Bahrain Bourse (BHB) has announced the issuance of a consultation paper on the Bahrain Investment Market (BIM).

The paper has been released on the bourse website to receive the views and opinions of legal and consultancy companies, as well as brokers and asset managers prior to the implementation and launch of the BIM, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

BHB chief executive Shaikh Khalifa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said the Bahrain Investment Market is one of the initiatives that the bourse has taken to develop the capital markets sector in the kingdom.

"Bahrain Bourse is planning to launch the BIM at the beginning of next year with the aim of providing a mechanism of financing the rapidly growing companies and businesses in Bahrain and GCC by providing a suitable environment for those companies that are willing to share risk and returns with investors and benefit from the opportunities of the market," Shaikh Khalifa added.

He said BHB co-ordinated with various local institutions such as Tamkeen and Bahrain Development Bank to provide legal, technical, and financial solutions that will allow as many Bahraini companies that meet the requirements as possible to apply for listing at the BIM.

He said he was optimistic about the capability of BHB to attract several Bahraini and GCC companies to list at the BIM.

"We have already received several enquiries from many companies in Bahrain and abroad," he added.

Moreover, Shaikh Khalifa said that BHB plans to launch a few more initiatives and products to provide more options and alternatives for both issuers and investors, hoping to enhance trading activity at BHB in the coming years. - TradeArabia News Service