Zain Group has been upgraded by MSCI to an ‘A’ ESG rating (from ‘BBB’) as of September 2025, with a perfect 10/10 on the environmental pillar and continued gains in governance and data privacy. The company confirmed the move in its official statement, including a focus on Net Zero by 2050 and stronger board oversight, while highlighting new data governance structures such as the Zain Data Office. Zain reiterated the upgrade on its own channels, and regional outlets including Zawya and News of Bahrain reported the change last week. For context, the primary announcement is also live on Zain’s website.

Vice Chairman and Group CEO Bader Al-Kharafi said: “Zain’s transformative ‘4WARD-Progress with Purpose’ strategy is driving the company’s sustainability, corporate governance and ethical leadership agenda to new heights. Integrating ESG principles at the core of our business strategy is essential for achieving true industry leadership.” The statement also ties the upgrade to ISO-driven controls, clarified board responsibilities and continuous improvement in privacy, particularly in markets with tightening rules.

The Kingdom has been nudging listed firms toward clearer disclosure since the launch of Bahrain Bourse’s voluntary ESG reporting guidelines (2020) and ongoing sustainability journey resources. Those materials help issuers standardise metrics and frame climate, social and governance risks in investor-friendly language. On the data side, the Personal Data Protection Authority explains obligations under Law No. 30 of 2018, raising the bar for telecoms and digital providers operating locally; see the PDPA’s guidance for definitions and responsibilities.

For founders and operators, Zain’s upgrade lands amid a regional tilt toward greener capital allocation and enterprise risk management. Bahraini banks and listed corporates are already shaping products and disclosures around ESG themes, and a regional telco moving to ‘A’ adds peer pressure on climate planning, board independence, cyber hygiene and supply-chain integrity. For investors, it is another data point that telecom infrastructure plays can align earnings resilience with climate and privacy preparedness, not just tower monetisation or spectrum efficiency.

The environmental 10/10 suggests faster adoption of energy-efficient networks and partnerships around renewables. In Bahrain, that may intersect with enterprise offerings that bundle secure connectivity with compliance-ready data services, especially as analytics and AI workloads grow. And yes, ratings are dynamic. MSCI’s methodology can shift with controversies, policy change or new disclosures, so the practical takeaway is to track year-over-year movements and read the footnotes on key-issue weightings via the MSCI ESG search tool.

if you’re a Bahrain-based founder or listed issuer, map your current disclosures to the 2020 Bahrain Bourse guide, tighten privacy practices using PDPA definitions, then benchmark two peers in your sector that recently gained or lost ESG ground before your next board update.