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Issue 18 - DECEMBER 2018
www.bahrainbourse.comGRANT THORNTON ABDULAAL APPOINTED AS AUTHORIZED
SPONSOR ON BAHRAIN INVESTMENT MARKET
Bahrain Bourse (BHB) and Grant
Thornton signed on Monday 26
th
November 2018 an agreement to
appoint Grant Thornton Abdu-
laal as an Authorized Sponsor in
Bahrain Investment Market (BIM),
an innovative equity market for
growth companies in Bahrain
and the wider MENA region.
The agreement was signed by
the Chief Executive Officer of
Bahrain Bourse, Shaikh Khalifa bin
Ebrahim Al Khalifa and Managing
Partner of Grant Thornton
Abdulaal, Mr. Jassim Abdulaal.
On this occasion, the Chief
Executive Officer of Bahrain
Bourse, Shaikh Khalifa bin Ebrahim
Al Khalifa said, “We are pleased
to have Grant Thornton Abdulaal
as an authorized sponsor on
Bahrain Investment Market.
This partnership enhances
the network of authorized
sponsors on the BIM market.
Grant Thornton Abdulaal is one
of the leading Audit, Tax and
Advisory firm in the Kingdom
of Bahrain. The firm has seen
exponential growth during last
decade ser ving more than
1,200 clients across industry
segment in Bahrain. Grant
Thornton Abdulaal truly relay
on capability of its senior
qualified resources, which includes
6 partners and over 100 staff to
offer a full range of services
to help clients of all sizes to
a d d r e s s t h e c h a l l e n g e s
and be ready for opportunities
and future growth. As a member
firm of Grant Thornton Interna-
tional, Grant Thornton Abdulaal
draws upon a network of presence
in 136 countries and over 50,000
experts who serve clients globally.
Bahrain Investment Market’s
partnership with Grant Thornton
Abdulaal follows similar tie-ups
earlier with well-known specialized
advisory firms, KPMG, Keypoint,
BDO Jawad Habib, SICO and
Almoayed Chamb ers. The
i n c r e a s i n g n e t w o r k o f
authorized sponsors that BIM is
partnering with have significantly
enhanced the options available
for prospective companies
interested in listing on Bahrain
Investment Market. For the
authorized sponsors (specialized
advisory firms), the benefits
include being associated and
authorized by a licens ed
exchange, as well as access
t o d y n am i c c omp a n i e s .
It is worth mentioning that Bahrain
Investment Market (BIM),
which was officially launched
in March 2017 by the Bah-
rain Bourse, features relaxed
a dm i s s i o n r e q u i r eme n t s
a n d r e d u c e d fi n a n c i a l
disclosure rules, access to global
investors, guidance services
through authorized sponsors
(specialized advisory firms),
and many other benefits.
BAHRAIN BOURSE AND MEIRA SIGN AN MOU TO PROMOTE THE
INVESTOR RELATIONS FUNCTION IN BAHRAIN
Bahrain Bourse signed on 7
th
November 2018 an agreement
with the Middle East Investor
Relations Association (MEIRA) to
promote the development of the
Investor Relations (IR) function
and corporate governance best
practice in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
MEIRA is a Middle East based
non-profit organization that fosters
openness and transparency in
market practice by supporting
Investor Relations (IR) and corpo-
rate governance across the region.
The agreement was signed by
Shaikh Khalifa Bin Ebrahim Al
Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer
of Bahrain Bourse and Clemence
Piot, MEIRA General Manager,
in the presence of senior
executive management members.
The agreement sets out a
framework for the launch and
operation of the Bahrain Chapter,
and aims at developing a culture of
effective communication not only
between listed companies and in-
vestors, but also with the exchange,
regulator, advisers and the
buy-side and sell-side pro-
fessionals in the Kingdom
of Bahrain, while promoting
transparency in the market.
Following the signing ceremony,
the Bourse, in collaboration with
MEIRA, organized an Investor
Relations Awareness seminar at the
Bourse’s premises. The event wel-
comed more than 60 professionals
in the IR industry and addressed
key topics which covered the im-
portance of IR for listed companies
and an introduction to the role of
the Investor Relations Officer. The
session also included a presenta-
tion of a successful case study on
IR conducted by Eline Hilal, Inves-
tor Relations Manager at Alumi-
num Bahrain, who shared her ex-
perience as a local IR professional.