Manama: As part of the Kingdom of Bahrain’s presidency of the 46th session of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Committee of Heads of Capital Market Authorities (or their equivalents) in the GCC, which operates under the Ministerial Committee of Chairpersons of Boards of Directors of Capital Market Regulatory Authorities, held its 32nd meeting via videoconference.
The meeting was chaired by Noura Hassan Abdulghani, Executive Director of Supervision at the Central Bank of Bahrain, representing the Kingdom of Bahrain in its capacity as the presiding state, with the participation of Khalid bin Ali Al-Sunaidi, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic and Development Affairs at the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as representatives of the member states on the Committee.
The meeting addressed several topics, foremost among them the follow-up on the implementation of initiatives referred to the GCC Capital Markets (Stock Exchanges) Committee, as well as updates on the completion by member states of their internal procedures to begin implementing the Cross-Border Registration Regulation for Investment Funds.
The Committee also reviewed the proposal submitted by the GCC Capital Markets Integration Strategy Working Group on the mechanism for implementing the initiative “Exchange of Expertise and Experiences among GCC Authorities” and the expected outcomes of its implementation. It also reviewed the study submitted by the Working Group on the feasibility of making the Investment Account Opening Requirements and Know Your Customer (KYC) form mandatory, along with the related recommendations.
The Committee further reviewed two studies submitted by the Working Group of Officials Responsible for Training and Studies: one on the state of human capital in the capital markets sector, and another on artificial intelligence and its applications in securities markets, together with the recommendations related to both studies.
The Committee was also presented with a brief presentation by the Saudi Capital Market Authority on the achievements of the fourth season of the GCC Smart Investor Award and updates on the fifth season of the award for 2026. It also reviewed the report on the results of the awareness campaigns of the “Mulim” program launched during the first and second quarters of 2026, in addition to the periodic report on the implementation of initiatives that will contribute to deepening coordination among capital market regulatory authorities across the GCC member states.
