AFS and Reboot01 Partner to Cultivate Bahrain’s Fintech Talent Future

Arab Financial Services (AFS) has teamed up with Bahrain’s Reboot Coding Institute, better known as Reboot01, to help develop the next wave of fintech talent in the Kingdom. The collaboration, announced in Manama, is meant to build what both sides call a “robust talent pipeline” – effectively linking classroom training with real-life experience in financial technology.

AFS, a well-known digital payments provider across the Middle East and Africa, is taking what feels like a proactive step in solving the region’s talent gap. Reboot01, on the other hand, has become something of a local hub for ambitious coders since gaining approval from Bahrain’s Ministry of Labour. I remember chatting once with a group of young developers at a Reboot workshop – their enthusiasm was infectious, even if debugging all night seemed a bit of a faff!

Under this tie-up, students can expect internships, recruitment opportunities and industry encounters through hackathons, tech talks and career fairs. It’s not all theoretical; the idea is to turn lessons into hands-on projects that mirror the fintech sector’s fast pace. “We see it as our duty to invest directly in the future of technology talent,” said AFS Chief Executive Samer Soliman, adding that the partnership aims to give Bahraini youth tangible skills while bolstering the Kingdom’s digital economy.

From Reboot01’s side, Managing Director Yanal Jallad highlighted their goal of graduating over 350 skilled developers each year. He called the partnership a natural match, providing students with direct access to the industry leaders and real projects that can jumpstart their careers. I reckon that kind of exposure early on can make a world of difference for job readiness.

The institute already has a decent record of placing graduates in local and international tech roles. Its curriculum covers everything from full‑stack development and blockchain to machine learning, cybersecurity and game design. Interestingly, the programme doesn’t require previous coding experience or even a university degree – a radical departure from old‑school thinking that still keeps many people out of the digital workforce. Oh, and they’re pushing hard for gender balance too, aiming for half of their cohort to be women. Spot on if you ask me.

AFS itself isn’t exactly new to shaping the industry. Formed back in 1984, it’s owned by 37 banks and financial institutions and operates in more than 20 countries. The company runs data centres in Bahrain, Egypt, Oman and the UAE, offering digital wallets, payment gateways, merchant services and open‑banking tools. With regulators from three central banks signing off on its operations, AFS has become an anchor player in regional fintech developments.

For Arageek readers who keep an eye on the MENA startup landscape, this sort of partnership is exactly what we need more of. It’s one thing to talk about innovation, it’s another to roll up your sleeves and build an ecosystem that actually feeds itself. Believe it or not, sometimes all that’s missing is a bridge between education and opportunity – and AFS and Reboot01 might have just started constructing it.

It’s early days, of course, but if the collaboration delivers on its promises, Bahrain could see a fresh league of digital professionals shaping not just local fintech but the wider region too. I’m definately curious to see how that story unfolds.

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