Premier David Burt announced he has secured new travel and data arrangements for Bermuda during official engagements in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

In a statement, Burt announced holders of Bermuda passports were granted visa-on-arrival privileges to the Arabian island nation.  

Bahrain also confirmed data sovereignty protections for Bermudian companies, ensuring that Bermudian data hosted in the Kingdom remains under Bermudian legal control.

The Premier met with the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, as well as senior ministers, regulators and economic leaders, to advance cooperation in financial services, digital innovation, insurance and investment.

The Bahrain meetings formed part of the Premier’s broader Middle East engagements, which included leading a Bermuda delegation to the Annual Satoshi Roundtable and the World Government Summit in Dubai, hosted by the Government of the United Arab Emirates.

The Satoshi Roundtable is an invite-only annual forum that brings together global leaders in digital finance. 

Bermuda has received invitations in recognition of its continued leadership in the sector and has sent delegations, including officials from the Bermuda Monetary Authority, every year since 2019.

Following the Satoshi Roundtable, the Premier attended the multilateral World Government Summit, which convenes heads of government, ministers and global leaders to discuss forward-looking approaches to governance.

During the summit, Premier Burt will speak at the Government Services Forum and led a fireside chat with CNN’s Eleni Giokos.

On the sidelines of the summit, the Premier was also invited as a special guest and speaker at the 10th Arab Fiscal Forum, which brings together Ministers of Finance and Central Bank Governors from Gulf and Arab countries, along with the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, to discuss strengthening fiscal policies and institutions.

The Premier was joined on the trip by the Minister of Economy and Labour, Jason Hayward and the Minister of Home Affairs, the Honourable Alexa Lightbourne.