The Company Qatar National Cement Company (QNCC), the first cement producer in Qatar, was set up in 1965 and is 43%-owned by the government and government-related entities. The firm, which trades as QNCD on the Qatar Exchange, is the largest producer of ordinary Portland cement, sulphate-resistant cement, hydrated lime, calcined lime and washed sand in Qatar. QNCC manufacturing units are situated…
The Qatar Exchange’s (QE) journey to attain “emerging market” status from the influential Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) has been a long and transformative one. Since it was established in 1995, the QE has been assiduously upgrading the regulatory and technological environment within which it operates, while simultaneously establishing international best practices. In recent years…
Qatar has been recognised as a leading player in the increasingly active global sukuk arena since its stellar year in 2011, when it raised around $3.1bn in 11 separate offerings and was responsible for 11% of global sukuk issuance, according to Markaz Research. That memorable year also saw Qatar lay claim to the largest single issuance, valued at $9.06bn with a three-year tenor. This was around seven…
In the summer of 2013 Qatar’s long-anticipated mandatory health insurance scheme became operational, representing for many an historic step in the country’s social development. The creation of the National Health Insurance Company in June with Al Khaleej Takaful Group appointed as the scheme’s third-party administrator, and the July implementation of the scheme under Emiri Decree No. 7 of 2013…
The effort to increase the range of liquidity management solutions available to Islamic banks is an international one, and one in which Qatar has historically played a prominent role. An announcement in 2013 by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) suggests that Qatar will soon take an even greater part in closing the liquidity gap that faces sharia-compliant lenders. Interest Answers The issue of liquidity…
Qatar’s self-imposed moratorium on expanding production from the North Field has spurred Qatar Petroleum (QP) to invest in strategic partnerships abroad in order to maintain its global market share. Qatar Petroleum International (QPI) is QP’s wholly owned primary vehicle for foreign investments in the energy sector. QPI was established in 2006 with a mission of making “strategic commercial investments…
The global energy industry is thriving with growing demand for power and a host of downstream products that depend on output in the oil and gas sector. In addition to established markets in Europe and North America, growing economies in Asia are driving tremendous demand for energy supplies. This has in turn increased the demand for a skilled workforce within the industry. Many reports suggest that…
Abundant supplies of natural gas and strong links to global supply chains for downstream products have enabled the presence of a growing gas-to-liquids (GTL) industry. GTL, first developed on an industrial scale in South Africa in the 1970s, is a process of creating diesel and gasoline products using natural gas as feedstock. There are two basic processes: low-temperature processes that produce diesel…
To provide water and power services to its residents and companies, Qatar has invested heavily to build the production capacity needed. The Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation, known as KAHRAMAA, reports investing more than $9.6bn to upgrade the electricity network between 2000 and 2008. According to Drake & Scull, an international engineering firm, the government has a pipeline of…
With the aim of diversifying its economy, Qatar’s National Development Strategy states, “Sustaining prosperity over the long-term requires wise management of exhaustible resources to ensure that future generations inherit ample means to meet their aspirations.” The strategy calls for diversifying energy production to include renewable sources. Given the local climate, the country has identified…
