First published: 27-Nov-2025 13:24:23
Staff Writer
Listed companies in Bahrain delivered a strong performance in the third quarter of 2025, with aggregate net profits soaring 31.3 per cent year-on-year to reach $597 million.
Analysis by Kuwait-base Kamco Invest shows that the robust quarterly result was broad-based, as 12 out of 14 sectors, including major contributors like banking and materials, reported year-on-year growth.
For the first nine months of the year (9M-2025), total net earnings for Bahrain Bourse also showed a solid increase, rising 9.7pc year-on-year to $1.6 billion (from $1.4bn in 9M-2024).
The vital banking sector was a key driver, seeing a 16.4pc year-on-year rise in Q3-2025 profits to $222.4m.
All eight listed banks contributed to this growth. For the nine-month period, the sector’s aggregate net earnings improved 14.7pc to $739.6m.
Al Salam Bank was instrumental in the 9M-2025 growth, reporting a 37.4pc jump in net profits to $154.3m, driven by its core banking operations.
Conversely, while reporting the largest net profits among banks at $203.9m for 9M-2025, Bank ABC saw a marginal 5.1pc drop in its nine-month earnings, despite its total operating income rising to $1.033bn.
In the materials sector, sole listed company Alba reported a strong Q3-2025, with net profits increasing 23.3pc year-on-year to $178.4m.
This was primarily attributed to an 11pc rise in LME prices during the quarter.
However, Alba’s 9M-2025 net profits declined 25.5pc to $291.6m, as higher feedstock costs during the year offset the average selling price increase.
The diversified financial sector saw profits nearly triple in Q3-2025, reaching $108.8m.
The nine-month performance was similarly impressive, with net earnings surging 71.1pc to $186.4m.
GFH Financial Group was the main support, reporting higher 9M profits of $168.5m.
Against the backdrop of widespread growth, the telecom sector recorded a slight 4.5pc year-on-year drop in Q3-2025 to $48.7m.
This decline was mainly driven by Beyon, which reported a profit decrease to $44.3m, attributed to additional taxes from the domestic minimum top-up tax (DMTT) effective this year.
In contrast, Zain Bahrain saw a marginal 1pc increase in its Q3 net earnings to $4.34m.
Zooming out, aggregate net profits for companies listed on GCC exchanges rose 7.9pc year-on-year in the third quarter of 2025 to a recent high of $65.6bn, up from $60.7bn.
The surge was primarily driven by strong profit growth in the Banking and Real Estate sectors, offsetting declines in telecom and utilities.
Banking profits set a new record high at $17.4bn, with double-digit growth in the UAE (+25.1pc) and Saudi Arabia (+15.2pc) outweighing a decline in Qatar.
Real Estate net profits surged by nearly two-thirds, led by the UAE, where profits grew 43.1pc to $2.67bn.
Meanwhile, the energy sector saw a marginal 0.5pc profit increase to $28.9bn, despite a 13.7pc drop in average Brent crude prices.
All GCC markets reported positive year-on-year profit growth in Q3.
Saudi-listed companies posted their highest profits in five quarters at $38.2bn.
For the first nine months of the year, Saudi-listed companies saw profits drop 5.3pc to $107.5bn, mainly due to declines in energy, materials, and insurance.
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