Al Hilal Group

What Al Hilal Group does

Al Hilal Publishing & Marketing Group WLL is a Bahrain-headquartered, privately-held holding company established in 1978 that operates two distinct business lines: a regional publishing and digital media portfolio, and an ICT and systems integration division branded Hilal Technology. The publishing arm runs a set of long-running English-language titles and digital portals targeting GCC business readers — Gulf Daily News (Bahrain's leading English newspaper), Gulf Construction (45+ years), Oil & Gas News (40+ years), Travel & Tourism News (47+ years), TradeArabia (GCC business news portal), and Arabian Business Community, an interactive B2B directory generating over 11 million business referrals annually. The ICT arm, Hilal Technology, with stated 25+ years of experience and operations across Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Oman, delivers networking, cybersecurity, AI, cloud, infrastructure, managed services, business applications, and SOC services to government and private-sector clients, and acts as authorized Dell Computers agent in Bahrain.

The Group's commercial model blends advertising, subscriptions, directory listings, and online referrals on the media side with project-based ICT systems integration, managed services, and hardware reselling on the technology side. Go-to-market is sales-led across both divisions, leveraging in-region offices in Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom. Customer segments are split between government agencies and private enterprises (ICT) and business readers, advertisers, and listed-directory members (publishing). Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed; the company reports 1,001-5,000 employees and operates from Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. No acquisitions, funding rounds, leadership changes, or restructuring events are documented in the available source material.

Name

Al Hilal Group

Legal name

Al Hilal Publishing & Marketing Group WLL

Website

https://alhilalgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Al Hilal Group is a Bahrain-based, privately-held holding company operating a regional English-language publishing portfolio (Gulf Daily News, Gulf Construction, Oil & Gas News, Travel & Tourism News, TradeArabia, ABC) and a Hilal Technology ICT and systems integration division serving government and enterprise clients across the GCC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Publishing and ICT Services

NAICS

Directory and Mailing List Publishers (51314), Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAFAKAG

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Services

Business & Public Services/Marketing, Advertising & PR Services/Direct Marketing & Lead Generation (Email, Telemarketing, Demand Gen)

SECONDARYBPAEAGAK

Enterprise Application Reporting, BI & Analytics Enablement

Business & Public Services/IT & Digital Services (Managed Services, Systems Integration)/Enterprise Applications Services (ERP/CRM/HRIS)

Keywords

• Business publishing services
• Trade magazine publishing
• ICT system integration
• Business directories
• Digital media platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Manama

HQ country

Bahrain

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Publishing and Digital Media: Revenue from publishing newspapers, magazines, and digital media platforms including Gulf Daily News, Gulf Construction, Oil & Gas News, Travel & Tourism News, and digital portals like TradeArabia and Arabian Business Community
2. ICT Solutions and System Integration: Revenue from Hilal Technology division providing ICT and systems integration services including networking, cybersecurity, AI, cloud, and managed services to government and private sector clients
3. Technology Reselling: Revenue as Dell Computer agents in the Kingdom of Bahrain

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Al Hilal Group is a Bahrain-based publishing and marketing organization that operates a portfolio of English-language newspapers, industry trade magazines and digital portals (Gulf Daily News, Gulf Construction, Oil & Gas News, Travel & Tourism News, TradeArabia, Arabian Business Community), and through its Hilal Technology division delivers ICT and systems integration services including networking, cybersecurity, AI, cloud, infrastructure, managed services, business applications and SOC services to government and private-sector clients across the GCC.

Product overview

Al Hilal Group is a diversified publishing and marketing organization with a portfolio of print and digital media products. The company operates as a platform-plus-subsidiaries architecture, combining its core publishing business (newspapers and industry magazines) with digital portals and a technology division. The publishing portfolio includes Gulf Daily News (Bahrain's leading English newspaper), Gulf Construction, Oil & Gas News, and Travel & Tourism News, each available in print and digital formats. The digital platform comprises TradeArabia (business news portal) and Arabian Business Community (ABC - interactive business directory). The technology arm, Hilal Technology, operates as a separate subsidiary providing ICT and system integration solutions including networking, cybersecurity, AI, cloud, and managed services. Hilal Technology also serves as the authorized Dell Computers agent in Bahrain.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hilal Technology: ICT and Systems Integration division of Al Hilal Group, operating in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Oman. Delivers networking, cybersecurity, AI, cloud, and infrastructure solutions.

