NBB Partners with Partior to Explore Bahraini Dinar Settlement on Blockchain Network

Partnership Overview

Bahrain’s National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) has formed a strategic partnership with Partior, a production‑live multi‑bank blockchain settlement network, to study the possibility of acting as a Bahraini Dinar settlement bank on Partior’s platform.

The Gulf state has been positioning itself as a centre for financial technology innovation.

The partnership establishes a comprehensive framework intended to assess the technical feasibility, regulatory requirements and implementation steps needed to develop the proposed operating model safely within Bahrain’s financial services ecosystem.

Statements from Leaders

Vineet Munot, Group Head of Transaction Banking at NBB, said: “The way financial institutions settle money across markets is continuing to evolve, creating opportunities to examine new mechanisms for connectivity and settlement. Our engagement with Partior allows us to assess how NBB’s local market capabilities could support Bahraini Dinar settlement within an emerging digital infrastructure.”

He added: “We will approach this opportunity with the appropriate technical, operational and regulatory considerations as we determine its potential value for NBB and Bahrain’s banking and finance industry.”

Humphrey Valenbreder, Partior CEO, said: “Expanding the range of currencies available across next-generation settlement platforms is an important part of advancing interoperability between financial markets.”

He added: “Our work with NBB gives us an avenue to assess how Bahraini Dinar settlement could be incorporated into Partior’s network, building on our growing presence across the GCC. We look forward to working together to evaluate a model that can support efficient and transparent cross border flows working with a world class partner like NBB.”

Strategic Implications

The landmark agreement reflects NBB’s continued strategic focus on strengthening its transaction banking capabilities through carefully selected partnerships and emerging financial infrastructure.

By exploring highly innovative new approaches to clearing and settlement, the bank is actively seeking to enhance its international connectivity while contributing its local market expertise to the continued development of the kingdom’s financial services sector.