Visa Launches Cross-Border Transfers via Mobile in Bahrain with Visa+

Editorial Team

Last updated 15-04-2025

3 min

Visa has launched Visa+ in Bahrain for easy international transfers using just mobile numbers.

Initially available to Bahrain Islamic Bank and Khaleeji Bank customers, it ensures secure, simple payments.

Visa+ facilitates quick transfers from Bahrain to the UAE and Qatar, with expansion plans underway.

The initiative enhances financial services across borders, easing remittances and simplifying banking.

CEO Abdulwahed AlJanahi praised it as a fintech breakthrough, benefiting users and financial institutions.

Visa has rolled out its new Visa+ service in Bahrain, offering an easier way to transfer money across borders—using only your mobile number. Bahrain has become one of the first countries to experience this innovative digital payment solution, initially available to customers of Bahrain Islamic Bank (BisB) and Khaleeji Bank.

With Visa+, customers at these initial banks can safely send funds to anyone holding a Visa debit or prepaid card in other GCC nations without needing to provide sensitive banking details—such as cumbersome 16-digit card numbers or IBAN codes. Just pop in your friend's or relative's mobile number, and away you go; the money zips safely and quickly into their account, no hassle at all.

At the moment, Visa+ covers transfers from Bahrain to the UAE and Qatar, but this network is set to grow rapidly. The scheme aims to eventually connect several banks across the broader GCC, extending out to Pakistan and Europe as well. This means easier remittances for expats keen to support families back home—and fewer headaches when sorting out birthday gifts for nephews living abroad.

Abdulwahed AlJanahi, CEO of BENEFIT, lauded the initiative as a breakthrough fintech collaboration. He praised Visa, BisB, and Khaleeji Bank for getting behind it at these early stages: "Launching this service, thanks to our strong partnership with Visa, marks an impressive leap forward in innovation for the financial technology industry. We're excited at the prospect of more banks joining down the road."

Similarly, Visa’s Bahrain Country Manager, Ahmed ElKaffass, stressed the positive implications for users: "Visa+ represents a genuine transformation in how remittances are handled. Transfers become quicker, safer, and far less complicated, making life easier for families and communities across the globe."

For financial institutions themselves, there’s plenty in it too. Visa+ simplifies cross-border transfers, enhancing security and privacy for both sender and recepient. It also lets banks expand their financial offerings, supporting transactions like person-to-person payments, financing disbursements, and straightforward cross-border remittances.

Considering how frustrating international transfers often used to be—reminder of the days I queued at my bank's branch, painstakingly filling dozens of forms—this initiative sounds like quite the blessing. Friends at Arageek might well relate; we've all felt the irritation of delayed transfers or hefty hidden fees.

Looks like the future of painless money transfers is already here.

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