The fastest-growing small and mid-sized companies in Manama, October 2026

Key numbers

• Median 1-year headcount growth: 10.0% across 143 companies (range 0.5% to 200.0%). 1 of 143 at least doubled their headcount.
• Size mix: 10–19 employees: 21, 20–49 employees: 34, 50–99 employees: 36, 100–249 employees: 28, 250–499 employees: 24. The most common band is 50–99 (25%).
• Main sub-industries: Commercial & Residential Construction (16), Custom Software & IT Services (16), Lodging & Resorts (12).
• Largest company on the list: Ultimate Solutions (250–499 employees, 50.0% growth). 55 of 143 have fewer than 50 employees.
• Versus the whole October 2026 dataset (3246 companies), this page's median is lower: 10.0% vs 22.1%.
• Same location by sector (median growth): real estate 12.5% (n=5), IT services & software 11.7% (n=21), education & training 11.5% (n=11), construction 10.9% (n=19), retail & e-commerce 10.8% (n=38), manufacturing 9.1% (n=14), professional services 7.7% (n=20), hospitality & restaurant 5.8% (n=15).

Sector context

• Across the GCC, 26.0% of construction SMBs with growth data grew headcount by 20% or more in a year, against 10.8% in the US (2.4×).

Top 10 by headcount growth

1. #1 Nass Landscapes

   Manama · Commercial & Residential Construction · 250–499 employees · +200.0%

   Headcount grew 200.0% in 12 months, 20.0× this ranking's median of 10.0%, #1 of 24 companies here in the 250–499-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Commercial & Residential Construction; revenue band $10M-$25M.

2. #2 Areena Group

   Manama · Commercial & Residential Construction · 10–19 employees · +71.4%

   Headcount grew 71.4% in 12 months, 7.1× this ranking's median of 10.0%, #1 of 21 companies here in the 10–19-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Commercial & Residential Construction; revenue band $1M-$5M.

3. #3 Al Zayani Commercial Services

   Manama · Office Products Retail & Distribution · 20–49 employees · +59.0%

   Headcount grew 59.0% in 12 months, 5.9× this ranking's median of 10.0%, #1 of 34 companies here in the 20–49-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Office Products Retail & Distribution; revenue band $5M-$10M.

4. #4 New Generation Private School

   Manama · K-12 Schools · 10–19 employees · +54.5%

   Headcount grew 54.5% in 12 months, 5.5× this ranking's median of 10.0%, #2 of 21 companies here in the 10–19-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: K-12 Schools; revenue band $1M-$5M.

5. #5 Panorama Contracting & Engineering Services WLL

   Manama · Civil Engineering Construction · 10–19 employees · +52.3%

   Headcount grew 52.3% in 12 months, 5.2× this ranking's median of 10.0%, #3 of 21 companies here in the 10–19-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Civil Engineering Construction; revenue band $1M-$5M.

6. #6 Gulf Fencing

   Manama · Commercial & Residential Construction · 10–19 employees · +50.0%

   Headcount grew 50.0% in 12 months, 5.0× this ranking's median of 10.0%, #4 of 21 companies here in the 10–19-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Commercial & Residential Construction; revenue band $1M-$5M.

7. #7 Ultimate Solutions

   Manama · Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software · 250–499 employees · +50.0%

   Headcount grew 50.0% in 12 months, 5.0× this ranking's median of 10.0%, #2 of 24 companies here in the 250–499-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software; revenue band $10M-$25M.

8. #8 Al-Jishi

   Manama · Drug Stores & Pharmacies · 50–99 employees · +45.7%

   Headcount grew 45.7% in 12 months, 4.6× this ranking's median of 10.0%, #1 of 36 companies here in the 50–99-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Drug Stores & Pharmacies; revenue band $5M-$10M.

9. #9 Cazasouq

   Manama · Consumer Electronics & Computers Retail · 10–19 employees · +42.1%

   Headcount grew 42.1% in 12 months, 4.2× this ranking's median of 10.0%, #5 of 21 companies here in the 10–19-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Consumer Electronics & Computers Retail; revenue band $1M-$5M.

10. #10 Batec

    Manama · Custom Software & IT Services · 20–49 employees · +36.3%

    Headcount grew 36.3% in 12 months, 3.6× this ranking's median of 10.0%, #2 of 34 companies here in the 20–49-employee band. Based in Manama, Bahrain; primary sub-industry: Custom Software & IT Services; revenue band $1M-$5M.

Methodology

Source: licensed B2B firmographic and technographic data, pulled 9 Oct 2026; page updated 2026-10-09. Scope: companies headquartered in the city with 10–500 employees and at least 10 data profiles; the top 50 by 1-year headcount growth per industry, after removing likely local branches of foreign or 1,000+ staff groups; companies with zero or negative growth are left out. Growth is the modelled change in the company's own employee count over the last 12 months; values above 200% are labelled estimated because they come from small headcounts. Location is the company's headquarters city; firms headquartered elsewhere with large local offices are not included, and likely local branches of foreign or 1,000+ staff groups were removed by a name/website rule that can miss some branches. Some companies are local branches of larger groups; the size band is for the local entity. Figures move between monthly editions. Company-level data only: no personal names, emails or phone numbers.

We publish a ranking only when at least 15 companies qualify, and skip a page when its top 10 would repeat another page.

Related rankings

• Fastest-growing construction, facilities & logistics companies in Dubai (24 companies)
• Fastest-growing construction, facilities & logistics companies in the GCC (50 companies)
• Fastest-growing small and mid-sized companies in Abu Dhabi (464 companies)
• Fastest-growing small and mid-sized companies in Dammam (164 companies)
• Fastest-growing small and mid-sized companies in Doha (427 companies)
• Fastest-growing small and mid-sized companies in Dubai (595 companies)
• Fastest-growing small and mid-sized companies in Jeddah (322 companies)
• Fastest-growing small and mid-sized companies in Kuwait City (227 companies)

All rankings · Small and Mid-sized rankings · Rankings for Manama · Who uses which software · GCC SMB Growth Index · Check a company

FAQ

Which small and mid-sized company in Manama grew fastest this year?

In the October 2026 edition, Nass Landscapes ranks first with 200.0% 1-year headcount growth, followed by Areena Group (71.4%) and Al Zayani Commercial Services (59.0%).

How fast are small and mid-sized SMBs in Manama growing?

The median company on this list grew headcount by 10.0% in 12 months. This is a list of fast growers, not a sector average. Across the GCC, 26.0% of construction SMBs with growth data grew headcount by 20% or more in a year, against 10.8% in the US (2.4×).

What does "growth" mean here?

The change in the company's own employee count over the last 12 months, modelled from licensed B2B firmographic data. It is not revenue growth and not a count of open vacancies.

Why do some figures say "estimated"?

Growth above 200% usually comes from a small starting headcount, so a few hires move the percentage a lot. We keep these companies but label the figure.

What is in the paid list?

All 143 companies on this page with website, city, industry, size band and growth, as CSV and Excel. Company-level only: no personal contact details.

How often is this updated?

Monthly. Each edition is dated; this one is October 2026.