A rapidly expanding economy and growing population mean that demand for power and water from both industry and households in Qatar has never been greater. This trend is set to continue for some time to come, with an ambitious multibillion-dollar programme of infrastructure building in the lead-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, requiring more people, more electricity and more water. At the same...
Home to the world’s largest non-associated natural gas field and significant oil reserves, Qatar is a leading player in the global energy market. It is also at the forefront of the international gas-to-liquids and liquefied natural gas industries, as well as fast becoming a major centre for research and development in hydrocarbons. The industry does face challenges, however. Among these are...
Insurers in Qatar once again showed strong financial performance in 2014, and with the supply of large projects generated by the nation’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the industry is well positioned to make further gains. In the meantime, a process of reform that aims to streamline the regulatory regime continues apace, with the 2012 Regulation of Financial Institutions Law establishing...
Qatar has been a prominent player in the region’s Islamic banking sector since the early 1980s, and Islamic banking accounted for roughly 26% of the country’s total banking assets as of March 2015, with growth in the first nine months of 2014 outstripping that of Qatar’s largest banks. Meanwhile, the country was the region’s third-largest issuer of sukuk in both 2013 and 2014, while 6.2% of...
The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) was upgraded to emerging market status in the summer of 2014 and its 18.36% gain for the year ensured the QSE’s performance was the fastest-growing exchange in the region that year. Recent regulatory reforms should ensure the QSE can successfully capitalise on its new status and attract increased foreign investment. In May 2014 the ceiling for foreign ownership...
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...
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