Kingdom Steps Up Anti-Fraud Drive
Bahrain is stepping up its war on financial crime with the launch of a high-level training programme for fraud examiners, under a new partnership between the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) and OpenThinking Academy.
The move will see the globally respected Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) credential offered in the Kingdom for the first time, aimed at arming finance, audit, and compliance professionals with the skills needed to detect, investigate, and prevent fraud in both public and private sectors.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Dr Ahmed Al Shaikh, Chief Executive Officer of BIBF, Iyad Mourtada, Managing Director of OpenThinking Academy, and Bassam Kazerooni, Acting Head of the Banking & Finance Centre at BIBF.
Integrity focus
The CFE certification is a widely respected professional qualification combining forensic accounting, law, investigative techniques, and fraud prevention.
Dr Al Shaikh said the partnership reflected BIBF's mission to equip Bahrainis and regional professionals with high-integrity, globally benchmarked credentials.
'This collaboration reflects our continued efforts to support Bahraini and regional professionals working to combat financial crimes,' he said.
Iyad Mourtada said the programme would empower those in compliance, auditing, risk management, and financial security roles with advanced investigative skills.
Training details
The first cohort is set to begin in September 2025, led by certified instructors and industry experts at BIBF's campus.
Participants will receive oneyear ACFE membership, access to the digital Fraud Examiners Manual, exam preparation materials, mock exams, and 30 Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credit hours.
Designed for professionals in compliance, audit, fraud investigation, risk management, and public oversight bodies, the CFE programme is expected to enhance Bahrain's capabilities in financial crime prevention and detection.
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