Bahrain Bourse considers environmental, social and governance issues of critical importance to our core business, and takes the ambition of the Bahrain Economic Vision at heart. The increased focus on sustainable development, climate change, and the global transition to more sustainable and inclusive economies have led to a rapid increase in demand for transparent and comprehensive reporting on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) information. We understand our critical role as a catalyst for sustainable capital markets and as a key driving force to promote ESG disclosure among listed companies. As a Partner Exchange member of the Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative, and a member of the World Federation of Exchanges (WFE), Bahrain Bourse has made a formal commitment to drive sustainability in capital markets.

As part of its voluntary commitment towards the United Nations Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative in promoting sustainable and transparent capital markets, Bahrain Bourse hosts an annual “Ring the Bell for Gender Equality” ceremony alongside global exchanges.

Bahrain Bourse worked to align its core values and sustainability action plan to be aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Bahrain Bourse's initiatives have been particularly focused on the following SDGs which are aligned with WFE indicators, GRI standards, the UN SDGs and Bahrain Economic Vision 2030.
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​​ ESG Category	Corresponding SDG
Environmental
Social
Governance

ESG and Sustainability are two interchangeable terms used to define the role of business in achieving sustainable development, with more and more companies tracking, managing and reporting their performance in a range of non-financial metrics. The term ESG encompasses the wide set of environmental, social and corporate governance considerations that can impact a company's ability to generate value and implement strategy.

In June 2020, Bahrain Bourse launched its voluntary environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting guideline for listed companies and other stakeholders. The voluntary ESG Guideline includes the latest reporting methodologies widely adopted by the industry and enables listed companies to navigating through the evolving standards on ESG data disclosure.

Investors use ESG information to measure how resilient and well-equipped a company is to manage changes in the environment in which it operates. The ESG Guideline also aims to assist various market participants to integrate sustainability into their daily business operations and improve ESG data disclosure and foster transparency for the long-term benefit of the market and ultimately the society. ESG practices can be as beneficial to companies as they are to investors, and a focus on ESG can lead to improvement and harmonization of management practices, which is Commonly linked to a company's ability to generate value and are thus material to the business and its shareholders. The ESG Guideline has been put in place to assist companies to identify, prioritize and disclose the ESG issues most relevant to them as a company.

National Initiative at a Glance

The principles of sustainability are well embedded in the Kingdom of Bahrain Economic Vision 2030. Companies in the Kingdom of Bahrain are expected to create shared value and inclusive growth, to assess their impacts on capitals and resources, and to contribute national, regional and global visions and plans, such as accelerating the fulfilment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals - a call to action to protect the planet and guarantee the global well-being of people. These common goals require the active involvement of individuals, businesses, administrations and countries around the world.

By 2030, Bahrain’s private sector aims to be able to drive a sustainable economic growth, leveraging Bahrain vision’s through three guiding principles: sustainability, fairness, and competitiveness. Economic growth can only be achieved through preserving the environment, the Kingdom's cultural heritage, and the long-term well-being of Bahraini citizens.