Bahrain Bourse has issued the Investor Relations Best Practice Guide, which highlights the investor relations function and the effect of its best practices on the valuation and competitiveness of listed companies in the market.

“The launch of the Investor Relations Best Practice Guide is another step towards promoting the importance of good investor relations practices across Bahrain’s capital market whilst enhancing corporate governance and transparency among companies in the Kingdom of Bahrain,” Chief Executive Officer of Bahrain Bourse, Shaikh Khalifa bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa was quoted as saying in a Bahrain News Agency (BNA) report.

“The Guide aims to build a long-term effective Investor Relations programs within listed companies to enable transparent communication between the company, investors, and analysts to foster efficiency and transparency.”

Director of Marketing and Business Development and Board Member of Middle East Investor Relations Association (MEIRA), Marwa Al-Maskati said: “The launch of the Investor Relations Best Practice Guide complements Bahrain Bourse's efforts in relation to promoting investor relations in Bahrain’s capital market in collaboration with Middle East Investor relations Associations (MEIRA).

“The Investor Relations (IR) Best Practice Guide aims to provide a blueprint framework for listed companies to structure an effective IR program and strategy. Investor Relations is the effective two-way communication of the relevant information between an issuer and the financial markets to ensure that the investment community is making an informed judgement about the fair value of an issuer’s securities.”

The Investor Relations Best Practice Guide includes guiding principles of Investor Relations, outlines the operating and regulatory environment, and provides guidance on Investor Relations’ strategies in line with best international practices. The Investor Relations guide also includes case studies from listed companies’ Investor Relations best practices.

Bahrain Bourse and MEIRA officially launched the MEIRA chapter in Bahrain during April 2019 with the aim of developing and enhancing best practices in Investor Relations (IR) across the Kingdom of Bahrain. Bahrain Bourse has also joined MEIRA Board of Directors in December 2020.

The founding members of MEIRA chapter in Bahrain include Aluminium Bahrain (ALBA), Bank ABC, Batelco, Bahrain Bourse, Ithmaar Holding, National Bank of Bahrain, and Sico BSC.