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Start your own digital banking app in Manama and take on National Bank of Bahrain and BenefitPay

By SendPay Business Ā· Ā· 3 min read

Your own money app
  1. Name it and pick your colours
  2. Choose what it does
  3. Launch when you are ready

Manama is one of the biggest money cities in Bahrain. In Bahrain, paying by phone is normal, and the country is a regional hub for new money brands. Most of it flows through National Bank of Bahrain and BBK, plus apps like BenefitPay. A brand built for Manama, its neighbourhoods, communities and small businesses, can win people the national giants treat as just another account number.

How Manama pays today

In Manama people split bills and pay shops with BenefitPay, and banks such as National Bank of Bahrain handle most accounts.

A brand built for Bahrain's residents, workers or small businesses can offer a more personal service.

Man with a beard on a smartphone

Who you'd be competing with in Manama

The big banks, National Bank of Bahrain and BBK, are everywhere in Manama. The apps, like BenefitPay, won people over by being simpler. Your edge is being local: your language, your community, your city's name on the card.

Try it

Name your platform and watch it come to life

Type a name, tap a colour and pick what it does. The phone changes as you go.

Colour

What it does

Build mine

Design and preview your whole platform free, then launch when you are ready.

What you can launch under your own brand

An everyday account app with balances and a branded card, a money transfer app, a payment-link product for invoices, a marketplace that pays its sellers, or a membership platform. Each is a template: your name, your colours, your domain, your fees.

Four people on laptops in a board meeting

How it works, in a few clicks

Pick the template closest to your idea, type your platform name and preview every page before you launch.

0 of 5 done

Tick each step as you do it, so you can see what is left.

Your ticks are saved on this device.

You set the fees, you keep them

Charge 1%, 2.9% or nothing: it's your call. On every dinar your users move, your platform earns the fee you set.

How it works

Money on its way
  1. Pick who to pay and type the amount
  2. Tap send and it is on its way
  3. It lands in their account

Permissions: the honest part

The accounts, cards and payments behind your platform are powered by licensed partners. Depending on what your platform does and who it serves, you may also need your own registration, and serving customers in Bahrain can bring local rules from the Central Bank of Bahrain. We tell you in writing which permissions apply to your platform before you launch, and introduce specialists who handle them. We are not licensed advisers and don't guarantee outcomes.

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Why sign up

Create your free SendPay account

It's all about creating your own financial platform with ease. Start with a free account today.

  • A free business accountOpen it in about a minute with your business name, email, password and mobile. No card and no documents to start.
  • Get paid from day oneTake card payments, and share your own payment link and invoices so customers pay in a click.
  • A free business websiteFree to build, free to publish and free to keep, with unlimited visits.
  • Your own financial platformDesign and preview your whole platform free, then launch when you are ready.

SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank. Accounts, cards and payments are powered by licensed partners.

Questions people ask

Can I really compete with National Bank of Bahrain in Manama?

Not on size on day one. But you can beat any big bank on focus: a platform built for one city, community or kind of customer, with a better experience and fairer fees.

Can I call it a bank?

In most countries, including Bahrain, "bank" is a protected word you can only use with a banking licence. Call it an account, an app or a platform.

Is SendPay Business connected to National Bank of Bahrain or BenefitPay?

No. We name them only to describe the market. SendPay Business is an independent technology company, not a bank.

Should I put Manama in my app's name?

It can help if you only plan to serve Manama, because people trust a local name. If you want to grow across Bahrain later, pick a name that still works outside the city. The free name generator gives you ideas and opens your favourite straight in the builder.

Payment app name generator →
How much could a platform in Manama earn?

It depends on how many people in Manama use it, how much they move and the fee you set. Put your own numbers into the free calculator.

Platform earnings calculator →
Is there a guide for the whole of Bahrain?

Yes, the Bahrain guide covers the national picture.

Bahrain guide →
Is there a step-by-step plan I can follow?

Yes. The free launch checklist takes you from picking your people and naming your app to setting fees, going live and winning your first ten customers. Tick each step off as you go.

Digital bank app launch checklist →
How do I start?

Pick a template, name it and preview every page before you launch. Your platform can be live on your own domain within 24 hours of confirmation.

Build my platform →

Read next

Spotted a mistake or something out of date? and we'll fix it. How our guides are made

This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice. SendPay Business is a technology company, not a bank, and does not take deposits; regulated services on the platforms are provided by licensed partners. Other companies named in this guide are reference points only and are not affiliated with SendPay Business.