 Beginning as traders in Bahrain, which at the time was a British protectorate, the Kanoo family expanded into shipping, sending different branches of the family to establish themselves – eventually becoming citizens – in the UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.Today, the Kanoo Group's activities in each of the countries are managed by the local family wing, though they all remain under the ultimate control, and ownership, of the Bahrain-based Yusuf Bin Ahmed Kanoo Holdings.The Kanoo Group is one of the largest and oldest independent, family-owned group of companies in the Persian Gulf region.