HSBC is not completely shutting down its operations in Bahrain, but it announced plans to sell its retail banking and wealth management operations in the country to the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait. This transaction involves transferring everyday retail customer accounts and portfolios. However, HSBC's corporate, wholesale, and institutional banking divisions in the region remain active, aligning with the bank's global strategy to scale back local retail units in select markets and focus on core wholesale operations.