Trouble in the Middle East's banking centre

For three decades, Bahrain has been the banking capital of the Middle East. It is home to 150 banks, employing more than 14,000 people.

However, it is also a close-knit, island community of only 740,000 nationals. Depriving a fellow Bahraini citizen of his or her livelihood is widely seen as a form of social betrayal.

So when news broke late last month that Gulf International Bank (GIB) had laid off 59 employees at its head office in Bahrain - almost a fifth of the total working there - it sparked demonstrations by fellow Bahraini bank staff and trade union activists.

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