The National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) has announced a strategic move to leverage Kinexys by J.P. Morgan, the firm’s industry-leading blockchain business unit, to pilot next-generation programmable payments infrastructure. The collaboration, which was formalised during Fintech Forward 2025, positions NBB at the forefront of digital transformation in banking through the adoption of blockchain-native payment technologies.
NBB will leverage Kinexys Digital Payments (KDP) to deliver real-time programmable payment capabilities that support more complex, conditional, and automated financial flows. From scheduled disbursements and threshold-based transfers to event-triggered settlements, the technology will allow NBB to offer advanced financial rails to evolving corporate and institutional needs with the objective to manage liquidity efficiently and enhance interbank capabilities.
On the occasion, Ali Abdulkarim, Group Chief Executive – Corporate and Commercial Banking at NBB stated, “This collaboration represents a pivotal moment in our journey to reimagine the future of payment mechanisms across the region. Integrating this programmable infrastructure will allow us to unlock powerful new capabilities, enabling faster, smarter, and more flexible transaction flows that can scale with our ambitions. As Bahrain accelerates its fintech leadership across the region, we remain focused on delivering innovative solutions that combine trust, technology, and transformation.”
The initiative underscores NBB’s commitment to minimise friction, reduce costs, and meet the requirements of today’s increasingly dynamic business models leaning towards decentralised finance applications. It also aligns with the Central Bank of Bahrain’s (CBB) ongoing efforts to position the Kingdom as a leading financial technology hub in the Gulf. With blockchain infrastructure now playing a critical role in modernising global financial ecosystems, NBB’s collaboration with Kinexys by J.P. Morgan reflects a shared vision for creating future-ready financial services that are secure, compliant, and seamlessly connected.
NBB has now joined a growing number of leading global financial institutions that are adopting Kinexys’ blockchain infrastructure. The deployment of this infrastructure will pave the way for NBB to launch new applications across treasury operations, corporate banking, digital platforms, and emerging fintech ecosystems.
