Welcome to the U.S.-Bahrain Business Council

On December 10, 2012, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and U.S.-Bahrain Business Council traveled to Manama, Bahrain, for the annual World Islamic Banking Conference (WIBC). Leading the delegation was U.S. Chamber Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer David Chavern, who was joined by Lionel C. Johnson, U.S. Chamber vice president for Turkey, Middle East, and North Africa affairs, and Khush Choksy, executive director of the U.S. Bahrain Business Council.

 

Chavern provided keynote remarks at the WIBC, where he discussed the new reality of our global economy, stating that we recognize the growing role Islamic finance plays as a source of capital to American businesses. Broadly, said Chavern, Islamic finance is aligned with how leading institutions are adapting to the new dynamics of global finance.

 

 

On the margins of the conference, Chavern met with HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Al Khalifa, Crown Prince of Bahrain and the ministers of Finance, Commerce and Industry, Transportation, and the Governor of the Central Bank, to discuss ways to bolster U.S.-Bahrain economic ties. As the first Gulf nation to establish a Free Trade Agreement with the United States, Bahrain remains a critically important commercial partner.