Khaleeji Bank has received a Visa award after recording the fastest growth in active payment cards in Bahrain during 2025, strengthening its position in the kingdom’s increasingly competitive digital banking market.The recognition was presented at the Islamic lender’s headquarters in GFH Tower, Manama, during a ceremony attended by senior representatives of Khaleeji Bank and Visa. Acting chief executive Abdulkarim Mohamed Al Zakari accepted the award from Visa’s Bahrain country manager, Ahmed Elkaffass.
The award measures growth in active cards rather than the number of cards issued. Active-card performance is regarded as a stronger indicator of customer engagement because it reflects whether cardholders are using their accounts for purchases, transfers and other day-to-day transactions.
Khaleeji Bank said the achievement reflected rising customer confidence in its payment products and its efforts to provide secure, practical and flexible services. The lender has been expanding its card portfolio, digital features and payment partnerships as customers shift away from cash and rely more heavily on mobile banking and contactless transactions.
Al Zakari said the recognition demonstrated the bank’s performance in cards and payment solutions, as well as the growing use of its products. He added that Khaleeji Bank would continue developing its card offerings and improving benefits designed to increase customer engagement with digital services.
The bank’s retail strategy combines Sharia-compliant card structures with features commonly offered by conventional payment products. Its credit cards include cashback, Gulf Air miles, travel insurance, airport lounge access and interest-free grace periods, alongside security controls and Visa-linked merchant offers.
Khaleeji Bank uses a Murabaha-based structure for its credit cards. Under this arrangement, financing is provided through an agreed sale transaction with a disclosed profit margin, allowing the product to operate within Islamic finance principles while supporting the flexibility expected from a modern credit card.
Ameera Ahmed Alabbasi, head of retail banking at Khaleeji Bank, credited the bank’s employees for achieving the highest annual growth in active cards in Bahrain. She said the result reflected teamwork and the institution’s focus on creating banking services suited to customers’ everyday needs.
Alabbasi said the award also showed that customers increasingly viewed Khaleeji Bank cards as an integral part of their daily transactions. The bank plans to introduce additional products and features as it seeks to deepen customer usage rather than relying solely on new account openings or card issuance.
Visa said the performance reflected Khaleeji Bank’s focus on improving the cardholder experience and encouraging digital payments. The global payments company said it expected its partnership with the lender to support further development of Bahrain’s payments sector.
The recognition follows a series of digital initiatives undertaken by the bank. Khaleeji Bank introduced Visa+ transfers in 2025, allowing customers to send money to eligible debit and prepaid cardholders in other Gulf Cooperation Council states using a recipient’s mobile number.
The service removes the need to enter a 16-digit card number or an international bank account number, reducing the amount of sensitive financial information shared between users. It is designed to simplify person-to-person transfers and cross-border remittances while improving privacy and transaction speed.
Such services are becoming an important competitive tool for Gulf banks, where customers increasingly expect transfers, card management, savings products and financing applications to be available through mobile platforms. Banks are also seeking to make digital services easier to use as financial technology companies and digital wallets compete for payment volumes.
Bahrain has established itself as a financial technology centre through regulatory support for open banking, digital financial services and controlled testing of new products. Its relatively compact banking market has encouraged lenders to compete through customer experience, payment features and technology partnerships rather than branch expansion alone.
For Visa and other global card networks, partnerships with local banks provide access to growing transaction volumes and help extend contactless acceptance, tokenised payments and cross-border services. Banks benefit from international payment infrastructure, fraud-management systems and access to merchant networks outside their home markets.
The award also highlights a wider change in how banks evaluate card performance. Issuing large numbers of cards can expand a customer base, but inactive accounts generate limited transaction revenue and may increase administrative costs. Banks are therefore concentrating on usage frequency, customer retention and the proportion of cards used regularly.
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