Despite a relatively small population of around 2.7m, Qatar accounts for around 5% of insurance premiums in MENA – a little more than Egypt and one percentage point behind Morocco. Nevertheless, relative to the size of its economy, insurance activity in Qatar remains at a modest level. Annual premiums of around $3bn account for 1.5% of GDP,...
Qatar is home to some of the region’s most prominent sharia-compliant institutions. Despite operating in a crowded and competitive arena, over recent decades the country has claimed a significant share of the banking, insurance and investment segments. More recently Qatar faced the challenges of a sustained dip in oil prices and a regional economic blockade. However, due to a...
Sharia-compliant funds are emerging as an increasingly popular investment instrument in markets across the region, and Qatar is playing an important role in this expansion. According to the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), sharia-compliant funds accounted for $224m by end 2017; just over 50% of the assets placed in the Qatari mutual fund segment...
While advanced economies generate the vast majority of insurance and reinsurance business, emerging markets are posting higher rates of growth. Complementing this underlying trend is a strong and expanding interest in catastrophic risk, which by nature tends to pertain to emerging markets. This is coming alongside fast-paced, sector-...
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...
The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) has faced considerable external challenges in recent years, including a sustained dip in oil prices and the effects of a regional economic blockade. However, after an initial decline in late 2017, the main index’s performance during 2018 has established it as one of the fastest growing in MENA. The QSE has also...
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