Fertiliser Company (MIFC) on 18 August to explore potential collaboration opportunities.

    The non-binding MoU, which is valid for three years, “aims to establish a general framework for cooperation between the two parties in developing and investing in opportunities within the integrated value chain of agri-nutrients, including the production and manufacturing of value-added products”, Sabic Agri-Nutrients said in a Tadawul disclosure.

    MIFC is a limited liability company wholly owned by Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden). MIFC serves as the holding entity for all subsidiaries within Maaden’s phosphate business vertical.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19539503/main.jpg
    Indrajit Sen
  • Contractor wins Riyadh airport sewage plant deal

    10 September 2026

     

    The local Safari Company has been selected to build a sewage treatment plant at the King Salman International airport (KSIA) development in Riyadh.

    The contract for the facility is yet to be formally signed with King Salman International Airport Development Company (KSIADC), a source close to the project told MEED.

    The facility will have a treatment capacity of 92,000 cubic metres a day and is estimated to be worth SR700m ($187m).

    In July, MEED reported that Safari was one of seven contractors awaiting a decision on a contract to build the sewage treatment plant.

    It is understood that bids were submitted in March, following the tender’s release earlier this year.

    The plant will treat wastewater generated by the airport and surrounding developments, including passenger terminals, runways, residential districts, commercial facilities and logistics areas.

    The bidders (all local) are:

    • Al-Rawaf Trading & Contracting
    • Almajal Alarabi
    • Nesma Water & Energy
    • Safari Company
    • Saudi Services for Electro-Mechanic Works
    • Washnah Contracting
    • Water & Environment Technologies (Wetico)

    The project scope includes the construction of the treatment plant, the installation of preliminary, secondary and tertiary treatment systems, sewage collection and conveyance pipelines, pumping stations, and electrical and control systems.

    US-headquartered Jacobs is acting as the main project consultant. Commercial operations for the plant are scheduled for 2029.

    The sewage treatment plant is one of several water infrastructure packages planned for the airport. KSIADC is also evaluating bids for a separate $30m engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract covering potable water and fire water tanks and an associated pumping station. The same seven companies submitted bids for that package.

    Earlier in July, MEED exclusively reported that a joint venture of Beijing-headquartered China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and Dammam-based Mofarreh AlHarbi & Partners had won a deal to undertake the enabling and substructure works for Terminal 6 at KSIA.

    That same month, MEED exclusively reported that contract details were being finalised for the main construction contract for the expansion of Hail airport. It is understood that Safari Company was appointed as the contractor for this project.

    The terminal expansion works include the south expansion, which encompasses the construction of a new building covering 5,600 square metres. This building will connect to the existing terminal from the southern side.

    The expansion will increase the airport’s capacity to about 1.7 million passengers a year by 2030.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19539284/main.jpg
    Mark Dowdall
  • Azizi to announce $8bn Sharjah residential community

    10 September 2026

    Dubai-based real estate developer Azizi Developments is preparing to launch Azizi Florence, a AED30bn ($8bn) masterplanned community in Sharjah.

    Named Azizi Florence, the project will mark the developer’s first venture in the emirate of Sharjah.

    The community will include 1,130 villas, over 6,000 townhouses and 3,500 apartments.

    Planned as a fully integrated destination, Azizi Florence will combine residential, retail, hospitality, education, leisure, and wellness components, anchored by a 1.7 million-square-foot central park.

    The development will be organised into six residential clusters, each featuring its own park, clubhouse, community centre and landscaped gardens.

    Azizi Florence is another major addition to the developer’s UAE portfolio. 

    In April last year, Azizi announced plans to develop the Azizi Milan community in Dubai’s City of Arabia area.

    According to media reports, the project will be developed at an estimated cost of AED75bn ($20bn) and will offer over 81,200 residential units.

    The developer said the project will cover an area of about 40 million square feet, making it one of the largest mixed-use communities in the UAE.

    In 2023, Azizi launched the Azizi Venice project in the Dubai South area. The estimated AED30bn ($8.17bn) mixed-use development will offer more than 30,000 residential units, including 100 mid-rise apartment complexes and 400 villas, two five-star hotels and an opera house.

    The development will also include schools, a hospital, cycling and jogging tracks, a 3-kilometre-long swimmable lagoon, water features and landscaped parks.

    Dubai real estate developments dominate the UAE’s construction market, with schemes worth over $323bn in the execution or planning stages.

    This is in line with a forecast by GlobalData, which projects that the output of the UAE construction sector will grow by 4.2% in real terms in 2025, supported by developments in infrastructure, energy and utilities and residential construction projects.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19535526/main.jpg
    Yasir Iqbal
  • Saudi Arabia’s power award activity slows

    10 September 2026

     

    Saudi Arabia’s power market has seen a sharp fall in contract awards in 2026 following a major wave of renewable energy investment last year.

