Maintaining competition within the marketplace is vital both to ensure enhanced consumer welfare, and a thriving economy. In 2018, the Kingdom of Bahrain (“Bahrain”) introduced Law No. 31 of 2018, the Competition Promotion and Protection Law (the ‘Competition Law’) which regulates anti-competitive practices in the market, and which is aligned to the rest of the GCC countries’ competition law regimes.

Maintaining competition within the marketplace is vital both to ensure enhanced consumer welfare, and a thriving economy. In 2018, the Kingdom of Bahrain (“Bahrain”) introduced Law No. 31 of 2018, the Competition Promotion and Protection Law (the ‘Competition Law’) which regulates anti-competitive practices in the market, and which is aligned to the rest of the GCC countries’ competition law regimes.

Recently, Law No. 21 of 2001 promulgating the Commercial Companies Law was amended by Law No. 28 of 2020 (“Companies Law”). One of the amendments pertained to Article 188, which deals with directors’ remuneration. The Central Bank of Bahrain (“CBB”) rulebook (“CBB Rulebook”) contains provisions that deal with directors’ remuneration. This led to commercial banks in the Kingdom of Bahrain (“Bahrain”) questioning the implications of the amendments...

After several months of internal discussions, Legislative Decree No.27 of 2021 has been passed amending the Judicial Authority Law.

On the 16th of September 2021, Legislative decree No. 22 of 2021, promulgating the Law of Civil and Commercial Execution (the “New Execution Law”), was issued.

The Bahrain Chamber for Dispute Resolution (the “BCDR”) has extended its ongoing efforts in enhancing the efficiency of Bahrain’s judicial system through introducing a new Legislative Decree 26 of 2021 amending certain provisions of Legislative Decree 30 of 2009 with respect to the Bahrain Chamber for Economic, Financial and Investment Dispute Resolution (the “Amendment”).

The COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed diversification throughout the GCC on an unprecedented scale. This is an extremely welcome development. Indeed, COVID-19 has exposed the region’s digital laggards, prompting governments to place digitalisation at the core of their national strategies as a means of survival.

The KSA Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority has on 2 July 2021 issued an immediately effective new decision No. 3852 (the “Decision”) setting new customs regulations. The Decision relates to GCC countries only.

The Data Protection Authority issues draft decisions with respect to the Personal Data Protection Law

The Insolvency Law (Law No. 22 of 2018) and the Central Bank of Bahrain (‘CBB’) and Financial Institutions Law (Law No. 64 of 2006, as amended) (‘CBB Law’) are the primary pieces of legislation under which insolvency or analogous proceedings to which a company incorporated under the Companies Law (Law No. 21 of 2001, as amended) can be subject to in the Kingdom of Bahrain (‘Bahrain’).