Kuwait signed an agreement to support Bahrain's economy as part of a series of fiscal reforms Bahrain has embarked on last year, Kuwait's finance ministry said on Tuesday, formalizing a previously agreed package.

Remittances by foreign workers in Bahrain increased to about 22.1 million dinars ($3.3 billion) in 2018, according to recent official statistics.

Member of the Board of Directors of the Bahrain National Holding Company BSC Farouk Al-Moayyed said that “the adoption of compulsory health insurance for foreigners will bring a significant surge in insurance premiums, which will pump to the market about 50 million dinars from new insurance premiums,” noting that “the promulgation of the law will regulate the process and will open the way for companies to expand their services and introduce new services.”

Speaking about Ericsson and Huawei companies starting G5 service in Bahrain, Transportation and Telecommunications Minister Kamal Ahmed stressed that Bahrain is not worried about the spying of Chinese Huawei company on telecommunications in Bahrain.

Bahrain, headquarters of the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet, plans to roll out a commercial 5G mobile network by June, partly using Huawei technology despite the United States' concerns the Chinese telecom giant's equipment could be used for spying.

The US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Justin Siberell, confirmed that some US importers of aluminum products have received tariff exemptions in a number of cases.

The US ambassador to Bahrain Justin Siberell said that bilateral trade between Bahrain and his country exceeded $3 billion last year, pointing out the importance of the free trade agreement between the two countries.

The majority of the ministries in Bahrain have replaced the mineral drinking water bottles whose prices range from 350 to 500 fils per small bottle with mineral water whose prices range between 50 and 100 fils per bottle only, within the framework of the budget reduction program implemented in the ministries, report the local Bahraini Akhbar Al Khaleej newspaper.

Bahrain's total non-oil exports amounted to 248 million dinars in February, annual data of the Customs Affairs Authority showed.

Bahrain's central bank said it cut its one-month deposit rate to 3.10% from 3.25% on Wednesday, but kept rates for overnight and one-week deposit facilities unchanged.

A British real estate company signed on Sunday (March 10, 2019) an agreement under which it manages Bahrain World Trade Center and Moda Mall.

Bahrain's economy is expected to grow around 1.8 percent in 2019, the same pace as last year, the International Monetary Fund said late on Tuesday.

Minister of Industry Zayed Al-Zayani stressed in his first official comment on the cancellation of number of Gulf Air flights and resignation of number of company's cadres that "the company swiftly dealt with the reasons behind the recent cancellation of flights, which did not exceed 2% of the company's February flights and only affected 1% of Gulf Air passengers."

The Bahrain Central Bank Governor, Rasheed Al-Maraj, said that the Bank is actively encouraging financial institutions to merge and he expects more consolidation in to happen in the future.

Bahrain's inflation rate rose by 1.4% in January 2019 compared to the same month in 2018.

Bahrain Central Bank Governor, Rasheed Al Maraj, said that the Government received back in December the first $10 billion financial support package extended to Bahrain by Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, following the deterioration of the kingdom’s public debt situation and reluctance of investors to buy sovereign bonds offered in the market last year.

The CEO of the Economic Development Board, Khalid Al-Rumaihi, said that Apple Pay service is expected to start running in Bahrain by the end of this year or early next year, stressing that there are discussions underway between banks in Bahrain and Apple about the operation of the service.

Bahrain, once the Middle East’s hub for financial industries, is attempting to regain its footing by allowing companies using cryptocurrency to work in the country on a trial basis, as it considers how to regulate them, reported Bloomberg.

Bahrain's investments in US Treasury bills and bonds dropped to about $720 million at the end of December compared to $812 million in November 2018, declining by 11.3%.

Car imports fell sharply in January to their lowest level since 2013, a sign that car sales are being impacted by the implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT).