COVERAGE

Smart Compliance for Businesses in Bahrain

Trusted compliance support for Bahrain, built around local regulatory requirements to ensure secure processes and uninterrupted operational performance.

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Who are the regulators in Bahrain?

Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB)

Bahrain’s central bank, overseeing banks, insurers, investment firms, and capital markets, issues AML/CFT regulations, examines licensees, analyzes financial‑crime trends, and enforces standards.

Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC)

This ministry supervises AML/CFT compliance for DNFBPs, maintains an anti‑money laundering department, issues sector guidance, and ensures adherence to national laws and international standards.

AML/CFT National Policy Committee (NPC)

Established under Decree‑Law No. 4 of 2001, the NPC, chaired by the CBB, unites ministries and agencies to develop AML/CFT policy, coordinate efforts, and set national strategy against financial crime.

Who is regulated in Bahrain?

Financial Institutions (FIs)

Who are classified as FIs?

Banks
Insurers
Payment/e‑Money Service Providers
Investment Firms
Crypto‑Asset Service Providers

Designated Non-financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs)

Who are classified as DNFBPs?

Precious Metals/Jewellery Dealers
Auditors
Real Estate Brokers
Lawyers

Expectations for regulated firms

Firms must adopt a risk‑based approach to identify, assess and mitigate ML/TF/PF risks; internal controls, governance and training are mandatory.

Customer Due Diligence (CDD), beneficial‑owner verification, ongoing transaction monitoring, and submission of suspicious activity reports (STRs) are required, especially for higher‑risk relationships such as crypto‑asset services.

AML/KYC Checklist for Bahrain

  • Verify identity of natural and legal persons; identify and check beneficial owners.
  • Conduct risk profiling (e.g., PEP status, sanctions exposure, geography, product/channel) determining whether Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) is required.
  • For licensed crypto‑asset service providers ensure robust governance, wallet‑safekeeping controls and no inaccessible encrypted wallets
  • Maintain documentation of CDD, risk assessments, screening evidence and retain records per statute; ensure periodic staff training via platforms such as the Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance (BIBF)

Supervision & Enforcement

The CBB Compliance Directorate conducts examinations of licence‑holders, issues regulations, analyses trends and maintains financial crime alerts.

Authorities publish a national AML‑CFT‑CPF (Proliferation Financing) Strategy for 2025‑2027 emphasising asset recovery, legal person transparency, fintech/virtual asset oversight and targeted sanctions.

Supported ID documents from Bahrain

National ID

Idenfo can verify the Bahraini National ID, issued by the Central Informatics Organization, ensuring precise data matching and full compliance with Bahraini regulatory requirements and identity verification standards.

Document Verification

  • Evaluates document quality by checking for glare or blur.
  • Identifies any signs of tampering or forgery within the document.
  • Confirms the authenticity of hologram prints.
  • Extracts key data using optical character recognition (OCR).

NFC Scanning

  • Reads data from the identity card's NFC chip.
  • Verifies the NFC chip data for integrity and authenticity.

Bahraini Passport

Idenfo verifies Bahraini passports issued by the Nationality, Passports, and Residence Affairs (NPRA), confirming the holder’s name, date of birth, and contact details as part of Enhanced Due Diligence for KYC in Bahrain.

Document Verification

  • Evaluates document quality by detecting glare or blur.
  • Identifies potential tampering or forgery.
  • Verifies the document’s format for accuracy.
  • Cross-checks data against the MRZ code and hologram.

NFC Scanning

  • Reads data from the passport's NFC chip.
  • Verifies the NFC chip data for integrity and authenticity.

How it works

Document Capture

Scan and extract key identity details from official documents.

Liveness Check

Ensure the person is real and matches their verified ID photo.

Data Verification

Cross-check personal details against trusted government sources.

Risk Screening

Assess AML and sanctions risks before onboarding customers.

User Authentication

Simplify returning logins with secure biometric authentication.

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