🇧🇭 Crypto licence in Bahrain

The regime

The Central Bank of Bahrain's crypto-asset module (CBB Rulebook Volume 6) has licensed exchanges, brokers and custodians since February 2019, making Bahrain the Gulf's earliest comprehensive licensing jurisdiction — Rain's 2019 licence was the region's first.

Licensing runs in four categories by activity scope (advice up through full exchange operation), with capital scaled by category. Bahrain has used the regime to anchor regional hubs for global firms, including Binance's first Gulf licence in 2022.

Requirements

• CBB crypto-asset licence in one of four categories: 1 (advisory), 2 (brokerage/portfolio management), 3 (trading and custody), 4 (exchange operation).
• Capital: minimum capital scaled by category (from BD 25,000 up to BD 300,000 for category 4).
• Local presence: Bahraini incorporation or branch, approved persons in controlled functions.
• Custody and security: safeguarding standards for client assets, cold-storage expectations and cybersecurity requirements under the module.

Licensed firms

CBB-licensed firms include:

• Rain — the Gulf's first licensed crypto platform, 2019
• Binance Bahrain — category-4 licence, 2022 — Binance's first Gulf licence
• CoinMENA — licensed exchange

Snapshot, not the register: verify current status against CBB register before relying on it.

What licence categories does Bahrain offer?

Four, by activity: advisory (1), brokerage (2), trading/custody (3) and full exchange operation (4), with capital requirements rising by category to BD 300,000.

How does Bahrain compare with Dubai's VARA?

Bahrain moved first (2019 vs 2022) with a bank-supervised, rulebook-based model under the CBB; VARA is a standalone crypto regulator with per-activity rulebooks. Both license by activity; firms often hold both for Gulf coverage.