Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) has entered a partnership with Shandong Innovation Group and BlueFive Capital.
Shandong Innovation Group is a fully integrated global aluminium materials manufacturer, and BlueFives Capital is a global investment firm specialising in cross-border business between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Asia.
Ali Al Baqali, CEO of Alba, commented: “This strategic MoU with our partners marks a commitment to global resilience and resource security. While we maintain our position as the world's largest single-site smelter, this alliance provides the mechanism to pursue upstream investment opportunities beyond Bahrain’s borders.
“By securing our raw material flow and expanding our international reach, we are taking decisive action to sustain Alba’s leadership and ensure a robust future for Bahrain's industrial sector.”
This tri-partite, signed during the Gateway Gulf 2025 held over 2-3 November in Bahrain, initiates a strategic effort to optimise global aluminium supply-chain from upstream smelting to high-value downstream products.
This Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishes a framework to explore areas of mutual interest including joint investments, knowledge sharing on best practices and the formation of strategic international alliances.
“Shandong Innovation Group is excited to unite our world-class manufacturing capabilities with the smelting leadership of Alba and the strategic vision of BlueFive Capital,” said Charles Cui, Vice Chairman of Shandong Innovation Group.
“This partnership is founded on a shared vision for a more resilient and integrated global aluminium industry, and we are committed to leveraging our ability to both provide access to secure and innovative supply chains for critical materials and share knowledge to set new standards for the industry worldwide.”
Hazem Ben-Gacem, founder and Chief Executive of BlueFive Capital, added: “BlueFive Capital is proud to act as the catalyst for this collaboration in line with our mission to create partnerships that drive not only financial returns but also create new growth pathways for our partners beyond their traditional markets – in this case, creating a new paradigm for cross-border cooperation between the Kingdom of Bahrain and China.”
