Thousands of shops inspected as Industry Ministry targets concealed ownership

TDT | Manama

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More than 86,000 site visits have led to shop closures and licence cancellations across Bahrain as the Industry and Commerce Ministry tackles concealed ownership in the commercial sector. A number of related cases remain before the courts.

Industry Minister, His Excellency Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, shared the figures during a session in Parliament.

He said the ministry carried out 86,480 inspections during 2024, a marked increase compared with the previous year.

The drive, he explained, is part of efforts to tighten checks on the market and stop traders from disguising foreign ownership behind local names.

The minister was replying to MP Hamad Al Doy, who had raised concerns about how investment policies are affecting Bahraini business owners.

Advantage

Fakhro dismissed the idea that the government was giving foreign investors an advantage over local traders.

He said the government’s first aim is to protect the national economy, followed by ensuring that Bahraini traders remain supported.

According to him, the goal is to keep a fair balance by welcoming investment where it brings practical benefits while continuing to protect homegrown businesses.

He noted that more than 225 commercial activities still require a Bahraini partner by law.

Rule

That rule, he said, speaks to the role citizens continue to play in the local economy.

Foreign investment, in his view, is expected to bring knowledge, open up jobs for Bahrainis and help raise their skill levels.

As of 21 April 2025, the number of active commercial records stood at 88,900.

Out of those, only 18 per cent were fully foreign-owned, or roughly 16,200 records.

The minister said this figure reflected the enduring strength of Bahraini presence in the trading sector.

Regional practices

He added that the ministry routinely studies regional practices and compares outcomes.

The most recent reviews, he said, showed that Bahrain’s largest trading sectors are still in the hands of fully Bahraini-owned firms.

This, in his words, shows the depth of local enterprise and the confidence placed in it by the market.

Fakhro outlined several moves introduced to reinforce the position of Bahraini traders and open space for valuable investment.

Payment systems

Among them are new rules on payment systems to deal with concealed ownership, a mechanism that gives priority to Bahraini distributors handling global brands, and a decision to raise the capital threshold for fully foreign-owned firms to 750 million euros.