    According to regional project tracker MEED Projects, about $3.38bn of power sector contracts were awarded in the kingdom as of early September, compared with $27.5bn in 2025, $54.2bn in 2024 and $26.1bn in 2023.

    The relatively low level of contract awards this year has partly been influenced by a shift towards wider infrastructure such as battery energy storage systems (bess) and transmission projects, alongside delays in the procurement of renewable energy projects under the National Renewable Energy Programme (NREP) Round 7.

    In September, Saudi Power Procurement Company (SPPC) awarded four Group 1 storage service agreements representing more than SR4.35bn ($1.16bn) of investment. The projects will provide a combined 2,000MW of capacity and 8,000MWh of storage.

    Three bess projects, Al-Muwyah, Haden and Al-Kahafa, were awarded to a consortium of Saudi Energy, Acwa and Al-Sharif Contracting & Commercial Development Company. Another consortium of France’s Engie and Haji Abdullah Alireza & Co won the contract for the remaining Al-Khushaybi bess project.

    Transmission awards

    The battery storage projects are part of a broader shift towards the infrastructure needed to support Saudi Arabia’s expanding power system, with transmission accounting for most of the contracts awarded this year, reaching $3.35bn in new awards.

    The largest is the estimated $500m contract awarded to Alfanar Projects in March for the 500kV overhead transmission line linking Saudi Arabia’s Eastern and Central operating areas. The 508-kilometre project will have a transmission capacity of 3,000MW.

    Saudi Energy, formerly Saudi Electricity Company, is implementing a $58.7bn grid investment programme through 2030, including 130 high-voltage substations, about 12,900km of overhead transmission lines and 1,100km of underground cables.

    Saudi Energy is the largest owner by value so far this year, accounting for about $1.9bn of contract awards, while SPPC has awarded more than $1.1bn in new contracts.

    The focus on storage and transmission follows strong growth in renewable generation investment in 2025. Wind power contract awards reached $4.4bn, while 11 major solar contracts were also awarded.

    In May 2025, developers signed $8.3bn of power purchase agreements with SPPC for five solar plants and two wind farms with a combined capacity of 15,000MW, somewhat inflating last year’s figures. The projects, backed by the Public Investment Fund, reached financial close in November.

    Renewables projects

    The next major phase of renewable procurement is now moving through the tender process. The seventh round of NREP, tendered in January, will add 5,300MW through four solar and two wind projects.

    Based on the procurement timeline for the Round 6 projects, which were tendered and awarded in 2026, it was reasonable to expect Round 7 to follow a similar schedule.

    However, according to one developer, rising supply costs have been a factor in recent deadline extensions for these projects, with those involved “waiting till these come down”.

    With the latest bid submission deadlines set for September, the timing of the procurement process means contracts from NREP Round 7 may now fall into 2027 rather than materially lifting this year’s total.

    The solar projects comprise the 1,400MW Tabarjal 2, 600MW Mawqqaq, 600MW Tathleeth and 500MW South Al-Ula independent power projects (IPPs). The round also includes the 1,300MW Bilgah and 900MW Shagra wind IPPs.

    This helps explain why Saudi Arabia’s power sector contracting could remain relatively subdued in 2026 despite a substantial volume of projects progressing through procurement.

    Project pipeline

    According to MEED Projects, about $5.1bn of power projects are currently under bid evaluation and a further $7.3bn are at the main contract tender stage.

    Solar projects make up the largest share, at about $5.1bn, or 41% of the total. There continues to be relatively strong diversification, with cable and overhead-line projects accounting for about $3bn, followed by wind at $2.2bn, oil and gas-fired power at $1.1bn and substations at about $1bn.

    Renewable energy remains a particularly significant part of the development programme. Saudi Arabia raised its renewable energy target to 130GW by 2030 in 2023 and needs to add roughly 20GW of capacity a year to meet it.

    Large-scale storage is also expected to continue expanding. The latest SPPC projects build on five bess facilities awarded by Saudi Energy through National Grid Saudi Arabia to Alfanar in 2025. The facilities have a combined capacity of up to 2,500MW, equivalent to about 10,000MWh.

    SPPC has also issued the request for proposals for the second phase of its independent bess programme in Saudi Arabia. The Group 2 programme comprises six independent storage provider projects with a total capacity of 3GW, equivalent to 12,000MWh based on a four-hour storage duration. Developers are due to submit bids in October. 

    The timing means the Group 2 projects could contribute to contracting activity in 2027, alongside this next batch of renewable projects under NREP Round 7.

    Nuclear power could provide another potential source of activity over the next 12 months. The US and Saudi Arabia signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement in July, providing the legal foundation for a long-term, multibillion-dollar nuclear partnership.

    While the agreement is unlikely to translate immediately into major contract values, further progress on Saudi Arabia’s nuclear programme could add another area of activity in the sector as the kingdom moves into 2027.

    https://image.digitalinsightresearch.in/uploads/NewsArticle/19535830/main.gif
    Mark Dowdall