Episode 56-Gulf Currents: Bahrain in a Changing Gulf

Bahrain’s economy is often overshadowed by its larger Gulf neighbours, but it plays a crucial role in the region’s financial landscape

In episode 56, we spoke to Duncan Mayall, Chief Economist at Consulum. 

He has over 15 years experience advising sovereign wealth funds and investment bodies across the Gulf, North Africa, and China.

In this episode, we covered several topics, including:

• An overview of Bahrain's economy
• The role of sovereign wealth funds in Gulf economies
• Broader economic shifts taking place in the region

Email us: hassan@majlisandmarkets.com

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Intro theme song-Arab and Muslim by StockMusic via Pixabay

Chapters

• 1:11 Beginning of discussion
• 1:40 Duncan's background
• 7:08 Current work
• 8:59 PR/Comms and economics link
• 14:19 Economics-a science or art?
• 16:22 Initial thoughts on Bahraini economy
• 20:19 Financial hub status
• 22:11 Human capital
• 24:16 Non-oil sectors
• 26:41 Still a gateway to Saudi?
• 29:08 Free trade agreements
• 32:36 FDI inflows
• 34:17 Debt levels
• 36:04 Geopolitical risk
• 37:51 SWFs' role in Gulf economies
• 43:05 Gulf Merchant families
• 46:23 Why do SWFs issue debt?
• 48:05 Gulf SWFs' overseas investments
• 53:15 Interest in BRICS
• 57:48 Geo-economic landscape in 2025
• 59:36 Gulf Monetary Union
• 1:03:14 Current and upcoming projects
• 1:05:10 Social media