Bahrain Fintech First: CFI Financial Adopts eKey Biometric Onboarding

Editorial Team

Last updated 12-01-2026

3 min

CFI Financial is the first to integrate Bahrain's eKey for Business with biometric sign-up.

Beyon Connect and the government deliver passwordless identity services under the eKey 2.

0 framework.

The platform meets the Central Bank of Bahrain's KYC and data protection standards.

This collaboration is a significant step in advancing Bahrain’s digital ecosystem and investment space.

CFI has an established presence, leveraging AI tools and securing sports partnerships.

CFI Financial has become the first investment platform in Bahrain to plug into the country’s new eKey for Business system, a move that feels quite spot on for a market that’s been pushing hard on digital identity. The upgrade, delivered through Beyon Connect in collaboration with the Information & eGovernment Authority, lets new investors sign up using biometric facial recognition instead of the usual passwords, OTPs and document uploads — a process that used to be a bit of a faff for many people, especially those juggling several trading apps at once.

I remember chatting with a couple of young founders at an Arageek event last year who joked that onboarding for fintech services felt like “doing paperwork while running”, so seeing this sort of simplification land in Bahrain makes sense. The system sits under the national eKey 2.0 framework, which aims to bring secure, passwordless digital identity services to both public and private sectors. And believe it or not, the new setup also meets the Central Bank of Bahrain’s KYC rules and the country’s data protection requirements, which should calm any nerves about privacy.

Beyon Connect’s CEO, Christopher Hild, described CFI’s adoption of the platform as an important step for Bahrain’s growing digital ecosystem, saying it highlights momentum across the investment space. On the flip side, CFI’s Bahrain country chief, Yaseen Alsamerrai, said the partnership fits neatly with the company’s plan to offer faster and more intuitive trading services while supporting the national digital vision. I reckon this kind of collaboration will nudge other players to follow suit — competition can be a wonderful motivator, you know?

CFI Financial isn’t exactly new to the region; the group has been around since 1998 and now operates in cities from London to Cape Town, with trading in everything from equities to commodities. They’ve also leaned heavily into AI-based tools and financial education, alongside high-profile partnerships with sports brands like AC Milan and MI Cape Town. It’s a mix that shows how modern brokerage firms try to balance tech, community and good old‑fashioned market access.

As for Beyon Connect, the company continues to build national‑scale trust solutions such as OneID, OneBox and OneSign. It also delivers the entire eKey 2.0 platform on behalf of the Bahraini government and acts as the exclusive reseller of eKey‑B for private companies. The whole setup is part of a wider push to make digital identity in the Kingdom more secure and, well… more useful.

If this rollout works as intended, investors in Bahrain may soon wonder how they ever coped before — though I’m not a fan of every service going fully biometric, it’s definately becoming the norm across the region.

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