- What
- Sharia-compliant SME financing; amount set case by case.
- Who
- Bahrain SMEs with an active CR and at least 2 years of operations.
- Cost
- No equity — Sharia-compliant debt
- From abroad
- A company in Bahrain is required — Must hold an active Commercial Registration (CR); Must be operating in Bahrain; At least 2 years of operations All programmes open to founders from abroad →
- Status
- Active
Checked · September 2026 · bdb-bh.com/financial-services/sme-fund · How we check ↗
In detail
SME Fund (Bahrain) is a government-backed SME financing fund in Bahrain. National SME financing fund managed by Bahrain Development Bank in partnership with NBB, BBK and Al Salam Bank; Tamkeen subsidises up to 50% of the profit rate. Sharia'a-compliant financing with repayment terms of up to five years.
- Terms
- No — debt financing (Sharia’a-compliant)
- Eligibility
- Bahrain SMEs with active CR and at least 2 years of operations
- Sectors
- Productive & service sectors — growth-oriented SMEs
- Benefits
- Up to 50% profit-rate subsidy (Tamkeen)
- Up to 5-year repayment
- Fixed-asset & working-capital financing
- Status
- Active — applications opened 10 November 2025; submit at BDB’s main branch or through the online form, enquiries on 17511000
What the source says
“small and medium-sized enterprises operating in Bahrain across various productive and service sectors”
“Managed by Bahrain Development Bank (BDB) ... Partner institutions: National Bank of Bahrain (NBB), Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK), Al Salam Bank ... Supported by Tamkeen”
“Tamkeen provides SME Fund beneficiaries with a profit subsidy of up to 50%”
“Sharia'a-compliant financing with flexible repayment terms of up to five years”
“Sharia'a-compliant financing ... fixed asset loans and working capital”
“The repayment period is flexible and may extend to 5 years, depending on the nature of the business and the type of financing provided.”
Closing soon on the map
Cultural Development Fund (CDF)
Finspire
QSTP Incubation
More loans & guarantees in the Gulf
More programmes that take no equity →
Sources
Primary source · bdb-bh.com/financial-services/sme-fund · Checked September 2026