BHBNewsLetter JUNE2017

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Issue 12 - JUNE 2017
Members of the International
Advertising Association (IAA)
Bahrain Chapter attended an ori-
entation session organized by the
Bahrain Bourse (BHB) in which
they received an introduction to the
Bahrain Investment Market (BIM).
In addition to explaining the
BIM concept and regulations,
the BHB focused on the unique
benefits eligible companies can
gain by listing on the BIM.
“Savvy businessmen know that to-
day’s globalized economy and new
technologies mean companies must
constantly innovate in order to
compete. This often requires sub-
BAHRAIN INVESTMENT MARKET CAN HELP COMPANIES
DIVERSIFY THEIR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
stantial capital investment which
the companies may find difficult to
attain through traditional means,”
said Bahrain Bourse CEO Shaikh
Khalifa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa.
“The Bahrain Investment Mar-
ket’s accessible capital-raising
solutions can be a suitable option
for businesses looking to expand
and diversify their service offer-
ings, thereby enhancing their
sustainability,” Shaikh Khalifa bin
Ebrahim Al Khalifa continued.
Chairman of the IAA Bahrain
Chapter Mr. Khamis Al-Muq-
la echoed this sentiment, noting
that the traditional media model
has become outdated due to the
change in people’s media consump-
tion behavior brought on by tech-
nology, forcing companies in this
sector to re-think their strategy.
“Like many other industries, the
media landscape has witnessed
a dramatic shift in the last 15 to
20 years due to the emergence
of new technologies and media
platforms, as well as the increase
in internet penetration. Compa-
nies in our sector must embrace
this change and adapt their ser-
vices accordingly,” said Al-Muqla.
“Having an efficient and relatively
low-cost means of raising capital
such as the Bahrain Investment
Market is a tremendously valu-
able advantage that companies
in our sector need to seriously
consider as they look to invest in
diversifying their revenue gener-
ation streams,” Al-Muqla added.
Al-Muqla had revealed this past
April that advertising expen-
diture in Bahrain slightly de-
creased from USD 76 million in
2015 to USD 74 million in 2016,
but noted that the share of digi-
tal and social media had sharply
increased, with some sources es-
timating it as high as 20% of the
total advertising expenditure.