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Mekdam Holding Group has bagged a contract from Qatar Fertiliser Company (QAFCO) to execute a strategic contract valued at QR203.9mn.The contract covers the supply of Tier-1 manpower to support major industrial projects, notably the carbon capture and storage (CCS) project and the QatarEnergy urea project.This contract -- which represents a significant step towards strengthening the operational capabilities of national industrial projects -- will run for a duration of five years, starting on October 1, 2025, with an option to extend for an additional five years, Mekdam said in a regulatory filing with the Qatar Stock Exchange.Under the agreement, Mekdam will provide a highly qualified workforce in line with the highest international standards, ensuring that QAFCO’s requirements are met efficiently across all phases of project execution and operations.Winning this strategic contract reflects the confidence that leading national institutions place in the capabilities and expertise of Mekdam Holding Group.It also reaffirms the group’s firm commitment to delivering advanced technical solutions that align with the state’s vision for the development of the energy sector and related industries.

Market EyeThe bearish spell continued for the third straight session in the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) Tuesday with its key index losing 47 points and capitalisation eroding more than QR5bn, reflecting the concerns over future rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve, which signalled a measured approach to further easing.The transport and banking counters witnessed higher than average selling pressure as the 20-stock Qatar Index shed 0.42% to 11,174.88 points, although it touched an intraday high of 11,234 points.As much as 51% of the traded constituents were in the red in the main market, whose year-to-date gains truncated further to 5.71%.The Arab individuals turned net profit takers in the main bourse, whose capitalisation eroded QR5.23bn or 0.78% to QR669.05bn; mainly on large and midcap segments.The local retail investors were also seen net sellers in the main market, which saw as many as 8,352 exchange traded funds (sponsored by AlRayan Bank and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.02mn trade across three deals.The domestic institutions were seen bearish in the main bourse, whose trade turnover grew amidst lower volumes.The Islamic index made gains vis-a-vis declines in the other indices of the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The foreign funds continued to be net sellers but with lesser vigour in the main bourse, which saw as many as 0.21mn sovereign bonds valued at QR2.12bn change hands across four deals.The Total Return Index shed 0.42% and the All Share Index by 0.65%, while the All Islamic Index was up 0.1% in the main market.The transport sector index tanked 1.06%, banks and financial services (1.05%), insurance (0.26%), industrials (0.14%) and real estate (0.14%); whereas consumer goods and services gained 0.68% and telecom 0.08%.As many as 21 stocks gained, while 26 declined and four were unchanged.Major losers in the main market included QNB, Baladna, Al Faleh Educational Holding, Nakilat, Dukhan bank, Industries Qatar and Milaha.In the junior bourse, Techno Q saw its shares depreciate in value.Nevertheless, Medicare Group, Qatar Islamic Bank, Qatar German Medical Devices, Al Meera, Inma Holding, Al Mahhar Holding, Estithmar Holding and Qamco were among the movers in the main market.The Arab individuals turned net sellers to the tune of QR5.72mn against net buyers of QR1.33mn the previous day.The local retail investors were net sellers to the extent of QR5.02mn compared with net buyers of QR24.36mn on Monday.The domestic institutions turned net profit takers to the tune of QR2.24mn against net buyers of QR7.57mn on September 22.However, the Gulf funds were net buyers to the extent of QR12.47mn compared with net sellers of QR9.42mn the previous day.The foreign retail investors turned net buyers to the tune of QR4.7mn against net profit takers of QR0.75mn on Monday.The Gulf individual investors’ net buying increased marginally to QR1.31mn compared to QR1.2mn on September 22.The Arab institutions’ net buying was rather flat at QR0.05mn.The foreign institutions’ net profit booking weakened substantially to QR5.55mn against QR24.35mn the previous day.The main market saw a 14% shrinkage in trade volumes to 177.43mn shares but on 2% jump in value to QR468.27mn and 2% in deals to 23,671.In the venture market, a total of 0.08mn equities valued at QR0.2mn changed hands across 26 transactions.

