Bahrain and Qatar Take Diverging Paths on Data Sovereignty

As the Gulf region accelerates toward a digital future, Bahrain and Qatar are charting notably different courses in the realm of data governance, according to an industry analysis published today by Gulf Business.

Legal experts, including Gareth Mills from Charles Russell Speechlys, observe that Qatar is adopting a centralized, sovereignty-first model, anchored by a GDPR-style law, state-led cloud policies, and significant infrastructure investments. This strategy is closely aligned with Qatar’s broader National Vision 2030 and National Digital Agenda 2030 initiatives.

Conversely, Bahrain is embracing a pragmatic, cloud enablement approach. Instead of enforcing strict data localization, the kingdom has focused on expanding its cloud and data center capacity, marked by major private sector projects like AWS’s regional data center and the $700 million “Digital City” led by BEYON. Bahrain’s regulatory framework also incorporates an adequacy-style transfer model, allowing data to flow to certain approved jurisdictions without additional authorization, and even introduces “data embassy” mechanisms that permit foreign governance over data stored domestically.

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Bahrain and Qatar take diverging paths on data sovereignty: what businesses must know