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The Bahrain Hub | Crypto Wealth Report 2026 from Henley & Partners placed the kingdom 13th among 36 countries evaluated in its proprietary Henley Crypto Adoption Index, a ranking that draws on more than 900 data points covering regulation, taxation, infrastructure, innovation and public adoption. Henley & Partners data places the global number of individuals holding at least $1 million in crypto assets at 135,694, with 92,272 of them specifically Bitcoin millionaires, while the overall crypto market reached a total value of $2.6 trillion as of late August. The assessment found Bahrain entering the index for the first time on the back of its established financial sector, proactive oversight by the Central Bank of Bahrain and options for long-term residency that appeal to high-net-worth digital asset holders who increasingly select jurisdictions independent of their wealth’s origin.
Bahrain became the first Gulf state to introduce a dedicated regulatory framework for stablecoins in July 2025, a move that added clarity for issuance and financial system integration, according to the Central Bank of Bahrain. The Central Bank of Bahrain has licensed platforms including Rain, the region’s first Sharia-compliant cryptocurrency exchange to graduate from its regulatory sandbox, while Binance selected the kingdom for its inaugural GCC crypto-asset service provider license. Such steps reflect an approach that integrates digital assets into conventional finance rather than treating them as external activities, a strategy that has positioned Bahrain among leading crypto-friendly jurisdictions offering investment migration routes.
H.E. Noor bint Ali Alkhulaif, Minister of Sustainable Development and Chief Executive of the Bahrain Economic Development Board, said in the report, “Bahrain’s performance reflects the strengths that continue to attract international investors and professionals to the island nation. Bahrain offers a trusted, agile, and competitive environment supported by forward-looking regulation, an innovative and sophisticated financial services ecosystem, and attractive long-term residency options, reinforcing its position as a leading destination for global wealth and investment.” The minister’s comments underscore the compact market’s ability to connect decision-makers, regulators, banks and institutions efficiently while building on the stablecoin rules that require one-to-one reserves in high-quality assets.
Singapore retained the top spot in the Henley Crypto Adoption Index for the fourth consecutive year with strong scores in innovation and technology, the report showed, while the UAE climbed to second place with a perfect 10 for tax friendliness. The United States ranked fourth as the only country to receive a perfect score for public adoption, followed by Switzerland in fifth, according to Henley & Partners. New entrants besides Bahrain included The Bahamas at 10th and the Cayman Islands at 12th, illustrating how competitive taxation combined with business fundamentals draws globally mobile crypto investors.
The report noted that crypto has decoupled wealth from geography, enabling holders to choose residences based on regulatory certainty and infrastructure quality rather than asset location. With 742 million people worldwide holding digital assets in any amount, the asset class continues expanding even as some fortunes contracted during the latest market cycle, Henley & Partners figures show. Bahrain’s forward-looking regulations and advanced digital systems have helped it capitalise on this trend within the GCC, where several states are enhancing their appeal to digital wealth.
Investment migration programs remain central to the competition for this weightless capital, as the index benchmarks jurisdictions on their capacity to support blockchain and crypto activities while maintaining oversight. Bahrain’s debut ranking aligns with its broader efforts to build a sophisticated financial ecosystem that accommodates both innovation and compliance, the Henley & Partners assessment found. The report’s methodology, which relies on on-chain data adjusted for exchanges, lost coins and other factors, provides a transparent basis for these wealth estimates though the 2026 figures are not directly comparable to prior editions due to refinements in calculation.