Qatar's GDP (gross domestic product) growth is seen nearly doubling to 4.8% in 2026 on "significant" liquefied natural gas (LNG) output through North Field expansion, boosting fiscal surpluses and supporting business optimism, according to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW)."We project Qatar’s GDP growth at 2.7% for this year and 4.8% for 2026," said the ICAEW Economic Insight Q3 2025 report, produced by Oxford Economics.Industrial output data for the second quarter or Q2 showed a 2.4% year-on-year growth, spurred by stronger mining production, although this comes off a low base from last year, said the economic update.The July report from the Gas Exporting Countries Forum showed LNG production trends are supportive of exports and "we think activity will improve in the remainder of the year, before surging in 2026 as planned projects are completed."Qatar targets LNG capacity target of 142mn tonnes per annum (Mtpa) by end-2030; up nearly 85% from the current 77 Mtpa, and up 13% on the intermediate target of 126 Mtpa by 2027.The first production boost will come from the North Field East project by mid-2026, followed by the North Field South phase of the expansion. The North Field West phase is in its early stages, with construction likely to begin in 2027.The expansion of the North Field gas project means the energy sector will play a more prominent role in the next five years, boosting the government's ability to support the economy, according to the update."We expect Qatar to run a budget surplus of QR14.1bn (1.7% of GDP) this year and see the surplus more than tripling in 2026, thanks to the LNG production boost," ICAEW said.This is despite a cumulative deficit of QR1.3bn in the first half (H1), 2025; reflecting a rise in public spending against the backdrop of hydrocarbon revenue headwinds, it said.Businesses remain optimistic about the outlook despite uncertainty over demand and recent PMI (purchasing managers’ index) prints have held above the H1 average of 51.1, owing to ongoing labour market strength,"We continue to project an expansion of 3.6% in the non-energy economy this year and expect a similar pace of growth in 2026," it said.The outlook continues to benefit from improvements in the regulatory framework and business environment, which have helped elevate the country's competitiveness ranking by two places to ninth globally in the latest IMD competitiveness index.Forecasting Qatar’s inflation to average 0.4% this year but set to rise above 2% in 2026; it said Qatar has the second-lowest rate of inflation in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region, behind that of Bahrain. Food and communication are the key drivers of Qatar’s inflation, it said.Finding that prices are lower than last year across most of the CPI (consumer price index) basket, though the drag from the housing and utilities category "is easing, albeit remaining substantial", it said "we expect the impact of these disinflationary forces to gradually fade over time."With the US Federal Reserve resuming interest rate cuts in September and pencilling in a cumulative reduction of 125 basis points by end-2026, it said Qatar Central Bank is slated to follow suit, which will support credit expansion and spending.

