The Labor Fund (Tamkeen) and MasterCard announced the launch of the STRIVE program, the first of its kind in the region, on the sidelines of the Gulf Gateway Forum 2025, which is hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain in its third consecutive edition, with international participation from senior executives, government officials and business leaders.
The cooperation between the Labor Fund (Tamkeen) and MasterCard aims to support small and medium enterprises in the Kingdom of Bahrain, as these enterprises will have opportunities under this program to enhance their financial and digital readiness, which will enhance their operational efficiency to ensure their sustainability and business growth. This contract will also contribute to supporting small and medium enterprises that provide innovative solutions and encourage them to adopt the latest digital tools and technologies that contribute to developing their business, reaching new markets, and ensuring their sustainability.
This program comes in line with Tamkeen’s strategic priorities for the year 2025, which are to enhance the position and competitiveness of Bahraini citizens in the private sector, and provide Bahrainis with the appropriate skills for career development in the private sector, in addition to giving priority to the growth, digitization and sustainability of institutions.
On this occasion, Mrs. Maha Abdel Hamid Mafeez, CEO of the Tamkeen Labor Fund, said: “This cooperation comes within our ongoing efforts to support the small and medium enterprises system as one of the main tributaries of the national economy, in addition to its vital role in providing quality job opportunities for national cadres. By launching the Mastercard STRIVE program, the first of its kind in the region, we seek to provide more specialized solutions that are designed according to the needs of these enterprises, in a way that supports their access to the necessary resources to ensure the sustainability of their business and enhance their positive contribution to the growth of the national economy.”
For his part, Mr. Saud Sawar, General Manager of MasterCard in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Arab Levant countries, said: “This cooperation reflects the importance of employing innovative financial and digital solutions to empower small and medium enterprises in various sectors. We have witnessed great successes of the center in other markets. Therefore, through our partnership with Tamkeen and the Kingdom of Bahrain, we look forward to helping small Bahraini enterprises develop their operations and enhance their production efficiency to achieve their development goals.”
It is worth noting that since its launch in 2020, the Mastercard STRIVE program has been able to provide integrated support to millions of small and medium enterprises around the world, with the aim of providing innovative solutions and expanding their networks.
and her professional relationships. As of 2024, the number of micro, small and medium enterprises reached by Mastercard STRIVE has exceeded 19 million.
