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Bahrain First Country to Enact MLETR

Bahrain has become the first country to legislate Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records.
Bahrain has become the first country to legislate Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records.
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Bahrain First Country to Enact MLETR

Bahrain has become the first country to legislate Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records.
Bahrain has become the first country to legislate Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records.

Bahrain enacted on Tuesday Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR), developed by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), becoming the first country to enact special laws for this type of trading.

The move, according to Bahraini officials, aims to strengthen the country's legislative structure and increase the attractiveness of its economy to foreign investments.

It also comes in the framework of a series of comprehensive legislative reforms aimed at supporting the digital economy in the Gulf market that is worth $1.5 trillion.

In strategic cooperation with the UNCITRAL Secretariat, Bahrain also revised its existing Electronic Transactions Law with new provisions that are aligned with the United Nations Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts and renamed it the Electronic Communications and Transactions Law.

A 2018 economic report, titled “The Cost of Doing Business in the GCC,” affirmed that the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector in Bahrain is considered the most liberalized and competitive in the region with the lowest costs for critical metrics, such as cross-border Internet connectivity.

These new laws are most likely to enhance Manama’s competitiveness on the international level.

“Bahrain continues to lead the way in digital reforms,” said Khalid al-Rumaihi, chief executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB).

“The latest achievement of being the first country in the world to adopt the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records gives us an unrivaled advantage in the GCC region.”

The new laws are a key step forward in achieving Bahrain’s Economic Vision 2030, he added.

“We are confident that the new legislation will revolutionize the way we do business, develop talent and create a sustainable trading environment,” Rumaihi stressed.

Secretary of Working Group IV (Electronic Commerce) of the UNCITRAL Luca Castellani, for his part, said that Bahrain is “the first country in the world to enact the MLETR, which establishes a modern legislative framework for a digital-first economy by legally enabling, for example, the use of blockchain in fintech and logistics.”

“The adoption of UNCITRAL texts, including the incorporation of additional provisions in the revised Electronic Transactions Law, helps to create confidence among overseas traders and investors.”

“Bahrain is committed to upholding modern commercial law standards and is at the forefront of innovation and business-friendliness,” Castellani said.

Notably, Bahrain EDB’s investments reached $830 million in 2018 and at a rate exceeding 13 percent compared to 2017, making it one of the region’s fastest-growing economies.

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Inflation Rose to 2.3% in Europe. That Won't Stop the Central Bank from Cutting Interest Rates

A view shows the Bercy Economy and Finance Ministry as a metro operated by the Paris transport network RATP passes over the Pont de Bercy bridge in Paris, France, November 28, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
A view shows the Bercy Economy and Finance Ministry as a metro operated by the Paris transport network RATP passes over the Pont de Bercy bridge in Paris, France, November 28, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
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Inflation Rose to 2.3% in Europe. That Won't Stop the Central Bank from Cutting Interest Rates

A view shows the Bercy Economy and Finance Ministry as a metro operated by the Paris transport network RATP passes over the Pont de Bercy bridge in Paris, France, November 28, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
A view shows the Bercy Economy and Finance Ministry as a metro operated by the Paris transport network RATP passes over the Pont de Bercy bridge in Paris, France, November 28, 2024. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

Inflation in the 20 countries that use the euro currency rose in November — but that likely won’t stop the European Central Bank from cutting interest rates as the prospect of new US tariffs from the incoming Trump administration adds to the gloom over weak growth.
The European Union’s harmonized index of consumer prices stood up 2.3% in the year to November, up from 2.0% in October, the EU statistics agency Eurostat reported Friday.
Energy prices fell 1.9% from a year ago, but that was offset by price increases of 3.9% in the services sector, a broad category including haircuts, medical treatment, hotels and restaurants, and sports and entertainment, The Associated Press reported.
Inflation has come down a long way from the peak of 10.6% in October 2022 as the ECB quickly raised rates to cool off price rises. It then started cutting them in June as worries about growth came into sharper focus.
High central bank benchmark rates combat inflation by influencing borrowing costs throughout the economy. Higher rates make buying things on credit — whether a car, a house or a new factory — more expensive and thus reduce demand for goods and take pressure off prices. However, higher rates can also dampen growth.
Growth worries got new emphasis after surveys of purchasing managers compiled by S&P Global showed the eurozone economy was contracting in October. On top of that come concerns about how US trade policy under incoming President Donald Trump, including possible new tariffs, or import taxes on imported goods, might affect Europe’s export-dependent economy. Trump takes office Jan. 20.
The eurozone’s economic output is expected to grow 0.8% for all of this year and 1.3% next year, according to the European Commission’s most recent forecast.
All that has meant the discussion about the Dec. 12 ECB meeting has focused not on whether the Frankfurt-based bank’s rate council will cut rates, but by how much. Market discussion has included the possibility of a larger than usual half-point cut in the benchmark rate, currently 3.25%.
Inflation in Germany, the eurozone’s largest economy, held steady at 2.4%. That “will strengthen opposition against a 50 basis point cut,” said Carsten Brzeski, global chief of macro at ING bank, using financial jargon for a half-percentage-point cut.
The ECB sets interest rate policy for the European Union member countries that have joined the euro currency.