Market EyeProfit booking, especially from the foreign and Gulf funds, on Monday extended the bearish run in the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) for the second straight session.The industrials and transport counters witnessed higher than average selling pressure as the 20-stock Qatar Index shed about 45 points or 0.4% to 11,222.06 points, although it touched an intraday high of 11,285 points.About 58% of the traded constituents were in the red in the main market, whose year-to-date gains truncated to 6.16%.The foreign individuals continued to be net sellers but with lesser intensity in the main bourse, whose capitalisation melted QR1.05bn or 0.16% to QR674.28bn; mainly on micro and small cap segments.The local retail investors were seen net buyers in the main market, which saw as many as 1,164 exchange traded funds (sponsored by AlRayan Bank and Doha Bank) valued at QR9,729 trade across six deals.The domestic funds were seen bullish in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the increase.The Islamic index was seen declining faster than the main barometer of the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Arab individual investors turned net buyers in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Total Return Index shed 0.4%, the All Share Index by 0.23% and the All Islamic Index by 0.51% in the main market.The industrials sector index shrank 0.88%, transport (0.44%), real estate (0.34%) and banks and financial services (0.08%); while consumer goods and services gained 0.27%, telecom (0.16%) and insurance (0.14%).As many as 20 stocks gained, while 30 declined and two were unchanged.Major losers in the main market included QLM, Doha Bank, Industries Qatar, Widam Food, Qatar Islamic Bank, Qamco, Barwa, United Development Company and Nakilat.Nevertheless, Al Faleh Educational Holding, Baladna, Qatar Oman Investment, Medicare Group, Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Ezdan and Vodafone Qatar were among the gainers in the main bourse. In the venture market, Techno Q saw its shares appreciate in value.The foreign institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR24.35mn compared with net buyers of QR9.02mn on September 21.The Gulf institutions were net profit takers to the extent of QR9.42mn against net buyers of QR9.83mn the previous day.However, the local retail investors turned net buyers to the tune of QR24.36mn compared with net sellers of QR5.85mn on Sunday.The domestic funds were net buyers to the extent of QR7.57mn against net profit takers of QR5.5mn on September 21.The Arab retail investors turned net buyers to the tune of QR1.33mn compared with net sellers of QR6.17mn the previous day.The Gulf individual investors’ net buying increased noticeably to QR1.2mn against QR0.16mn on Sunday.The Arab institutions’ net buying was rather flat at QR0.05mn.The foreign retail investors’ net profit booking eased markedly to QR0.75mn compared to QR1.53mn on September 21.The main market saw 41% surge in trade volumes to 207.48mn shares, 12% in value to QR460.77mn and 15% in deals to 23,041.In the venture market, a total of 0.04mn equities valued at QR0.1mn changed hands across 13 transactions.

South Korea's EnergyX, a global leader in end-to-end energy optimisation for buildings and infrastructure, has relocated its global command centre to Qatar as it plans to shift the international headquarters here.The company, which already has made Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) its home, is planning a robotic smart-factory in Qatar as well as a high profile plus-energy building in Qatar that achieves multiple top-tier certifications, as it aims to make the country the global hub from where it invents, manufactures, integrates, and manages its global fleet.An announcement in this regard was made at the Korea-Qatar AI (Artificial Intelligence) Forum hosted by the Korean Embassy in Qatar, KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency), and Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Qatar.The move formalises a re-architecture of the business with EnergyX consolidating command, engineering, and production into a single hub designed to compress product cycles and co-ordinate deployments from Doha to Asia, Europe, and beyond."Qatar isn’t a testing ground; it’s the centre of operations from which EnergyX will steer the next era of AI or artificial intelligence-defined, net-positive infrastructure," said founder and chief executive officer Sean Park, who along with core command team, relocated to Doha.The Middle East and North Africa chief executive officer and Global Chief Strategy Officer, Jean-Jacques Dandrieux has been based in Doha for the past two years.On the proposed smart robotic factory in Qatar; Park said a DFMA (Design for Manufacture and Assembly)-enabled line with autonomous handling and tightly instrumented quality gates will scale in deliberate phases, prioritising reliability and repeatability over headline throughput."The company’s establishment under the QFC and its ongoing engagement with national stakeholders provide the operating clarity needed to relocate the headquarters and centralise integrations, manufacturing, and service management, he said.By putting Qatar at the centre of its worldwide operations, systems integrations, manufacturing, and R&D; he said it will expand local hiring, deepen collaborations with universities and research institutes, and broaden its intellectual-property portfolio from Doha — positioning Qatar as the origin point for technologies that enable energy-sovereign buildings and districts worldwide."Qatar’s RDI agenda aligns with our deep-tech mandate: an R&D-led programme in AI-powered energy optimisation, geospatial analytics, and robotics-enabled, free-form DFMA manufacturing — so invention, prototyping, and production run on one clock in one place," according to Park.Highlighting that Qatar enables EnergyX to co-locate AI, software, hardware engineering, and manufacturing under a single command structure; he said that removes handoffs and lets the company co-ordinate global rollouts, reliability, and product evolution from a single operating rhythm.The Qatar base is structured to manufacture custom energy systems and ship them globally — with planned logistics via air and sea — and to manage worldwide deployments of EnergyX Zero from a single command centre, according to him.EnergyX will build high-skill teams and collaborate with government, leading Qatari business groups, universities, and research institutes to accelerate technology transfer, specialised training, and workforce development tied directly to the factory and research centre, according to Park.

