Qatar

Having gone from being a minor actor on the world energy stage to a pivotal player in less than a decade as part of an expansive strategy, Qatar has tapped its vast gas reserves by engaging international oil companies and building a comprehensive infrastructure network. This approach has allowed Qatar to become the largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter in the world. The state has also...

The country’s successful bid to host the FIFA 2022 World Cup has lent a renewed urgency for substantial investments in transport infrastructure. The budget, released in May 2012, directs $11bn to the new airport, $5.5bn to a deep-water seaport, $1bn to a transport corridor in Doha and $20bn to roads, part of $95bn in public investment up to 2016. Beyond 2022, the upcoming Doha metro – set for...

A string of global natural disasters in 2011 did have an impact on some of Qatar’s local insurers that have overseas exposure, with the sector overall seeing a general slowdown. Cumulative net profits for the five Qatar Exchange-listed insurers rose 5.17% in 2011, a decline in profit growth from 2010. Yet while penetration rates for insurance products are low, at 0.89%, more than 85% of Qataris...

With strong banking and financial services segments, combined with an expanding insurance sector and global demand for Islamic bonds, sharia-compliant finance in Qatar is expected to see continued growth in 2013. Indeed, the sharia-compliant segment has recently shown some of the best growth figures in a country where expansion is generally high. In particular, takaful (Islamic insurance) and re-...

High oil and natural gas prices, combined with a 20-year strategic investment programme, have catapulted Qatar into the ranks of the highest per-capita income economies in the world. Yet the country continues to demonstrate an ability to leverage its significant natural resources to drive growth and is well placed to meet the goals and vision for economic diversification outlined by the National...

With Qatar’s exchange the best performing in the GCC region for the last two years, the capital markets look set for further development. In comparison to the GCC exchange averages, the Qatar Exchange (QE) scored higher both in terms of price to earnings and price to book value in 2011. In addition, in April 2011, the QE became the first in the region to offer a full delivery-versus-payment (DvP...