CFI Financial Group, the Middle East and North Africa's leading online trading broker, announced on October 20, 2025 the official opening of its newest operation in Bahrain and appointed Yaseen Alsamerrai as Country CEO. The appointment marks CFI's entry into a key Gulf financial hub and represents the group's continued regional expansion strategy following regulatory approval from the Central Bank of Bahrain in July. The opening ceremony in Manama was attended by senior CFI executives and prominent figures from Bahrain's financial community, underscoring the company's commitment to establishing a sustained regional presence alongside its existing offices in the UAE, Oman, and Kuwait.
CFI Financial Group received its Category 2 Investment Business Firm license from the Central Bank of Bahrain in July 2025, clearing the path for the October launch. Ziad Melhem, Group CEO of CFI Financial Group, characterized the expansion as more than geographic growth. He stated the establishment of CFI Bahrain, led by Alsamerrai's leadership, constitutes a long-term commitment to delivering excellence, transparency, and innovation to traders in the Kingdom. The appointment did not involve external search firms; Alsamerrai's selection appears to have reflected CFI's recognition of his existing expertise in Gulf markets. In his new role, Alsamerrai will oversee operations and drive strategic growth in Bahrain while ensuring the company's global standards for service excellence, governance, and regulatory compliance are maintained alongside localized market offerings.
Alsamerrai brings nearly two decades of experience across wealth management, institutional advisory, and multi-asset investment solutions in the GCC. His background includes senior roles at Mubasher Capital and Ahli United Bank, positioning him as a seasoned financial services executive with deep regional market knowledge and regulatory expertise. Recognized for strategic leadership and operational acumen, Alsamerrai oversaw the technical launch of CFI Bahrain. His appointment underscores CFI's strategy of combining global standards with strong regional stewardship, pairing international best practices with local market insight. Alsamerrai stated his objective was to empower Bahraini traders with world-class platforms, competitive trading conditions, and continuous education backed by CFI's global reputation and expertise.
CFI Financial Group, established in 1998 through Credit Financier Invest SAL, has evolved into a dominant multi-asset online brokerage with over 25 years of operating history. Headquartered in Dubai since 2017, CFI operates regulated entities across major financial hubs including London, Abu Dhabi, Cape Town, Beirut, Amman, and Cairo. The company provides seamless access to global and local financial markets, offering trading in equities, currencies, commodities, indices, ETFs, and CFDs across advanced platforms including MetaTrader 5 and TradingView. CFI recorded exceptional 2025 performance, with annual trading volumes reaching USD 6.4 trillion, up 85 percent year-on-year from USD 3.4 trillion in 2024, and Q4 trading volume hitting a record USD 2.076 trillion. The group has secured multiple regulatory licenses and partnerships with global sporting entities, including Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton and tennis legend Maria Sharapova as brand ambassadors.
Alsamerrai's appointment reflects CFI's aggressive expansion strategy in the Gulf at a moment when the online trading sector faces intensifying regional competition. Bahrain's progressive regulatory framework positions it as a strategic hub for CFI's operations, though the market remains smaller than Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The appointment signals CFI's confidence in sustained growth under recently appointed Group CEO Ziad Melhem, who transitioned from Group Chief Marketing Officer in June 2025. By installing an experienced regional operator as Country CEO, CFI appears positioned to balance rapid expansion with localized governance, though success will depend on Alsamerrai's ability to differentiate CFI's offerings in an increasingly crowded Gulf trading market where regulatory compliance and customer protection standards have become competitive necessities rather than differentiators.