Products and services

• Gulf Daily News (GDN) The leading English-language newspaper in Bahrain, published in print and digital multimedia formats (interactive flip book, online and social media) and reaching hundreds of thousands of readers, followers and connections each day as an authentic and reliable news source.
• Gulf Construction A trusted industry trade publication providing authoritative, in-depth coverage of the GCC's building and construction sector for over 45 years, now delivered through a cutting-edge digital multimedia platform aimed at construction-industry readers and advertisers.
• Oil & Gas News (OGN) The Middle East's leading publication dedicated to the energy sector since 1983, providing trusted insight, analysis and innovation across the regional energy industry as a dynamic multimedia platform targeting energy-sector readers and advertisers.
• Travel & Tourism News (TTN) The Middle East's most established travel trade publication with over 47 years of industry experience, serving travel agents, tour operators, airlines, hotels and tourism boards across the GCC and beyond through engaging multimedia content.
• TradeArabia A leading English-language online portal providing business information, trade news and industry insights across the Middle East and Arabian Gulf, serving GCC professionals and advertisers.
• Arabian Business Community (ABC) The region's fastest-growing interactive business directory and resource portal, enabling companies to promote themselves across multiple GCC sub-sectors and generating over 11 million business referrals annually for top-of-mind positioning.
• Hilal Technology ICT and System Integration Solutions ICT and systems integration division providing networking, cybersecurity, AI, cloud, infrastructure, managed services, business applications and SOC services to government and private-sector clients across Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Oman; also operates as the authorised Dell Computers agent in Bahrain.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dell ComputerscoreTechnology or IntegrationHilal Technology serves as the authorized Dell Computer agents in the Kingdom of Bahrain, providing Dell hardware and technology solutions to clients across Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Oman.
• Northstar MediaminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNorthstar Media designed and developed the Al Hilal Group website.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gulf Business Machines (GBM): Regional ICT systems integrator and Dell EMC partner covering the GCC. Most directly comparable peer to Hilal Technology's networking, cybersecurity, cloud, and managed-services offerings, with similar enterprise and government customer focus.
• eHosting DataFort (eHDF): UAE-based managed cloud, hosting, and cybersecurity provider serving regional enterprises and governments. Comparable to Hilal Technology's cloud, infrastructure, and SOC services, particularly in the UAE market.
• ITP Media Group: Dubai-based B2B and consumer publisher operating multiple regional magazines, digital platforms, and events. Directly comparable to Al Hilal's portfolio of industry-specific publications (construction, energy, travel) and TradeArabia/ABC digital portals across the GCC.

Emerging players

• Tahaluf (formerly MICE Arabia): Events and media platform focused on the Saudi Arabian market, including the LEAP tech conference. Comparable as a regional B2B media and events operator, though more event-led and Saudi-focused than Al Hilal.

Regional players

• Arabian Radio Network: Dubai-based multi-platform media operator covering radio, digital, and events in the UAE. Comparable as a diversified regional media group but concentrated in the UAE and audio rather than GCC-wide print and B2B directories.

Others

• Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN): U.S.-funded Arabic-language media network operating TV and digital properties for Middle East audiences. Adjacent peer in regional media, included as an ecosystem reference rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Dubai Media Incorporated: State-affiliated media operator publishing multiple newspapers, magazines, and digital outlets in the UAE. Comparable to Al Hilal as a multi-brand regional publisher serving GCC audiences across print and digital.
• Choueiri Group: Lebanon-headquartered regional media sales house and digital advertising operator across the Arab world. Comparable to Al Hilal in providing advertising and media-monetization infrastructure to GCC brands, though broader in scope and non-publishing.
• Saudi Research and Media Group (SRMG): Largest publicly listed media group in the Middle East, publishing Arab News and a portfolio of regional titles. Comparable as a multi-brand regional publisher with diversified editorial assets targeting GCC audiences, though larger and broader than Al Hilal.
• MBC Group: Largest privately held media conglomerate in the Arab world spanning TV, digital, and publishing. Comparable to Al Hilal as a diversified GCC media group, though MBC is broadcast-led rather than print/B2B-directory led.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/al_hilal_group
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/al-hilal-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Al Hilal Group