Bahrain Fintech Bay is taking on a bigger role — moving beyond connecting the kingdom’s fintech players to building products with partners, signing its first deals under the new strategy on day one of Fintech Forward 2026. At the centre is AI. Joining me are Tariq Mattar, Director of Innovation and Business Development at BFB and Co-Chair of MFTA Bahrain, and Suzy Al Zeerah, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Chair of MFTA Bahrain. Welcome to Capital Markets.
Thank you.
Thank you for having us.
Bahrain Fintech Bay just launched Fintech Forward. What is the headline from day one?
Tariq: Bahrain Fintech Bay has been around for eight years. During those eight years we have focused on building a community, fostering innovation, and connecting fintechs with financial institutions, investors, and the broader ecosystem. The next phase is about building — developing AI products and services for financial institutions with technology partners, alongside AI training for everyone from senior leaders to day-to-day teams. We are also widening access to digital infrastructure including Google Cloud.
Suzy: We are evolving from an accelerator model into a product builder. This is a significant step — we want to be at the forefront of AI in financial services across the region.
What does AI in financial services actually mean in practice for the institutions you work with?
Tariq: For financial institutions in Bahrain and the wider GCC, AI is still largely about automation and efficiency — back office, compliance, customer service. What we are now pushing for is AI that drives growth. Deposit decisioning. Credit underwriting. Personalisation at scale. The institutions that figure that out first will have a real competitive advantage.
Suzy: The training piece is just as important. AI adoption fails when people at every level of the organisation do not understand what it is and how to work with it. We are bringing that capability through Fintech Forward — not just for the C-suite but for teams on the ground.
Bahrain signed deals with Google Cloud. What does that partnership unlock specifically?
Tariq: Google Cloud gives our ecosystem access to world-class infrastructure and AI tooling that was previously only accessible to the largest institutions. For a startup or a mid-sized fintech in Bahrain, being able to build on Google Cloud-level infrastructure is a significant unlock. It also gives our financial institution partners the confidence that whatever is being built on top of it meets the standards they expect.
For fintechs looking at Bahrain — what is your pitch?
Suzy: This is a great place to be to launch your product — especially if you are entering the region. Bahrain is a great place to test your product and grow. We are all talking about the same thing across the region. The collaboration piece is important and Bahrain is in a great position to help you test your product and then reach out to the rest of the Middle East.
Tariq: Agreed. The regulatory environment is progressive. The community is tight-knit. And the goal is always to help fintechs set up here, expand across the Gulf, and scale into the wider region.
Thank you so much for being here with us today. Tariq and Suzy, thank you and good luck with the rest of the event.
Thank you for having us.
Thank you.
