Qatar has been a prominent player in the region’s Islamic banking sector since the early 1980s, and Islamic banking accounted for roughly 26% of the country’s total banking assets as of March 2015, with growth in the first nine months of 2014 outstripping that of Qatar’s largest banks. Meanwhile, the country was the region’s third-largest issuer of sukuk in both 2013 and 2014, while 6.2% of…
The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) was upgraded to emerging market status in the summer of 2014 and its 18.36% gain for the year ensured the QSE’s performance was the fastest-growing exchange in the region that year. Recent regulatory reforms should ensure the QSE can successfully capitalise on its new status and attract increased foreign investment. In May 2014 the ceiling for foreign ownership of listed…
An increasingly competitive banking environment has encouraged lenders to seek out revenues in previously underserved sectors. Personal lending, for example, has become more important to the sector: in 2010 it accounted for 19.3% of aggregate bank lending, but by 2013 the segment’s share had grown to 23.6% of the credit mix. Meanwhile, lenders have begun to adopt SME-friendly measures such as dedicated…
Qatar’s healthy trade surpluses, expanding international investment portfolio, and growing bilateral relations in Asia and Europe have driven the state’s trade and investment growth in recent years. Amendments to the Investment Law of 2000 in 2004, 2009 and 2014 have opened up investment opportunities by enabling foreigners to participate in financial services, hold stakes of 49% in listed companies…
The Qatari economy boasts a decade-long track record of extremely strong expansion, with the state’s GDP per capita having risen to become one of the highest in the world. While Qatar is the world’s highest exporter of liquefied natural gas, and the country’s income remains largely dependent on hydrocarbons activity, Qatar has, in recent times, pursued a vigorous plan of economic diversification…
Qatar’s rapid economic growth over the past decade has thrust the country of 2.22m onto the world stage, and it is now one of the world’s richest on a per capita level. While Qatar’s huge natural gas resources represent the driving force behind its fast-growing economy, the country’s long-term development plan, Qatar National Vision 2030, envisions a diversification away from hydrocarbons in…
A strong outlook for corporate earnings and the broader economy in Qatar, combined with an easing of restrictions on foreign ownership of firms, is pointing to a positive investment environment this year. While many of the region’s larger oil producing countries will see GDP growth rates ease this year, Qatar’s relatively lower degree of reliance on hydrocarbons is giving impetus toinvestor…
A decision to defer extending a comprehensive state health insurance scheme to the expatriate community in Qatar means that private insurance companies will be able to tap into the segment for at least another 18 months. Under the new health scheme, launched in August 2013, coverage was to be extended over five stages. In February, Dr Faleh Mohamed Hussain Ali, the acting CEO of the National Health…
In addition to the Ministry of Municipality & Urban Planning, the Public Works Authority – Ashghal – will also be well represented with speakers participating in two panel discussions on incorporating sustainability goals into Public Realm strategy and on the importance of fully considering the end-user requirements when designing and constructing landscaped spaces.…
With the announcement of another milestone in Qatar’s satellite programme coming at the end of last year, the body of material evidence suggesting significant recent ICT sector development in the state grew in both size and quality. A launch date for communications satellite Es’hail 2 has now been set, while sector professionals have been expressing confidence that a range of services, from e-government…
