Sustainability, fairness and competitiveness. These are the pillars which lie at the heart of the Bahrain Economic vision 2030 (“Bahrain Vision”) - a vision that has sparked a subsequent stream of on-going economic and institutional reforms since its launch in 2008. Bahrain's economy has enjoyed significant prosperity over the last few decades: real GDP growth at 4.5% (2014), direct foreign investment and a thriving financial sector are just a few of several contributing factors linked to its economic success. However, a key area of focus within the national strategy is diversification. Bahrain's status as a ‘regional pioneer' has spanned almost a century. As  the first GCC State to start an economic diversification strategy that favoured non-oil industries in the 60's, the Kingdom was also, historically, the first  to establish a Chamber of Commerce and a banking sector, to introduce democratic reforms and, most recently, allow Parliament to amend the state budget- to name but a few.  Bahrian continues to shift to a productive and globally competitive economy, inherently shaped by the government and facilitated through a booming private sector.