The Central Bank of Bahrain has granted Bank of Baroda a licence to re-establish a wholesale branch in Bahrain, following the Indian bank’s exit from the market after the forex crisis in 1993.The new operation will target high net worth individuals and corporates with its private banking and wealth management services. It will focus on structured products and a range of services including deposits, loans and syndications, trade finance and treasury services.

Bank of Baroda, the fifth largest bank in India with assets of over $36bn, first established an offshore banking unit in Bahrain in 1980.

The bank’s return comes courtesy of a boom in banking, both in its home market and the Middle East. “The financial services industry is a major beneficiary of the economic expansion taking place in the GCC and wider Middle East region," said CBB licensing and policy director Ahmed Abdul Aziz Al Bassam. “The business environment for wholesale banking is particularly attractive.”

Bahrain's wholesale banking industry has grown significantly over the past two years: consolidated assets of wholesale banks amounted to $177.2bn in August this year, up more than 20% on the same period last year. Wholesale banking represents 80.5% of the consolidated assets of Bahrain's banking system, which stood at $220bn in August this year, a 32% year-on-year rise.