Bahrain’s Gateway Gulf 2026 targets USD20 billion in deals

Bahrain’s Gateway Gulf 2026 forum unveiled more than 110 announcements valued at over USD20 billion, spanning investments, partnerships and new projects, exceeding the USD17 billion reported during at the 2025 edition.

The opening ceremony on 1 November saw four projects awarded Golden Licences, representing a combined investment of USD3.89 billion across aviation, tourism, real estate and innovation:

• Global logistics company DHL plans to establish a regional aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul centre.
• Malaysian aviation investment holding company Capital A is to launch operations and services for AirAsia, Teleport and Asia Digital Engineering.
• Meliá Hotels International and Bahraini developer Infracorp are to develop a waterfront project on Amwaj Islands featuring a five-star hotel and Meliá-branded residences.
• Digital City Bahrain, the smart urban district and innovation hub, is to develop a mixed-use urban project integrating residential, commercial, educational and innovation facilities.

Bahrain introduced its Golden Licence programme in April 2023 to attract large-scale strategic investments. Companies qualify by investing more than USD50 million during their initial years of operations in Bahrain or creating more than 500 local jobs.

The programme provides expedited access to government services, business licences and building permits, alongside priority land allocation, infrastructure support, and a dedicated account manager from the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), the public investment promotion agency.

In addition, Bahraini alternative investment manager Investcorp reported USD11.1 billion in aggregate activity during the first nine months of 2026, comprising USD4.8 billion in fundraising, USD3.7 billion in capital deployment and USD2.6 billion in exits.

Its assets under management reached USD65.2 billion as of September, while its North American Private Equity and Strategic Capital platforms secured more than USD2.3 billion in combined commitments during the period.

Bahrain-based financial services group SICO also reported around USD1.6 billion in new business during 2026, including USD1.4 billion in inflows and investments across public and private funds and portfolios, alongside more than USD200 million in transactions and mandates across public and private markets and alternative investment products.

Other announcements included Bahrain’s global alternative investor Arcapita, which plans to invest an additional USD1.5 billion in GCC industrial and logistics real estate over the next 24 months. It currently manages more than USD2 billion in industrial real estate assets across the GCC.
Edamah, the real estate arm of Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company, announced a strategic partnership deal with Kanoo Real Estate, a division of the Yusuf bin Ahmed Kanoo Group, to develop Pier 1890 on Manama Corniche. Pier 1890 is a new will be a new waterfront destination hub integrating restaurants, cafés, retail spaces and leisure areas.

These figures, the Gateway Gulf reported, represented fundraising, investment activity, inflows and financial mandates rather than direct capital investment commitments comparable with the USD3.89 billion attached to the Golden Licence projects.

Speaking at the forum, Bahrain Finance and National Economy Minister Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa said the Gulf economy had reached approximately USD2.4 trillion in GDP, with non-oil sectors accounting for more than 86% of Bahrain’s GDP and over 77% of the wider Gulf economy.

He also highlighted the region’s financial resources, with Gulf banks holding more than USD4 trillion in assets and sovereign wealth funds managing investments exceeding USD5 trillion.

First held in 2018, Gateway Gulf is an invitation-only forum connecting international investors with policymakers, business leaders, and investment opportunities across Bahrain and the wider Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

This year’s edition, held under the theme Reimagining Global Partnerships, Powering Sustainable Growth, brought together approximately 200 government officials, investors and business leaders from the Gulf, Asia, Europe and the Americas.