‘Bahrain gives highest ROI on investments’

TDT | Manama    

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Report by Mahir Haneef

Which is the best destination for investments in the GCC? While this can be a perplexing question for many, a financial investment company that operates in the GCC, Europe, and the US and posted yearly double-digit growth found profitability to be the highest in Bahrain.

GFH Financial Group, headquartered in Bahrain Financial Harbour, has its operations principally focused across the GCC, North Africa, and India but has strategic investments in the US, Europe, and the UK.

The group invests in luxury living, hospitality, logistics, healthcare, education, and technology and has assets and funds under management that are worth over $21 billion. Talking to The Daily Tribune, GFH Group CEO Hisham Alrayes said, “We like the opportunities in Bahrain.

The Kingdom has great assets that you can get at an attractive valuation, which we love. Some of our best investments and best profitability came from Bahrain, as the assets that we get in other markets are very expensive.”

The group had been investing in Bahrain over the last few years in luxury living and hospitality, the CEO revealed.

“In Bahrain, you can get assets of much better quality at a much better price than elsewhere in the GCC,” Alrayes said, adding that the company is promoting this aspect and the Kingdom as a whole as a great destination for hospitality and living, as the group sees itself as a complementing partner in the government’s efforts to attract investments and is also an active player in the market.

Government Push

In fact, the efforts initiated by HM the King, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and the government in promoting the Kingdom as an investment destination and to promote businesses are yielding results, says the CEO.

“The government of Bahrain is putting in a lot of effort, and it is helping very well. We’re getting a lot of support from the government, be it the ease of doing business, finding opportunities, or bringing in investors,” Alrayes stated. The company plans to continue investing in the Kingdom, he added.