The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry was established and founded in 1939. It was the first Chamber of Commerce in the Gulf. In this context it has to be mentioned that the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry assumed the so-called standard code, including a few adaptations, of the various Arab Chambers of Commerce and Industry in order to meet and correspond to the respective requirements and conditions.
Strictly speaking the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry represents a private organization. Its main objectives consist in supporting and regulating both the trade in general and trading relations. Besides, the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry seeks to promote and foster commercial as well as industrial interests. It supports the development of economic, productive and commercial capabilities of the whole country and protects, in particular, its members’ interests and opinions.
The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry is administered by a special Board of Directors that includes 18 members. Strictly speaking the Board of Directors gets elected once in every four years and does not represent the only group of important people that are responsible for the whole administration of the Bahrain Chamber. So there exists a variety of different committees that are formed in order to be in charge for a number of essential activities to report on. Regarding the general Board of Directors it has to be stressed that it is fostered by the Chamber Secretariat including one Secretary General, one Deputy Secretary General and two Assistant Secretary Generals.
The island of Bahrain enjoys a great and outstanding geographical location regarding the international trade and important trading relations. Strictly speaking Bahrain has always played a major role in the context of commerce and trade. This fact was consequently the decisive factor for founding and forming the “General Traders’ Association” in 1939. Six years later the General Traders’ Association was renamed and became the present Bahrain Chamber of Commerce. In 1968, the two missing words “and Industry” were added to its name because of the Chamber’s growing reputation and recognition in the entire economy of Bahrain.