Ripple’s deepening push into Bahrain signals accelerating momentum across the Gulf, with new partnerships, regulatory milestones, and blockchain infrastructure poised to reshape regional finance.
Ripple Partners With Bahrain Fintech Bay to Boost Blockchain Innovation in Gulf
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Ripple Expands in Middle East With Strategic Bahrain Fintech Alliance
Ripple’s continued expansion into the Middle East signals the region’s growing ambition to become a hub for blockchain innovation. The crypto firm announced on Oct. 9 that it had entered into a strategic collaboration with Bahrain Fintech Bay, a government-linked fintech incubator in the Kingdom of Bahrain. The partnership aims to support blockchain experimentation, pilot projects, and industry engagement across the country’s financial technology landscape.
The announcement explained:
The agreement will see Ripple and Bahrain Fintech Bay working together to positively contribute to the Kingdom’s digital assets ecosystem through a range of activities.
Reece Merrick, Managing Director for the Middle East and Africa at Ripple, stated: “At Ripple we look forward to working with Bahrain Fintech Bay to continue laying the foundations for a thriving local blockchain industry, as well as ultimately offering our digital assets custody solution and stablecoin Ripple USD (RLUSD) to Bahrain’s financial institutions.”
Bahrain Fintech Bay’s Chief Operating Officer, Suzy Al Zeerah, said the collaboration reinforces the Kingdom’s regional leadership:
This partnership with Ripple reflects Bahrain Fintech Bay’s commitment to bridging global innovators with the local ecosystem… creating opportunities for pilots, talent development, and cutting-edge solutions that will shape the future of finance.
Ripple’s participation at the Fintech Forward 2025 event in Sakhir further underscores its regional investment. With over 60 global licenses, including a Dubai Financial Services Authority license awarded in March, Ripple noted that it has become the first blockchain-enabled payments provider to secure approval from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). Its regulatory positioning and infrastructure offerings allow it to deliver secure, compliant cross-border solutions to institutional clients across the Gulf and beyond.
