BOK International

What BOK International does

BOK International B.S.C (c) is a wholesale Islamic bank headquartered in Manama, Bahrain, operating as a foreign branch of Sudan's Bank of Khartoum Group (parent founded 1913). Established in November 2015, the institution holds a wholesale Islamic banking license (WB/083) from the Central Bank of Bahrain and runs a second branch in Abu Dhabi, UAE, opened February 2019. The bank serves corporate, institutional, and high-net-worth private banking clients across the GCC-Africa corridor — a positioning that leverages the parent's century-old African network to intermediate cross-border trade, trade finance, and Islamic capital markets activity between the Gulf and sub-Saharan Africa. The bank's product set spans four pillars: Private Banking, Corporate Banking, Institutional Banking, and Treasury Services, with specific offerings in Sharia-compliant financing (Mudarabah, Murabaha, Ijara structures), trade finance and letters of credit, correspondent banking, treasury placements, and capital markets products including Sukuk and structured Islamic instruments.

Revenue mechanics are those of a typical wholesale Islamic bank: net spread on financing assets, fee income on trade finance and LC issuance, treasury placement income from interbank placements, and origination/advisory fees on Sukuk mandates and structured products. The go-to-market is relationship-driven — bilateral corporate mandates, syndicated facilities, correspondent banking lines, and selective HNW private banking — rather than mass-market retail distribution. Capital and ownership are anchored by Bank of Khartoum, whose major institutional shareholders include Dubai Islamic Bank, Islamic Development Bank (Jeddah), Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Sharjah Islamic Bank, Rashed Alrashed & Sons Group, and Seven Emirates, with parent credit ratings of AA- (IIRA) and BBB+ (SIGMA).

Leadership and operational scale reflect an early-stage regional platform: CEO Ahmed Fuad Darwish was appointed January 2020, CFO Mohammad Farooq Zarif joined March 2020, and headcount sits at 11–50 employees — consistent with a focused wholesale branch rather than a broad retail franchise. No AI/ML capability, proprietary technology stack, or digital platform is disclosed in public materials; the operating model relies on conventional wholesale banking infrastructure, Sharia advisory, and correspondent networks.

Name

BOK International

Legal name

BOK International B.S.C (c)

Website

https://bokintl.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BOK International B.S.C (c) is a wholesale Islamic bank and Bahrain-based foreign branch of Sudan's Bank of Khartoum Group, operating branches in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi to serve corporate, institutional, and high-net-worth clients across the GCC-Africa corridor with Sharia-compliant financing, trade finance, treasury, and Sukuk products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Islamic Banking

NAICS

Commercial Banking (522110), Offices of Bank Holding Companies (551111)

SIC

National Commercial Banks (6021), Functions Related To Depository Banking, Nec (6099)

akta.pro primary industry

Islamic Corporate Banking (FSABAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Islamic Trade Finance & Supply Chain (Shariah-compliant) (FSABAGAE), Islamic Treasury, Liquidity & Interbank (Commodity Murabaha, Sukuk Liquidity) (FSABAGAK), Islamic Transaction Banking (Cash Management & Treasury Services) (FSABAGAF), Sukuk Origination & Structuring (Bank-led) (FSABAGAL), Shariah Governance, Compliance & Advisory (Shariah Boards, Audit, Fatwa) (FSABAGAJ)

Keywords

• Wholesale Islamic banking
• Sharia-compliant finance
• Corporate banking services
• Trade finance solutions
• Treasury management services

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, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Islamic Banking Services: Revenue generated from providing wholesale Islamic banking products and services including trade finance, deposit accounts, Islamic financing facilities, treasury, and correspondent banking services to corporate, institutional, and financial clients.
2. Treasury Products: Revenue from money market deposits and placements, foreign exchange, fixed income securities (Sukuks), and Sharia-compliant investments including equity and real estate investments.
3. Corporate Banking Fees: Fees from account services, Islamic financing facilities, restricted investment accounts, financial instruments advisory, cash management, and syndicated financing services.
4. Correspondent Banking Services: Revenue from managing relationships with interbank counterparties, including Vostro accounts, foreign currency accounts, trade services (LCs, LGs, documentary collection), Islamic financing facilities and syndications.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

BOK International operates as a wholesale Islamic banking branch of Bank of Khartoum Group, licensed by the Central Bank of Bahrain under wholesale Islamic banking license WB/083. It provides Sharia-compliant banking products and services across four business lines — Private Banking, Corporate Banking, Institutional Banking, and Treasury Services — including trade finance, deposit accounts, Islamic financing facilities, treasury, and correspondent banking services.

