Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB)
Bahrain's financial regulator, responsible for supervising licensed financial institutions and enforcing AML/CTF requirements across the sector.
Middle East · Country coverage
AML/CTF Compliance in Bahrain
Bahrain regulates AML/CTF through the Central Bank of Bahrain and Decree-Law No. 4 of 2001. See the obligations and how MemberCheck supports them.
Last updated
Screening coverage for Bahrain
- Sanctions & PEP screening
- Adverse media checks
- Customer identity verification
- Jurisdiction risk checks
- Ongoing monitoring
Key facts
AML supervisor / FIUCentral Bank of Bahrain (CBB); Financial Intelligence National Center
FATF statusMENAFATF member
Primary legislationDecree-Law No. 4 of 2001 on the Prohibition and Combating of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing
Overview
AML/CTF compliance in Bahrain.
Bahrain regulates money laundering and terrorism financing through Decree-Law No. 4 of 2001, with the Central Bank of Bahrain supervising licensed financial institutions and the Financial Intelligence National Center acting as the country's financial intelligence unit.
Financial institutions and designated businesses must run customer due diligence, identify beneficial owners, monitor transactions, and report suspicious activity to the financial intelligence unit. Supervisors expect documented risk assessments, sound record keeping, and controls proportionate to the risks a firm faces.
MemberCheck helps teams meet these obligations by screening customers and entities against global sanctions, PEP, and adverse-media data, verifying identities, and monitoring risk continuously, with a clear audit trail behind every decision.
Regulation
All solutions →Key laws and regulators.
Decree-Law No. 4 of 2001
Bahrain's principal AML statute on the Prohibition and Combating of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. It sets customer due diligence, record-keeping, and suspicious transaction reporting duties for regulated businesses.
Financial Intelligence National Center
Bahrain's financial intelligence unit, which receives and analyses suspicious transaction reports and disseminates intelligence to competent authorities.
MENAFATF membership
Bahrain is a member of the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force and aligns its framework with the FATF 40 Recommendations.
Obligations
What regulated businesses must do.
- Customer due diligence on customers and beneficial owners
- Identify and verify beneficial ownership
- File suspicious transaction reports (STRs) with the financial intelligence unit
- Ongoing monitoring of customer transactions
- Conduct and document risk assessments
- Maintain records for the required retention period
1,000+
Global watchlists screened
<1s
Average screening response
24h
Watchlist refresh cycle
195
Countries covered
FAQ
Common questions.
Who supervises AML/CTF in Bahrain?
The Central Bank of Bahrain supervises licensed financial institutions for AML/CTF, while the Financial Intelligence National Center serves as Bahrain's financial intelligence unit, receiving and analysing suspicious transaction reports.
What is the main AML law in Bahrain?
Decree-Law No. 4 of 2001 on the Prohibition and Combating of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing is Bahrain's principal AML statute, setting customer due diligence, record-keeping, and suspicious transaction reporting obligations.
Is Bahrain a member of FATF?
Bahrain is a member of MENAFATF, the FATF-style regional body for the Middle East and North Africa, and aligns its AML/CTF regime with the FATF 40 Recommendations.
How does MemberCheck support AML compliance in Bahrain?
MemberCheck screens customers and entities against global sanctions, PEP, and adverse-media data, verifies identities, and monitors risk continuously, with an audit trail behind every decision.
Screen customers for Bahrain risk with MemberCheck.
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