Bahrain Insurance Company Names Explained: bni, Solidarity, BKIC and GIG

Searching for a Bahrain insurance company can lead you to several familiar names that now point to the same operation — and to several similar GIG names that remain legally separate.

The distinction matters. The company in an old advertisement may have merged, while the legal insurer named on your current quotation is the entity responsible for issuing the policy and handling covered claims.

The short answer

• bni and bnl merged into Solidarity Bahrain in February 2026.
• BKIC is Bahrain Kuwait Insurance Company B.S.C., commonly presented under the GIG Bahrain identity.
• GIG Gulf is a separate insurer — the former AXA Gulf operation.
• Takaful International is a separate takaful company, a BKIC subsidiary, previously marketed as GIG Bahrain Takaful.
• Gulf Insurance Group (GIG) is the wider group, not a reason to treat every GIG-labelled insurer as the same legal company.

What happened to bni?

Bahrain National Insurance was a long-established conventional insurer within Bahrain National Holding. After the acquisition and integration process, the transfer of bni and Bahrain National Life Assurance Company (bnl) into Solidarity Bahrain became effective in February 2026.

The result is a merger into Solidarity Bahrain, not merely a marketing partnership. In practice that means:

• Do not list bni as a separate current insurer in a new comparison.
• Handle an old bni policy or claim according to the transition instructions and current communications.
• A renewal may now be offered through Solidarity Bahrain.
• Keep the old policy number and documents when contacting the current service team.
• Confirm the legal insurer on any newly issued policy.

BKIC and GIG Bahrain

BKIC stands for Bahrain Kuwait Insurance Company, established in 1975 and headquartered in Manama. That remains the company's legal name. It has been widely presented as GIG Bahrain because it is part of Gulf Insurance Group, while its own website and visual identity continue to use both BKIC and GIG references.

For clarity, use on first reference: Bahrain Kuwait Insurance Company (BKIC), also known as GIG Bahrain.

Do not write that BKIC disappeared or was replaced by a new legal company. Brand identity and legal entity name are not the same thing.

GIG Bahrain vs GIG Gulf

These are not the same insurer.

GIG Bahrain / BKIC — legal name Bahrain Kuwait Insurance Company B.S.C., a Bahrain-based insurer within Gulf Insurance Group, associated with both the BKIC and GIG Bahrain names.

GIG Gulf — legal name Gulf Insurance Group (Gulf) B.S.C.(c), formerly AXA Gulf, operating across several GCC markets including Bahrain, with separate quotations, policies, portals and claims channels.

A customer with a GIG Gulf policy should not send a claim to BKIC simply because both names contain GIG.

Where Takaful International fits

Takaful International Company B.S.C. was established in 1989 and is licensed as a Bahrain general and family takaful firm. It became a BKIC subsidiary after BKIC acquired a majority stake in 2017, and has been marketed as GIG Bahrain Takaful.

It is not the same legal company as BKIC/GIG Bahrain, nor as GIG Gulf.

What "GIG" means in these names

GIG refers to Gulf Insurance Group, a regional insurance group with operations and subsidiaries across multiple markets. A shared group brand can indicate ownership or affiliation, but it does not erase the separate legal identity of each insurer.

Think of the name in three layers:

1. Group — Gulf Insurance Group
2. Legal insurer — the company named in the quotation and policy
3. Brand or product — the customer-facing name, portal or plan

Claims and contractual obligations attach to the legal insurer, subject to the policy — not to a logo in isolation.

If you are still searching for AXA Bahrain

AXA Gulf became GIG Gulf. Older AXA documents and search results therefore lead to GIG Gulf, but always use the current contact and claims details on your latest documents.

A current name map

Check the current legal insurer, not an old logo

When comparing, open the quotation and identify the legal name of the insurer or takaful operator, the customer-facing brand, the policy type, the claims contact, the complaint contact, and the policy wording and endorsements. The CBB licensing directory is the authority on who is licensed today.