GFH

The word ‘volatility’ is of the most villainous nature in the finance and investments sector. How does GFH, being a highly dynamic financial group, handle this ‘villain’ While volatility is of course challenging, we have honed our skills at effectively navigating the markets and looking for and seizing opportunity even in the most turbulent times. Most importantly though, in order to combat volatility, we have long shifted our investment focus into sectors that we know to be resilient. We favour what we call future-proof investments in defensive sectors – this includes education, healthcare and technology, among others. We are confident this strategy will continue to enable us to deliver strong value and returns whatever the market environment may be.

Could you tell us about the role played by GFH in reaffirming the

Kingdom’s position as the financial hub of the region? With our base in Bahrain, the success of GFH has in no small part been supported by the Kingdom’s position as a leading regional financial centre and hub. We have an exceptional regulatory environment, supported by the Central Bank of Bahrain, and a history and reputation for innovation and the best talent in the region. We have benefited greatly from all these factors and as a result have established GFH as a strong and well-known global investor. In every major investment we make around the world, we fly the flag of Bahrain and reinforce the strong business and investment climate from which we come from. Furthermore, we continue to invest in the kinds of financial innovation and human capital development that will help ensure Bahrain’s financial sector stays on top.

Could you tell us about GFH’s contributions as a vital player in the Islamic finance sector and the

Bahraini government’s support in this regard? GFH has long been a pioneer in the Islamic finance sector, most recently named the top Islamic bank in the region for 2021 by MEA Finance. With the support of the Central Bank of Bahrain, our regulator, we have invested in innovation and in the development of a broad array of Islamic financial products and structures over the years. The support of the CBB and robust regulatory environment we enjoy in the Kingdom has been essential to our success. It provides the market and investors with the kind of confidence they need and it has enabled us to continue to attract interest and capital to help us grow, expand and further innovate for the benefit of our investors and shareholders but also for the benefit of the industry itself. ? How do you handle competition in the area of wealth management and asset management; especially this being a segment where a new competitor is born almost every day? We believe our track record, legacy as well as our vision for the future continues to set us apart no matter how crowded the space gets. We have shown the remarkable resilience of our business and delivered value and solid returns for our shareholders a n d i nve s to r s eve n d u r i n g t h e m o s t challenging of market conditions, with the pandemic being the latest example. Through our performance and ongoing progress across the business, we have WITH OUR BASE IN BAHRAIN, THE SUCCESS OF GFH HAS IN NO SMALL PART BEEN SUPPORTED BY THE KINGDOM’S POSITION AS A LEADING REGIONAL FINANCIAL CENTRE AND HUB.

NUMBERS SPEAK

$323m $6.59bn $ 2.8bn

The company’s income in 2020 shows the resilience of its business model

The total assets reflect the company’s strategy of dynamic diversification

The fund raised during the year for all business line activities

gained the confidence of the market including some of the world’s leading international institutional investors. We will continue to build our business on the strong brand recognition and trust the GFH name carries. This is our biggest advantage and one that will enable us to maintain market leadership well into the future. ? Lo o k i n g fo r wa rd , w h a t a re t h e future plans for GFH?

We’ll be entering 2022 with very strong momentum. We will continue to build on the solid foundations we have established and our focus will remain firmly on further expansion and growth across our core business lines and the geographies we are active in.

We will continue to seek out opportunities in the GCC, US, UK and greater Europe within sectors that are well positioned for steady, long-term growth. We are on course to keep announcing exciting new opportunities and partnerships and further diversifying our business and the unique investments we bring to shareholders and investors across the region. A few examples where we expect to see growth are in our education, technology, healthcare and logistics portfolios and investments both in the region and globally. We’ll enter 2022 in a very solid position with a strong vision and pipeline of opportunities for continued diversification, expansion and value creation.