Bahrain’s electronic payment network processed 261.2 million transactions during the first half of 2026, underscoring the scale at which digital transfers have become part of daily financial activity in the kingdom. Transactions completed through the Electronic Fund Transfer System, or EFTS, reached a combined value of approximately $51.32 billion (BD19.3 billion) between January and June.
Transaction volume rose 7.6% from 242.7 million in the first six months of 2025. Value increased 6.1% from approximately $48.39 billion (BD18.2 billion), meaning usage expanded slightly faster than the amount of money moving through the network. BENEFIT said its totals cover successfully completed transactions across bank channels and the BenefitPay application.
BenefitPay Drives High-Frequency Transfers
BenefitPay handled about 246 million transactions across Fawri+, Fawri and Fawateer during the six-month period. Their combined value was approximately $14.36 billion (BD5.4 billion). Compared with the first half of 2025, when the app processed 229.4 million transactions worth roughly $13.56 billion (BD5.1 billion), both volume and value grew 7.2%.
Most of that activity came through Fawri+, the instant-transfer service. Across BenefitPay and bank channels, Fawri+ recorded 248.1 million transactions valued at approximately $14.36 billion (BD5.4 billion). Volume advanced 8%, while value climbed 17.7% from approximately $12.23 billion (BD4.6 billion) a year earlier. Within BenefitPay alone, Fawri+ handled about 241 million transfers worth approximately $12.76 billion (BD4.8 billion).
The figures reveal different patterns within the same payments network. Fawri+ accounted for the vast majority of transactions, reflecting frequent, relatively small transfers, while Fawri moved far greater value through far fewer payments. Fawri processed 7.3 million transactions across all channels, up 3.5%, with their value rising 1.8% to approximately $35.10 billion (BD13.2 billion).
Fawri and Fawri+ serve different transfer needs. BENEFIT describes Fawri as a deferred-settlement electronic fund transfer service, while Fawri+ is designed for near-immediate transfers. The contrast helps explain why transaction counts alone do not show where most of the system’s monetary value sits: high-frequency instant payments dominate usage, but the lower-volume channel carries larger aggregate sums.
Bill Payments Rise in Value Despite Lower Volume
Fawri activity conducted specifically through BenefitPay moved in the opposite direction. The app processed about 145,800 Fawri transactions worth approximately $1.06 billion (BD400.5 million), down 56% in number and 34.2% in value from the corresponding period of 2025.
Bill-payment service Fawateer also registered fewer transactions, though the amount paid increased. Volume across all channels declined 4% to 5.7 million, while value rose 11.4% to approximately $1.79 billion (BD672.4 million). BenefitPay accounted for about 4.9 million of those payments, down 4.8%, with value increasing 8.1% to approximately $698.25 million (BD262.6 million).
BENEFIT also reported operational and product changes during the half. The Bahrain Credit Reference Bureau issued about 11,100 consumer and corporate credit reports and processed roughly 249,100 credit inquiries. Meanwhile, digital direct debit was introduced through Fawateer in cooperation with Bahrain’s Electricity and Water Authority, scheduled transfers were added to BenefitPay, and personal QR codes were placed on the app’s home screen.
The figures capture activity across transfers and bill payments, offering a broad view of how Bahrain’s electronic payment network is being used. Growth in both transaction volume and value indicates that the country’s digital payment infrastructure handled more financial activity in the first half of 2026 than during the same period a year earlier.
