Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK) has made an agreement with Binance Bahrain to add cryptocurrency trading services directly to its digital banking platform. This announcement came at the Gateway Gulf Investment Forum 2025. With this move, BBK becomes the first bank in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to join the Binance Link Programme.
The partnership still needs final approval from the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB). Once approved, BBK will use Binance’s white-label ‘Crypto-as-a-Service’ (CaaS) model.
Seamless Integration for Retail Clients
As outlined in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), BBK plans to integrate Binance’s technology into its current mobile banking app using Application Programming Interfaces (APIs). When this is up and running, customers will be able to buy, sell, and hold digital assets without leaving the bank’s app or needing a separate Binance account.
A special interface in the BBK app will give users a complete view of their financial portfolio, showing traditional savings and investment products alongside their crypto holdings.
Regional Implications
This partnership marks a change in the regional banking sector as it embraces regulated digital assets. By using Binance’s technology, BBK hopes to connect traditional fiat banking with the growing digital economy.
Yaser Alsharifi, Group Chief Executive of BBK, mentioned that the integration aims to provide secure access to new types of assets while adhering to the regulatory standards expected by the bank’s customers.
Tameem Al Moosawi, General Manager of Binance Bahrain, said that this initiative strengthens Bahrain’s role as a regional hub for crypto-asset innovation. He pointed out that the partnership offers a regulated way for both institutional and retail customers to embrace digital finance.
Bahrain’s Digital Finance Strategy
This agreement supports Bahrain’s national goals to modernise its financial services sector and attract fintech investment. Catherine Chen, Head of VIP & Institutional at Binance, suggested that this collaboration sets a standard for how institutional players in the GCC might pursue digital asset services in the future.
While the launch timeline depends on CBB approval, successfully implementing this service would be a major advancement for the use of cryptocurrency in the Bahraini banking industry.
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