Renewable energy solutions in Qatar are set to advance significantly in 2019 as international bidders vie for the opportunity to build the country’s first utility-scale solar energy facility. This follows the acknowledgement over a decade ago that renewables have the potential to add economic value by diversifying energy sources, freeing up natural gas for export and helping to decrease carbon…
Decades of growth in trade and foreign investment have made the economies of the world more interdependent than ever before. This trend has been reinforced by the steady liberalisation of international trade and investment at the bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral levels. National economic specialisations, and regional economic and political integration, have broadly proceeded in a single…
The resilience of Qatar’s economy has been put to the test not only by the rapid fall in commodity prices that took place from June 2014, but also by the political and economic blockade that was imposed by some neighbouring countries in June 2017. It is therefore significant that in the OBG Business Barometer: Qatar CEO Survey for 2019, the general consensus in the local business community…
Since gaining independence in 1971 Qatar has quickly risen to prominence both regionally and internationally to become an economic, political and cultural powerhouse in the Middle East. With a relatively small local population and substantial revenues generated from having the third-largest proven natural gas reserves globally, Qatar has one of the world’s highest GDP per capita: $72,700…
Rising oil prices and effective policy-making have played a significant role in returning Qatar to the healthy trade surplus it enjoyed prior to 2017, when political events caused substantial disruption to import and export activity. A swift response by a range of government ministries has secured new routes to global markets. In March 2018 Hamad Port, which officially opened in September 2017,…
Qatar’s relatively small population and status as the world’s biggest gas exporter have helped it to become the world’s richest country in terms of GDP per capita. In recent years, however, it has faced strong economic headwinds. The oil price decline in the second half of 2014 was a challenge to hydrocarbons-producing states throughout the region, and Qatar was the only Gulf monarchy…
Decades of growth in trade and foreign investment have made the economies of the world more interdependent than ever before. This trend has been reinforced by the steady liberalisation of international trade and investment at the bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral levels. National economic specialisations, and regional economic and political integration, have broadly proceeded in a single…
Over the course of 2018 Qatar’s banking industry has demonstrated its resilience in the face of the economic blockade placed upon the country by a number of governments. Credit ratings agencies Moody’s and Fitch both upgraded Qatar’s sovereign credit ratings outlook to stable in the summer of 2018, recognising the improving macroeconomic scenario and the largely successful resolution…
Once reserved for ambitious start-ups and industry-leading tech operators, financial technology (fintech) has more recently caught the attention of major private sector firms and government planners alike, becoming a regular feature in budget speeches and strategic development plans. As fintech progressively plays a larger part in the lives of consumers, investors have quickly come to recognise…
The period of easily raising funds from abroad seems to be coming to an end for emerging markets around the world. Amid rising interest rates in the US and increased competition for capital flows, portfolio managers are becoming more selective with where they invest. One way for developing nations to ensure that their financial markets can continue to attract foreign funds and remain sustainably…
