BHBNewsLetter December 2019

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Issue 22 - DECEMBER 2019
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN
BAHRAIN BOURSE AND MIDDLE EAST INVESTOR RELATIONS
ASSOCIATION (“MEIRA”) HOLD CERTIFIED INVESTOR RELATIONS
OFFICER PROGRAMME IN COOPERATION WITH THE BIBF
AS PART OF ITS FINANCIAL LITERACY AWARENESS BAHRAIN BOURSE
KICKS-OFF 2nd EDITION OF THE SMART INVESTOR PROGRAM IN
COLLABORATION WITH INJAZ BAHRAIN
Bahrain Bourse (BHB) in
cooperation with the Middle East
Investor Relations Association
(“MEIRA”) and Bahrain Institute
of Banking & Finance (BIBF)
held the Certified Investors
Relations Programme (‘CIRO’) for
the first time in the Kingdom of
Bahrain during 24 – 26 November
2019 under the umbrella of the
Investment Academy (a joint
initiative between the BIBF
and Bahrain Bourse). Several
professional executives from
various listed companies on
Bahrain Bourse attended the
programme to develop their
knowledge and skills of the
Bahrain Bourse (BHB) in
collaboration with INJAZ
Bahrain officially announced
fundamental principles and best
practices of Investor Relations (IR).
The CIRO Programme has been
rolled out as part of Bahrain
Bourse’s plan to develop the
investor relations function and
promote international best
practices among listed companies
in the capital market. The
CIRO programme aims to offer
professional talent a unique
opportunity to acquire certification
within IR, which is increasingly
b e c om i n g a n i mp o r t a n t
function within listed companies.
The programme is a three-day
intensive training course of a
total of 20 hours, followed by a
the kick-off of the 2nd edition
of the Smart Investor Program
targeting elementary students
for the academic year 2019-2020.
The Smart Investor program’s
workshops will be delivered across
80 schools, both Government
and Private schools with the
support of 166 educators and
volunteers targeting 5,000 students
within Grade 4 elementary level
throughout the academic year.
The Smart Investor in its first
edition was able to exceed outreach
60-minute exam. The programme
covers six key topics: principles
& practices of investor relations,
g l ob a l financ i a l mar ke t s ,
companies & regulation, regulatory
environment, accounting, valuation
& i nv e s tment pr i nc ipl e s ,
effe c t i v e IR i n pr a c t i c e.
The CIRO programme is an
international ly recognis ed
certification for the investor
relations profession. In the Middle
East, the programme is organised
by the Middle East Investor
Relations Association (MEIRA),
in partnership with the UK IR
Society (UKIRS) and delivered by
the Bahrain Institute of Banking
targets by 30 %. The Smart
Investor program is a national
awareness program launched
in 2018 in collaboration with
INJAZ Bah r ai n t arge t i ng
elementary students. The program
aims at equipping young
students with basic concepts
related to money management,
savings and smart financial
planning through interactive
edutainment activities in order
to assist them in making
sound financial decisions.
and Finance (BIBF) in the Kingdom
o f B a h r a i n . The C I RO
programme is fully supported by
Tamkeen (Labour Fund) under
t h e Tr a i n i n g & Wa g e
S u p p o r t p r o g r a m m e .
The CIRO programme has
been launched in June 2019
as a joint initiative between
B a h r a i n B o u r s e ( BHB ) ,
MEIRA, and the BIBF following an
agreement signed by Middle East
Investor Relations Association
(“MEIRA”) and the Bahrain Institute
of Banking & Finance (“BIBF”).
The Prog r am consists of
seven-themed sessions designed
to equip students with the
following concepts: Thinking,
Specifying, Planning, Execution,
Saving, Progression, and Evaluation.
The strategic partner for the
2019-2020 ‘Smart Investor’
program is the Labour Fund
(Tamkeen). Silver Sponsors include:
Ahli United Bank, GFH Financial
Group, and Ithmaar Holding.