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...
Qatar Financial Services
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Hydrocarbons revenues, specifically from liquefied natural gas, still form the bulk of Qatar’s national income. However, as the country moves forward with Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030), the government is increasingly seeking to diversify the economy away from hydrocarbons while investing in renewable solutions to meet the energy demands of the future.
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.
2013 saw the transition of power from the former Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, his fourth son and second son with Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, a move unprecedented elsewhere in the Gulf but not unexpected in Qatar.
Articles & Analysis | Sharia-compliant solutions: Finding short-term financial instruments for Islamic lenders from The Report: Qatar 2014
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...
Articles & Analysis | Healthy beginnings: After a lengthy planning process, the mandatory health insurance scheme is now being rolled out in stages from The Report: Qatar 2014
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...