Business
ZAWYA: Bahrain Bourse listed companies post 17.6% Q1 profit rise
ZAWYA: Bahrain Bourse listed companies post 17.6% Q1 profit rise
About this update from Gfh Bank B.s.c.
Staff WriterBahrain - Total net profits for companies listed on the Bahrain Bourse climbed 17.6 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) during the first quarter of the year, tracking at $549.8 million against $467.6m in Q1-2025.The latest report from Kamco Invest shows that the gain was carried by strong performance across six of the exchange’s 14 sectors, which managed to offset y-o-y declines in the remaining eight.Materials, diversified financials, and insurance provided the main lift for corporate earnings during the quarter, whereas the telecom, banking, and retailing sectors weighed on the overall total.In the materials sector, Alba – the sole company in the category – posted a massive 315.5pc surge in net profit to reach $199.8m for Q1-2026, up from $48.1m in the same period last year.The bottom-line jump came despite a 17pc drop in sales volume to 312,563 metric tonnes, as regional shipping disruptions took a toll on logistics. Alba managed to overcome the volume drop through stronger average selling prices, which pushed overall revenues up by 2.6pc to BD419.6m ($1.1 billion) compared to BD409m ($1.08bn) a year earlier.It was a tougher quarter for the banking sector as a whole, with aggregate net profits slipping to $234.9m from $288.5m in Q1-2025. The decline was largely dragged down by a $6.5m loss reported by Khaleeji Bank.However, the headline sector dip masked strong individual performances from the kingdom’s major commercial lenders. BBK saw its total earnings jump 24.6pc to $70m, a growth trend management credited to its asset and liability strategies alongside expansion in its net loans and advances portfolio. The bank’s net fees and commissions rose 12pc to BD5.6m ($14.9m), helping push total operating income up by 24.6pc to BD50.6m ($134.2m). At the same time, Al Salam Bank booked a 24.4pc improvement in net earnings, which landed at $61.4m for the quarter.Total net profits for the diversified financial sector rose by 7.5pc y-o-y to reach $37.1m, compared to $34.5m in the opening quarter of last year.Sector heavyweight GFH Financial Group anchored the growth, reporting a 16.6pc rise in net profits to $35.2m against $30.1m in Q1-2025. The bulk of the momentum came from a sharp increase in wealth and investment management revenues, which brought in $82.5m during the quarter compared to $51.6m previously. Financing and credit operations also saw posi...