HE Khalid Humaidan

HE Khalid Ibrahim Humaidan was appointed Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain by royal decree on October 5, 2023, with his term beginning on February 1, 2024. He also serves as Chairman of the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) Board of Directors. Humaidan holds over 20 years of experience working in capital markets and has established himself as a key figure in Bahrain's financial sector development and digital innovation agenda.

Humaidan graduated from Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, United States, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. From 2014 until his appointment as Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, he served as a member of the EDB Board. He was appointed Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) in August 2019, where he set the strategic direction to support Bahrain's diversification through foreign capital flows into industries including FinTech, manufacturing, and healthcare.

Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive of the EDB, Humaidan served as Head of Global Markets, Middle East and Africa, at BNP Paribas. He currently serves on the board of Mumtalakat (Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund), and has been Chairman of Bahrain FinTech Bay since 2019. He currently serves as member on the boards of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB), the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB), Gulf Payments and the Gulf Monetary Council.

Career History

• Governor, Central Bank of Bahrain (February 2024–present)
• Chief Executive Officer, Bahrain Economic Development Board (August 2019–2024)
• Head of Global Markets, Middle East and Africa, BNP Paribas
• Chairman, Bahrain FinTech Bay (2019–present)
• Member, Board of Bahrain Economic Development Board (2014–2019)

What Humaidan could bring to his roles at CBB and BIBF: His two-decade tenure in international capital markets at BNP Paribas, combined with his demonstrated expertise in fintech innovation and economic development, positions him to drive digital transformation and regulatory modernization at CBB. Under his governance, the CBB entered a strategic partnership with ARRAY Innovation to accelerate digital transformation initiatives, while his leadership at BIBF supports the institute's mission to advance education and professional training in sustainability and green finance.