RCM26Day 1 · 5 October 2026 · Panel
Capital and Confidence: Navigating the Region's Next Chapter
Three takeaways
- 01Duaij Al Rumaihi said Bahrain's investors are no longer chasing speculative hype, pointing to 3.5% real GDP growth last year and US$2.5 billion of foreign direct investment across 107 projects.
- 02Demand is holding up: Shane Eldstrom said Place Vendôme is only low single digits behind last year despite a tough March, and Tarik Abdullah Alaklan said Cenomi's newly soft-opened Westfield is over 95% committed.
- 03Keep reworking space: Gogi George said Lulu now runs formats from 200,000 down to 800 square feet, and Duaij Al Rumaihi said Seef Properties chose a phased upgrade of its 30-year-old mall over demolition, adding an outdoor F&B garden.
About the session
Capital follows confidence, and the region's owners are weighing both against a market that is changing around them. Senior leaders from the region's owning and developing groups share how they see the operating environment and the outlook for the market, what has changed in the way they weigh risk and return, and how they are steering their businesses through an evolving regional landscape into the region's next chapter.
“the place and the architecture will drive the first visit. It's our job to keep them coming back and we earn the tenth visit.”
From the room
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