MANAMA – Ripple, the leading provider of digital asset infrastructure for financial institutions, today announced a strategic partnership with Bahrain Fintech Bay (BFB), the Kingdom’s leading fintech incubator and ecosystem builder, which partners with government bodies and others to further accelerate the development and adoption of blockchain and digital assets technology in Bahrain.
The agreement will see Ripple and Bahrain Fintech Bay working together to positively contribute to the Kingdom’s digital assets ecosystem through a range of activities including supporting the development of proofs-of-concept and pilot projects relevant to Bahrain’s fintech ecosystem; showcasing solutions across areas such as blockchain technology, cross-border payments, digital assets, stablecoins, and tokenization; leading knowledge initiatives through educational collaborations and accelerator programs; and participating in dedicated local ecosystem events to foster new industry partnerships and drive innovation.
“The Kingdom of Bahrain has emerged as an early adopter of blockchain technology and was one of the first jurisdictions globally to regulate crypto assets,” said Reece Merrick, Managing Director, Middle East and Africa at Ripple. “At Ripple, we look forward to working with Bahrain Fintech Bay to continue laying the foundations for a thriving local blockchain industry, as well as ultimately offering our digital assets custody solution and stablecoin Ripple USD (RLUSD) to Bahrain’s financial institutions.”
“Bahrain has long been recognised as a financial services hub, and today this legacy is being further enhanced in the digital assets and blockchain space. This partnership with Ripple reflects Bahrain FinTech Bay’s commitment to bridging global innovators with the local ecosystem, creating opportunities for pilots, talent development, and cutting-edge solutions that will shape the future of finance. Together, we are delivering on our goal of enhancing fintech innovation in the region,” said Suzy Al Zeerah, Chief Operating Officer at Bahrain Fintech Bay.
As well as the new partnership with Bahrain Fintech Bay, Ripple is present at Fintech Forward 2025, an Economist Impact event taking place in Sakhir on October 8th and 9th, which unites experts from fintechs, banks, governments, and regulators to delve into the challenges and opportunities facing the international finance industry.
Ripple has over a decade of experience in the digital asset space. Its simple, secure, compliant digital asset infrastructure means it is well-positioned to provide the core services that financial institutions need to store, exchange, and move digital assets. Ripple holds 60+ regulatory licenses and registrations in various global jurisdictions, including its DFSA license granted in March 2025, making Ripple the first blockchain-enabled payments provider to be licensed by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA).
About Ripple
Ripple is the leading provider of digital asset infrastructure for financial institutions delivering simple, compliant, reliable software that unlocks efficiencies, reduces friction, and enhances innovation in global finance. Ripple’s solutions leverage the XRP Ledger and its native digital asset, XRP, which was purpose-built to enable fast, low-cost, highly scalable transactions across developer and financial use cases. With a proven track record working with regulators and policymakers around the world, Ripple’s payments, custody and stablecoin solutions are pioneering the digital asset economy building credibility and trust in enterprise blockchain. Together with customers, partners and the developer community, we are transforming the way the world tokenizes, stores, exchanges, and moves value.
Media Contacts
Ripple – Ian Burge
About Bahrain Fintech Bay
Bahrain Fintech Bay is an ecosystem builder. It incubates impactful and scalable fintech initiatives through innovation labs, acceleration programs, curated activities, and educational opportunities. This collaborative platform is dedicated to furthering the development, interaction, and acceleration of the fintech ecosystem. To bring the full spectrum of market participants together, BFB partners with governmental bodies, financial institutions, corporates, consultancy firms, universities, associations, venture capital, and fintech startups. Bahrain FinTech Bay is a subsidiary of the BENEFIT Company.
For more information, please visit our website: http://www.bahrainfintechbay.com
