The Bahraini banking sector, like its counterparts around the world, has played an important role in supporting the general economy over the past two years, both as a partner to government-led coronavirus relief initiatives but also directly assisting the business community and individuals.
At the same time, banks have managed to maintain key growth metrics. Total local deposits grew by 4.2% to BD14.1bn ($35.5bn) in 2021, with outstanding loans to residents increasing by 4.7% to BD10.9bn, according to the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB). Return on assets (ROA), meanwhile, stood at 1.1% as of December 2021, up from 0.7% from end-2020, with return on equity (ROE) increasing to 7.8%, up from 2.6% over the same period.