Market EyeEnding three consecutive days of bull-run, the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) Sunday opened the week weak with its key index losing more than 41 points and capitalisation melting in excess of QR1bn.The banking counter witnessed higher than average selling pressure as the 20-stock Qatar Index lost 0.36% to 11,266.82 points, although it touched an intraday high of 11,312 points.About 56% of the traded constituents were in the red in the main market, whose year-to-date gains truncated to 6.58%.The foreign institutions’ weakened net buying had its influence on the main bourse, whose capitalisation melted QR1.28bn or 0.19% to QR675.33bn; mainly on small cap segments.The Arab funds’ marginally lower net buying had its impact on the main market, which saw as many as 0.01mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by AlRayan Bank and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.05mn trade across 10 deals.The Arab individuals were increasingly net profit takers in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the decline.The Islamic index was seen declining slower than the main barometer of the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The domestic institutions continued to be net sellers but with lesser intensity in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Total Return Index shed 0.36%, the All Share Index by 0.28% and the All Islamic Index by 0.31% in the main market.The banks and financial services sector index declined 0.51%, industrials (0.23%), consumer goods and services (0.12%) and real estate (0.1%); while telecom gained 0.78%, insurance (0.2%) and transport (0.18%).As many as 15 stocks gained, while 29 declined and eight were unchanged.Major losers in the main market included Qatar Islamic Bank, Widam Food, Qamco, Dukhan Bank, Gulf International Services, Al Faleh Educational Holding and Estithmar Holding. In the junior bourse, Techno Q saw its shares depreciate in value.Nevertheless, Meeza, Baladna, Medicare Group, QLM, QIIB, Al Mahhar Holding, Beema, Ooredoo, Vodafone Qatar and Milaha were among the movers in the main market.The Arab individual investors’ net profit booking increased noticeably to QR6.17mn against QR1.48mn last Thursday.The foreign institutions’ net buying decreased substantially to QR9.02mn compared to QR231.95mn on September 18.The Arab institutions’ net buying weakened marginally to QR0.05mn against QR0.06mn the previous trading day.However, the Gulf institutions turned net buyers to the extent of QR9.83mn compared with net sellers of QR4.42mn last Thursday.The Gulf individual investors were net buyers to the tune of QR0.16mn against net sellers of QR1.98mn on September 18.The domestic funds’ net selling shrank drastically to QR5.5mn compared to QR129.16mn the previous trading day.The local individual investors’ net selling weakened considerably to QR5.85mn against QR91.58mn last Thursday.The foreign retail investors’ net profit booking eased markedly to QR1.53mn compared to QR3.38mn on September 18.The main market saw 51% plunge in trade volumes to 147.65mn shares, 62% in value to QR412.21mn and 17% in deals to 19,963.In the venture market, a total of 0.04mn equities valued at QR0.1mn changed hands across 22 transactions.

Qatar Industrial Manufacturing Company (QIMC) has signed an agreement to purchase a 7% stake held by Qatar Oman Investment Company in Qatar Aluminum Extrusion Company (QALEX), bringing its total stake to 52%.QIMC hopes this deal will have a positive impact on the company's profits and shareholder dividends in the medium term, it said in a communique to the Qatar Stock Exchange.Abdulrahman Al Ansari, chief executive officer of QIMC, said QALEX was established in 2009 with a capital of QR100mn.The company produces 30,000 tons of aluminum profiles in various shapes and colors annually to meet the needs of the local market, which is witnessing increasing growth in the construction sector.The company exports its products to more than 20 countries in view of its quality and competitive prices.

