The Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain, Khalid Humaidan, used a Gateway Gulf Forum 2025 panel on digital finance and progressive regulation to set out the Bank’s focus areas as Bahrain’s financial sector digitises, highlighting instant payments, continued investment in payments infrastructure and exploration of central bank digital currency use cases. He pointed to instant payments and advanced payment infrastructure as a key driver of financial services growth, and described the sector as the Kingdom’s largest contributor to GDP and leading recipient of foreign direct investment. The Central Bank of Bahrain’s digitalisation agenda was framed around faster and safer interbank payments, CBDC use cases to support Bahrain’s digital economy, and further development of supervisory technology to improve efficiency, transparency and resilience, while maintaining a balance between innovation and financial stability under its dual mandate.
Central Bank of Bahrain 2025-11-04
Central Bank of Bahrain outlines instant payments, CBDC exploration and SupTech priorities at Gateway Gulf Forum 2025
Governor Khalid Humaidan of the Central Bank of Bahrain outlined the Bank's digitalisation agenda at the Gateway Gulf Forum 2025, focusing on instant payments, payments infrastructure, and central bank digital currency (CBDC) use cases. He emphasized the financial sector's role as a major GDP contributor and foreign investment recipient. The agenda aims to enhance interbank payments, support the digital economy, and develop supervisory technology, balancing innovation with financial stability.