Bahrain’s Mumtalakat, ARP Group Unveil AI-Driven Wholesale Bank Venture

Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (Mumtalakat), the sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and ARP Group announced on November 1, 2026, a partnership to establish an AI-native and blockchain-enabled wholesale bank headquartered in Bahrain. The venture holds in-principle approval from the Central Bank of Bahrain and will begin regulated activities only after securing final authorisation. The announcement was made on the sidelines of Gateway Gulf 2026.

The proposed bank is meant to support institutional clients whose banking needs are regional and international in scope, and Mumtalakat said the venture pairs its long-term investment approach with ARP’s experience in institutional finance and digital financial infrastructure. The bank’s intended clientele spans regulated financial institutions, payment companies, and businesses operating across borders.

The partners said the goal is to make banking simpler for clients whose needs extend across multiple markets and currencies, with technology lowering the complexity and cost of serving them. According to the announcement, the bank’s design places artificial intelligence across its operations, with programmable services that connect directly into clients’ systems through APIs.

Human oversight, governance, and risk controls…