Al Mahhar Holding Company, a public shareholding company providing specialised services and products to the energy and infrastructure sectors, has been included in the FTSE Russell Global Equity Index Series, providing increased visibility to global institutional investors.Inclusion in the FTSE Russell indices marks an important milestone for Al Mahhar, reflecting the company’s alignment with international eligibility and free-float criteria."Inclusion in the FTSE Russell Global Equity Index Series is a recognition of Al Mahhar's progress as a listed company and our adherence to international standards of transparency and governance," said Fahad Alfardan, chairman of Al Mahhar Holding.It (the inclusion in FTSE) supports the company's visibility with international institutional investors and reflects the growing relevance of Qatari companies in global benchmarks, he said."As we continue to build on our strategy, we view this development as an important step in strengthening Al Mahhar's presence in the capital market," Alfardan said.Through its portfolio of operating companies, Al Mahhar Holding supports key national industries with technical expertise and integrated solutions that contribute to Qatar’s economic development.

Ooredoo Group has sold a minority 6% stake in Meeza- QSTP, Doha's leading managed information technology services and solutions provider, to certain funds managed by Fiera Capital (UK) at the current market price.Following the completion of the transaction, Ooredoo retains a 4% stake in Meeza, the telecom major said in its regulatory filing with the Qatar Stock Exchange."This is considered a non-strategic holding and is intended to be divested at a later stage," the filing said.This partial disposal is line with Ooredoo's strategy to focus on the operation and expansion of its own data centre platform Syntys, which is accelerating the development of artificial intelligence or AI-ready hyperscale data centres across the Middle East and North Africa region.

Qatari lenders were seen to have the highest operational efficiency within the Gulf banks during the second quarter (Q2) of 2025, according to Kamco Invest, a regional non-banking finance entity."Qatari banks continued to boast the lowest cost-to-income ratio in the GCC that reached a seven-quarter low level of 36.6% during Q2-2025," Kamco said in its latest report.At the country level, the aggregates for Qatari banks showed a 110bps (basis points) plunge, followed by the UAE and Saudi Arabia banks with 70bps and 60bps fall respectively, it said.The aggregate operating expenses for the listed banks in the GCC continued to decline for the second consecutive quarter reaching a three-quarter low level during Q2-2025, Kamco noted.Total operating expenses for the GCC banking sector stood at $13.4bn during Q2 with a quarter-on-quarter decline of 1.5% and a year-on-year growth of 6.9%.The quarterly decline showed mixed trends at the country level with three countries showing an increase and the remaining three showing a decline.The UAE-listed banks showed the biggest fall in operating costs during the quarter that reached $4.6bn from $4.9bn in Q1-2025.Qatari and Bahraini banks also showed declines of 4.5% and 4%, respectively, it said, adding on the other hand, Kuwait banks reported the biggest increase of 4.4% with total operating expenses reaching $1.6bn in Q2-2025.The quarterly increase reported by Saudi and Omani banks was marginal, it added.The decline in operating expenses resulted in a marginal drop in the cost-to-income ratio for the GCC banking sector that once again went below the 40% mark during Q2-2025. The ratio fell by 50bps to 39.5% at the end of the quarter compared to 40% during Q1-2025, reflecting a drop in the ratio for three of six country aggregates.The report found that the Qatari banks' loan-to-deposit ratio was at 90.3% during Q2-2025, an improvement from 89.6% during Q1-2025.The aggregate loan-to-deposit ratio for the GCC banking sector remained elevated above the 80% mark at the end of Q2-2025."The ratio has remained consistently above 80% over the last five quarters and reflects improving asset utilisation as well as better margins to offset pressure from lowering interest rates," it said.Total customer deposits of listed GCC banks reached a new record high at the end of Q2-2025 at $2.74tn, registering a quarter-on-quarter growth of 3.5%.The growth was broad-based as seen in higher quarterly customer deposits in all countries in the GCC.At the country level, Kuwaiti banks saw the strongest growth in deposits at $334.8bn after a quarter-on-quarter growth of 4.7%.The UAE-listed banks were next with a quarterly deposits growth of 4.1% to $941bn, the highest in the GCC, followed by banks in Saudi Arabia with a growth of 3.9% to $858.8bn. Banks in Bahrain, Oman and Qatar, have reported slightly smaller customer deposit growth during the quarter, it said.

