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Issue 12 - JUNE 2017
www.bahrainbourse.comEMPOWERING BUSINESSWOMEN THROUGH THE BAHRAIN
INVESTMENT MARKET
As part of its campaign to engage
and educate target segments about
the recently-launched Bahrain In-
vestment Market (BIM), an eq-
uity market for growing business
ventures in Bahrain and the wider
MENA region, the Bahrain Bourse
(BHB) conducted an orientation
session for members of the Bahrain
Businesswomen Society (BBWS)
which is headed by Ms. Feryal
Abdulla Nass, Bahrain Young En-
trepreneurs Association which is
headed by Mr. Tariq Khalaf and
members of the private sector at
the BHB on Monday, 8
th
May 2017.
Women business owners’ share in
the private sector has been trending
upwards in recent years. According
to the Bahraini Women in Num-
bers 2015 report issued by the Su-
preme Council for Women, women
held 41% of commercial registra-
tions as of June 2014. The report
also cited that women owned 56%
of Bahrain’s sustainable active com-
mercial registrations (i.e. those
active for more than five years).
The presentation focused on the
BIM’s innovative model and nu-
merous benefits which are de-
signed to cater to the needs of
companies who are looking to raise
capital to fund their future growth,
such as entrepreneurial ventures
and mature family businesses.
CEO of the Bahrain Bourse Shaikh
Khalifa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa
said in a comment, “Bahrain has
long been a leader in the area
of women empowerment in all
walks of life, including the busi-
ness realm. Thanks to the vision of
the Kingdom’s leadership and the
collective efforts of government
and civil organizations such as
the Bahrain Economic Develop-
ment Board, Supreme Council for
Women, Ministry of Industry and
Commerce and Tourism, Bahrain
Chamber for Commerce and In-
dustry, and the Bahrain Business-
women Society, Bahraini women
have made tremendous strides in
terms of economic contribution.”
“The increase in women entrepre-
neurship in the MENA region is
driven by access to global market-
places through the Internet and
social media, young populations,
and national initiatives seeking to
integrate women in the workforce
and diversify away from oil. In
offering an alternative option for
a business segment which faces
limited capital-raising opportu-
nities, the Bahrain Investment
Market can serve as a key catalyst
for job creation and economic de-
velopment for the MENA region,”
Shaikh Ebrahim bin Khalifa added.
On this occasion, Ms. Feryal Ab-
dullah Nass, President, Bahrain
Businesswomen’s Society, praised
the role of the Kingdom of Bah-
rain in supporting the economic
empowerment of Bahraini wom-
en. Bahrain Bourse plays an im-
portant role in economic growth.
Ms. Nass also thanked Bahrain
Bourse for giving businesswom-
en the opportunity to attend this
valuable seminar and their on-
going cooperation with the Bah-
rain Businesswomen’s Society.
Bahrain Bourse had signed a
MoU with the Bahrain Busi-
nesswomen Society back in 2015
which aims to help enhance co-
operation between the two orga-
nizations in activities related to
spreading investment awareness
among the members of the society.
Head of the Economic Affairs
Committee at the Bahrain Busi-
nesswomen Society Ms. Naema
Al-Bulooshi stated, “We contin-
uously look to educate our mem-
bers on the resources available to
them to grow their businesses and
forge partnerships with organiza-
tions who can help in this regard.
The Bahrain Investment Market
offers a tremendous opportunity
for us as businesswomen to ac-
cess the capital we need to take
our businesses to the next level
and increase our contribution to
national economic development.”