Institutions Hold 71pc of Bahrain Fund Investments
Institutional money kept Bahrain’s investment funds afloat in early 2026 as individual holdings fell by almost $500 million over the year.
Institutions held $7.76 billion in the funds at the end of March, taking 71 per cent of the total, Central Bank of Bahrain figures show.
Overall holdings fell to $10.93bn, down 1.2 per cent from the final quarter of 2025 and 3 per cent from a year earlier.
The quarterly drop came chiefly from individuals. Their holdings fell by $73.3m, from $3.25bn to $3.17bn, a 2.3 per cent fall. Institutional money dipped by $57.6m, or 0.7 per cent, from $7.81bn.
The market lost $131m during the quarter. Against the first three months of 2025, when holdings stood at $11.27bn, the fall was $340.2m.
The yearly split was stark. Institutional holdings rose by 2.1 per cent, or $159m, from about $7.60bn. Individual holdings sank by 13.6 per cent, losing close to $499m from $3.67bn.
Specialised financial firms managed $8.44bn, or 77.2 per cent of all holdings. Wholesale banks managed $1.57bn and retail banks $920.8m.
Money managed by wholesale banks fell by 4 per cent from $1.63bn, driven by an 8.5 per cent drop in individual holdings to $662.5m.
Holdings managed by specialised financial firms fell by 0.8 per cent. Retail bank holdings were little changed, down 0.2 per cent.
Yet institutional money held by retail banks rose by 3.4 per cent to $338m, while individual holdings fell by 2.2 per cent to $582.7m.
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