Regulation of micro-businesses was hotly debated at an entrepreneurship forum held yesterday to kick-start Manama Entrepreneurship and Youth Empowerment Week.

Organised by the Capital Governorate at the Applied Science University, the event will feature workshops on franchising businesses, vocational training and farming, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

One of the panel discussions held yesterday focused on entrepreneurial dialogue and included panellists discussing small start-ups based on Instagram.

"Today, if the business owner is only known by a mobile number that can disappear tomorrow, it's a problem," said Startup Bahrain founder Ahmed Al Sawafiri, who suggested some sort of registration process for these types of businesses.

Loophole

"How can you run after someone who stole your money?

"It might not be big amounts, but you're opening a loophole for people to steal.

"At the same time, you don't want to make it difficult and you don't want to put obstacles for entry."

However, other speakers, such as GCCIX founder and chief executive Fahad Al Shirawi, were against regulation and said it should be a case of "buyer beware".

"We have the smallest market in the Gulf, we should be helping people expand into the region, not making it difficult for them to sell here," he said. - TradeArabia News Service