May 18 2014
In This Article
Khaleeji Commercial Bank
Tamkeen Expands SME Financing Programme
Agreement with
Khaleeji Commercial Bank
increases Enterprise Financing Portfolio to BD25 million
Tamkeen signed an agreement with
Khaleeji Commercial Bank
(
KHCB
) to increase Enterprise Financing Portfolio to BD 25 million The programme is one of the key initiatives launched by Tamkeen as part of its objective to ensure the availability of low-cost financial solutions for small and medium enterprises in Bahrain.
The programme is offered by Tamkeen through a number of leading local banks, including
KHCB
, whereby Tamkeen subsidises 50% of the profit on the loan amount. With the agreement, the total value of Tamkeen’s Enterprise Financing Portfolio increases to BD 25 million. The number of beneficiaries has reached 70 companies so far.
To date, more than 5,000 enterprises in Bahrain have been able to get much-needed capital to finance their development and growth through the programme, nearly 1,500 of which are business start-ups.
All enterprises in Bahrain with a valid CR can visit any of the bank’s branches to apply for the financing. The financing amount can range from BD 5,000 up to BD 500,000 and offers flexible options such as repayment periods of up to 10 years and a grace period from 1 month up to 2 years as per the bank’s discretion.
Tamkeen Professional Certification Support Scheme
The changes to Tamkeen’s Professional Certification Support Scheme were made in order to enhance the impact of the scheme. The changes were done based on the lessons learnt from the running of the scheme for the past 3 years and from the feedback received from the public.
Total Beneficiaries: 6839:
3385 Beneficiaries Completed and
3454 in Progress.
The Scheme will be relaunched in Mid-June 2014.
The Employment Support Scheme
The Employment Support Scheme has been integrated into the Career Progression Programme in the form of a new track that allows Employers to obtain training support and wage subsidy and for hiring new recruits.
Initially, 42 companies benefited from the scheme with 437 Bahrainis to be hired. This will be relaunched as part of the Career Progression Programme by end of June 2014.
Tamkeen Public Opinion Survey 2014
· Tamkeen conducted the 2nd Public Opinion survey over 8 weeks from December 2013 to January 2014.
· The first survey was done in 2010.
· The survey objectives is to find out:
§ Public awareness and knowledge regarding Tamkeen programmers, functions, and activities.
§ Public view regarding the clarity and credibility of Tamkeen’s messages
§ The perceptions of the public concerning Tamkeen’s impact on the workforce and the business environment.
§ Public awareness regarding Tamkeen’s beneficiaries
· The survey was conducted through in-depth interviews of stakeholders, administration of a structured questionnaire on the general public and focus group discussions among key interest/target groups.
· A total sample of 2,071 respondents was taken into consideration for this survey and in addition 30 in-depth interviews and 6 Focus Group Discussions were conducted.
· The level of awareness of Tamkeen is very high. 93% of the sample has heard about Tamkeen.
· The study conducted was one of the largest research projects undertaken by Tamkeen in terms of sample size.
· More details will be announced at a later stage.
-Ends-
© Press Release 2014
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