Qatar Development Bank (QDB) has won three prestigious awards from Global Finance magazine, one of the world’s most prestigious financial publications, which recognised QDB’s role as a leading digital bank in 2024.
QDB was recognised as ‘Best in Digital Transformation in Qatar and the Middle East’ and ‘Best in SME Banking Platform’. The awards marked the second consecutive year of achievements for QDB, reflecting the bank’s continuous efforts to lead in the field of digital transformation and provide innovative solutions that meet the needs of SMEs and entrepreneurs.
Amna Jassim al-Sultan, QDB acting executive director of Innovation & Digital, said: “The awards are a testament to the great efforts that our team undertook in developing digital services, embracing digital transformation, and providing support for SMEs, which represent a pillar of our vision to build a strong and advanced economy and empower entrepreneurs to grow and succeed through advanced solutions. We are determined to pursue our journey of innovation and to provide pioneering digital services that live up to the ambitions and aspirations of Qatar National Vision 2030.”
For the second consecutive year, QDB has been named Qatar’s Best in SME Banking, in recognition of its remarkable efforts in supporting the private sector and SMEs in developing their business. QDB was selected based on the strength of strategy for attracting and servicing digital customers, success in getting clients to use digital offerings, growth of digital customers, breadth of product offerings, evidence of tangible benefits gained from digital initiatives, and web/mobile site design and functionality.
QDB has been named Best in Digital Transformation in Qatar, in recognition of its ongoing digitisation initiatives and its efforts in enabling, inspiring and equipping private companies with the necessary tools to embark on their digital transformation journey. In recent years, the bank has taken several strategic steps towards enabling digital transformation, including its collaborative project with leading telecommunications company Ooredoo to support private companies and Qatari entrepreneurs in digital transformation.
In this context, QDB embarked on a project to digitise its model factory, Factory One, the first centre of its kind for developing industrial capabilities in Qatar and the region, providing services and training programmes to build the capabilities of SMEs in the fields of digital transformation and the digitisation of operations, with the aim of launching the digital model factory.
On the other hand, QDB won the Best in Digital Transformation in the Middle East in recognition of its tangible achievements in the field of digital transformation both locally and regionally. The bank led digital transformation operations across its various departments while providing advanced banking solutions aimed at enhancing innovation and technology.
These solutions contributed to improving customer experience and services, with a focus on developing innovative digital platforms that support various business aspects, including providing advanced solutions in the field of financial technology and digital innovation, thus empowering companies to contribute to a digital economy.
In this regard, the bank launched various initiatives, such as the Technology and Digitisation Financing Programme, which enables companies to adopt modern technological solutions to enhance their competitiveness, reflecting the bank's commitment to accelerating the private sector's adoption of technology and digital solutions in line with the country's national strategy.
Banks were evaluated based on the strength of their strategy for attracting and servicing online customers, the growth of their online customer base, the breadth of the bank’s online products, the benefits gained from digital initiatives, and their website design and functionality. Winners were then selected based on the strength and success of their digital products and services.
The three awards reflect QDB’s commitment to implementing its long-term strategy which centres on innovation and digital transformation, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030, to build a diversified and sustainable economy. By supporting significant investments in technology and innovation, the bank seeks to drive digital transformation in Qatar forward, especially among SMEs.
