On the sidelines of Gateway Gulf 2025, Tamkeen and Mastercard announced the launch of STRIVE in Bahrain, the program’s first deployment in the Middle East. The initiative targets small and medium enterprises with practical support for digital readiness, financial management and access to tools that raise day-to-day efficiency and growth potential.

The forum backdrop matters. Gateway Gulf’s third edition convened leaders on November 2–3 in Manama, and wrapped today with over USD 17 billion in announcements and partnerships, according to a PRNewswire update. That scale gives Bahrain’s founders a rare chance to link pilots and customers to an international investor audience.

For context, the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and Tamkeen first outlined the STRIVE partnership in May 2025, framing a roadmap to bolster SME competitiveness through digital tools, skills and networks. Those plans are now moving into delivery in Bahrain, aligning with Tamkeen’s 2025 priorities that focus on skills, enterprise growth and digitisation.

The program’s reach is significant. Since its global start in 2020, STRIVE has supported millions of small businesses worldwide. In Bahrain, the new rollout prioritises financial and digital readiness for SMEs, a segment that represents 93% of all enterprises in the Kingdom, with notable participation by women and young founders, per BNA’s SME data.

“Mastercard Strive will provide specialised guidance to support SMEs in realising their full potential,” the partners said in their May statement, which laid the groundwork for today’s Bahrain activation. For founders, that translates to hands-on help with digital onboarding, payments acceptance, and smarter cash-flow tools.

With Gateway Gulf closing on a high, Bahrain EDB and Tamkeen are steering activity toward measurable SME outcomes. STRIVE can slot into that pipeline by connecting micro and small firms to technology, training and market pathways, so pilots convert into revenue and jobs. The immediate opportunity is to pick a single use case, adopt the supported tools, and benchmark improvements in sales cycles and operating costs over the next quarter.

Next step for Bahraini SMEs: register interest through Tamkeen and monitor Mastercard’s newsroom for programme enrollment details tied to the Gateway Gulf 2025 launch window.