Product overview

BOK International operates as a wholesale Islamic banking institution with four core business lines: Private Banking (offering comprehensive wealth management for high-net-worth individuals and families), Corporate Banking (providing account services, Islamic financing facilities, restricted investment accounts, financial instruments advisory, cash management, and syndicated financing for mid and large corporates), Institutional Banking (delivering correspondent banking services, trade services including LCs and LGs, treasury products, and Islamic financing facilities and syndications for financial institutions and government entities), and Treasury Services (providing money market deposits and placements, foreign exchange, fixed income securities/Sukuks, and Sharia-compliant investments). All products are structured using Islamic finance instruments including Murabaha, Ijarah, Wakala, Mudaraba, and Musharaka.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Banking Banking services offered to high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and select families, providing comprehensive wealth management and access to unique Islamic financial solutions with attractive deposit yields, structured using Sharia-compliant Islamic contracts.
• Corporate Banking Banking services for mid and large corporates including account services, Islamic financing facilities, restricted investment accounts, financial instruments advisory, cash management, and syndicated financing, with regional and international client coverage.
• Institutional Banking Comprehensive suite of products and services for large institutions, financial institutions, and government entities including correspondent banking (Vostro accounts, foreign currency accounts), trade services (Letters of Credit, Letters of Guarantee, documentary collection), treasury products, and Islamic financing facilities and syndications.
• Treasury Services Islamic interbank treasury services including Sharia-compliant money market deposit and placement, foreign exchange, fixed income securities (Sukuks), and Sharia-compliant investments in equity and real estate, structured using Islamic contracts (Murabaha, Ijarah, Wakala, Mudaraba, Musharaka).

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Bank Alkhair: Bahrain-based Islamic investment bank serving institutional and HNW clients with Sharia-compliant financing, advisory, and treasury solutions. Comparable in scale, Bahrain regulatory setting, and Islamic wholesale focus.
• Khaleeji Commercial Bank: Bahrain-based wholesale Islamic investment bank offering corporate, treasury, and Sharia-compliant financing products. KCB's Bahrain domicile and Islamic wholesale focus mirror BOKI's licensing and product positioning.
• Gulf International Bank (GIB): Bahrain-headquartered wholesale bank serving corporate, institutional, and government clients across the GCC. GIB's wholesale-only model and Bahrain regulatory base make it a structural analog to BOKI's wholesale Islamic banking license.
• Al Baraka Bank (Al Baraka Banking Group): Bahrain-headquartered wholesale and retail Islamic banking group operating across the Middle East and North Africa. Like BOKI, Al Baraka focuses on Sharia-compliant corporate, institutional, and treasury products and shares a similar GCC-anchored, Africa-linked geographic strategy.
• Kuwait International Bank: Kuwait-based Islamic bank providing corporate, institutional, treasury, and trade finance products under a Sharia framework. KIB shares BOKI's product breadth (Murabaha, Ijarah, treasury) and institutional client orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Qatar Islamic Bank: Qatar's largest Islamic bank offering a broad range of Sharia-compliant corporate, institutional, and treasury products across the GCC. QIB's scale and product breadth position it as a reference comparable for BOKI's wholesale Islamic offering.
• Sharjah Islamic Bank: UAE-based full-license Islamic bank providing retail, corporate, and treasury Sharia-compliant products. Both a BOKI shareholder and a structural peer given its GCC Islamic banking franchise and corporate banking capabilities.
• Dubai Islamic Bank: Largest Islamic bank in the UAE and BOKI's predominant shareholder, with full-license retail, corporate, and treasury franchises across multiple geographies. DIB represents both BOKI's strongest capital partner and a broader-scope competitive presence.
• Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank: UAE-headquartered full-license Islamic bank with retail, corporate, and institutional franchises across the GCC, Egypt, and Sudan. ADIB is a predominant BOKI shareholder and a competing GCC Islamic corporate banking franchise.

Others

• Bank of Khartoum: Sudan-headquartered parent of BOK International and Sudan's oldest Islamic financial institution; provides the on-the-ground African presence, capital, and brand behind BOKI's GCC-Africa corridor strategy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 BOK International