Launched in 2023 underneath a Central Financial institution of Bahrain licence, stc pay has broadened from a shopper pockets right into a service used for transfers, invoice funds, card spend, remittances and payroll.

At Fintech Ahead 2025 in Bahrain, the corporate stored a busy schedule – sponsoring the occasion, exhibiting on a stand and saying two partnerships: with AlMoayed ICT, a Bahraini IT and methods integrator, to assist reliability and scale; and with ARP Digital, a CBB-licensed digital-asset providers supplier, so as to add a digital-asset settlement element.

On the stc pay stand, CEO Metin Zavrak spoke with The Fintech Occasions about how far personalisation will be pushed in Bahrain and what a selective regional growth in 2026 might appear like.

What ought to individuals find out about stc pay Bahrain?

stc pay is a subsidiary of stc Bahrain and one of many Kingdom’s main cellular wallets, absolutely licensed by the Central Financial institution of Bahrain (CBB). Our platform affords for each shoppers and corporates safe, quick, and handy monetary providers together with native and worldwide cash transfers, pay as you go playing cards, invoice funds, company playing cards, and payroll options, and unique affords.

What really defines us is our function in monetary inclusion. We have now empowered 1000’s of low-income expatriates and unbanked people with reasonably priced and user-friendly digital monetary options. On the similar time, our partnership with Mastercard has enabled world acceptance by means of our pay as you go card in several tiers (Platinum, Elite and Elite Steel card), giving clients the flexibility to transact worldwide with added worth.

Internationally, we’re proud to be recognised as ‘Finest Digital Cellular Pockets’ for 2 consecutive years by the Worldwide Finance Awards, a testomony to our innovation and impression in shaping Bahrain’s fintech panorama.

The governor of CBB says Bahrain is main the world in on the spot funds. Why do you suppose that is and what regional traits have you ever observed?

Bahrain’s management in on the spot funds is the results of progressive regulation and the Central Financial institution of Bahrain’s forward-looking imaginative and prescient, which has created an surroundings the place innovation can thrive whereas guaranteeing buyer belief and safety.

We see two key traits driving adoption:

• On a regular basis transactions: Clients anticipate cashless comfort whether or not procuring, paying payments or transferring cash domestically. As a result of stc pay is broadly used between clients in Bahrain, that permit us to construct the stc pay to stc pay transfers immediately and freed from cost, along with that, stc pay pockets situation on the spot digital IBAN for the shopper permitting him to ship financial institution to financial institution transfers by means of our partnership with Khaleeji Business Financial institution.
• Cross-border remittances: Bahrain’s massive expatriate group requires reasonably priced, real-time worldwide transfers. stc pay has addressed this want by enabling seamless world remittances to over 60 international locations with aggressive trade charges, guaranteeing cash reaches households immediately and securely.
  This stability between native utility and world attain has positioned Bahrain and stc pay as leaders in on the spot digital funds.

Why is Bahrain an vital marketplace for stc and why does being licensed in Bahrain assist your development?

The stc group initiative is at all times to develop regionally and globally, specifically the place we all know extra concerning the market. After success in telecoms, we determined to construct on this success story by launching stc pay.

Bahrain is a strategic market with one of many area’s most superior regulatory frameworks for fintech. Being licensed by the CBB supplies our clients with full confidence within the security, compliance and reliability of our providers.

This licence additionally permits us to innovate responsibly, from launching the Wage Safety System-compliant payroll service to providing on the spot IBANs for expatriates. By working underneath one sturdy regulator, we will scale quicker, construct belief and introduce options that not solely serve Bahrain however will be replicated throughout different markets.

What are your key takeaways from 2025?

The principle classes realized in 2025 are that buyer assist is likely one of the most important success keys, buyer expertise permits the shopper to shift from the standard providers to extra digitally and safety is likely one of the most vital issues for patrons.

Constructing on these, 2025 was a milestone yr for us, with a number of achievements price highlighting:

• Processing greater than 30 million transactions valued at over BHD1billion, demonstrating sturdy adoption
• Profitable the Finest Digital Cellular Pockets award for the second consecutive yr
• Increasing our worldwide remittance corridors, notably by means of partnerships with Mastercard cross-border funds, Hey Paisa, Terra pay, Ria and EzRemit
• Rising our company payroll providers with over 100 firms now enrolled underneath our WPS-compliant answer.

The principle lesson we realized is the significance of fixed innovation, whether or not by means of AI, digital onboarding, or person expertise, to maintain tempo with evolving shopper expectations.

Wanting ahead to 2026, what’s on the horizon? What do you suppose would be the key speaking factors?

2026 will probably be a yr of increasing to different markets regionally, and for the Bahrain market, personalisation and growth. We’re integrating AI extra deeply into our providers, not only for fraud prevention but in addition to supply smarter, extra personalised monetary suggestions.

Regionally, we’re centered on increasing our worldwide footprint by means of new remittance partnerships and cost corridors, whereas persevering with to strengthen our native providing with revolutionary card merchandise, household options, and company providers.

Our imaginative and prescient is to cement stc pay’s function because the gateway between native monetary wants and world monetary entry, serving to Bahrain stay on the forefront of fintech innovation.

What brings you to Fintech Ahead and what do you get pleasure from concerning the occasion?

Fintech Ahead brings collectively world leaders, regulators, innovators, and buyers in a single place. For us, it is a chance to showcase Bahrain’s success story by means of stc pay, trade data and discover partnerships that speed up innovation within the fintech area.

What we notably worth is the flexibility to attach with each native and worldwide stakeholders, highlighting Bahrain as a hub for digital monetary providers and stc pay as considered one of its flagship gamers.

Lastly, what else ought to we find out about your story?

I’d emphasise that stc pay’s story is not only about expertise, however about impression. By empowering low-income expatriates with on the spot IBANs and safe payroll providers, by enabling households to entry cashback and world card advantages, and by offering companies with cost-saving company instruments, we’re contributing on to Bahrain’s financial imaginative and prescient of a digital and cashless society.

Our partnerships with banks and monetary establishments, comparable to Khaleeji Financial institution for digital IBANs and Mastercard for world card and remittance options, replicate our openness to collaborate with any establishment that helps buyer wants. Finally, our function is to make monetary providers accessible, safe and rewarding for everybody.