- It has a strategic location, including access to:
- a regional market of 1.5 billion people;
- Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market of 30 million people; and
- Arab countries with 300 million people.
- It has an advanced road network.
- There is road linkage to the GCC and the rest of the Middle East via the King Fahad Causeway.
- It provides duty-free access to the GCC markets.
- Energy is available at reasonable prices.
- It has established major industries.
- There are industrial sites with advanced infrastructure to international standards.
- There are major ongoing infrastructure projects, such as:
- Salman Industrial City;
- APM Terminals; and
- Bahrain Financial Harbour.
- There are no restrictions on capital repatriation, currency exchange or transfer of dividends.
- The duty-free import of machinery and raw materials is possible.
- A foreigner can own 100% of a company established in Bahrain for most business activities.
- Easy financing mechanisms are available for projects.
- There is active participation of the private sector in industry activities.
- Liberalization and privatization processes exist in key sectors of the economy.
- There are mature financial, commercial and banking services.
- As a financial hub in West Asia, Bahrain has one of the most sophisticated and diversified financial sectors.
- It has an advanced telecommunication infrastructure; this is the first liberalized sector in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
- There is a good standard of living and quality of life:
- Bahrain has one of the highest qualities of life in the Middle East (EIU 2005).
- Bahrain is safe, secure, liberal and friendly.
- There is sufficient workforce available due to:
- a growing, young population;
- a significant amount of young (20-40) bilingual graduates;
- the highest rate of literacy in the region; and
- the expertise and talent of an international human capital pool.