Market EyeOil price strength and the 25-basis-points rate cut by the US Federal Reserve with the concomitant decision by the Qatar Central Bank had their reflection in the Qatar Stock Exchange, which closed the week on a higher note, ending four straight weeks of bearish run.The foreign funds were seen bullish as the 20-stock Qatar Index gained as much as 215 points and capitalisation add in excess of QR14bn this week which saw Gulf Warehousing Company acquire a 16.15% equity stake in Germany's ANCLA Logistik for a total consideration of €8.2mn.The Arab retail investors were seen bullish in the main market this week which saw Commercial Bank issue a $600mn five-year senior unsecured bond under its Euro Medium Term Note programme.The Arab funds were increasingly net buyers in the main bourse this week which saw international credit rating agency Fitch assign AlRayan Bank a long-term issuer default rating of 'A' with a "stable" outlook.As much as 74% of the traded constituents extended gains to investors in the main market this week which saw Lesha Bank invest about QR182mn in a private equity global secondaries fund, in partnership with leading investment manager.The Gulf institutions were increasingly net buyers in the main bourse this week which saw a total of 0.06mn AlRayan Bank-sponsored exchange traded fund QATR worth QR0.14mn trade across 25 deals.However, the domestic funds turned net sellers in the main market this week which saw 0.01mn Doha Bank-sponsored exchange-traded fund QETF valued at QR0.16mn change hands across 26 transactions.The Islamic index was seen gaining slower than the other indices of the main market this week, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.Market capitalisation zoomed QR14.02bn or 2.12% to QR676.61bn on the back of large and midcap segments this week which saw no trading of treasury bills.Trade turnover and volumes were on the increase in the main market; while it was on the decline in the venture market this week which saw the consumer goods, industrials and realty sectors together constitute more than 79% of the total trade volumes.The Total Return Index soared 1.94%, the All Share Index by 2.08% and the All Islamic Index by 1.29% this week which featured a Fitch study that said Qatar lenders have so far this year raised $8bn and focused on senior unsecured debt issuance.The banks and financial services sector index shot up 3.29%, consumer goods and services (1.88%), insurance (1.13%), industrials (0.92%), realty (0.61%) and transport (0.24%); whereas telecom shrank 1.64% this week which saw NEXX, a logistics artificial intelligence company, in association with Zipto Supply Chain, a leading Chinese cross-border E-commerce logistics provider, establish an advanced smart fulfillment center at Milaha Logistics City, Qatar.The market was skewed towards movers with as many 39 constituents extending gains, while 14 declined this week which saw KPMG in Qatar's view that Doha's national manufacturing strategy, which reinforces broader diversification by targeting high-value industries, will not only have ripple effect beyond industries but also slated to drive growth in infrastructure and realty sectors.Major movers in the main market included Estithmar Holding, Baladna, Qamco, Dukhan Bank, Qatar Islamic Bank, QNB, Commercial Bank, Doha Bank, AlRayan Bank, Qatar German Medical Devices, Medicare Group, Widam Food, Al Mahhar Holding, Al Faleh Educational Holding, Gulf International Services, Qamco, Ezdan and Mazaya Qatar.Nevertheless, Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, QIIB, Ahlibank Qatar, Ooredoo, Vodafone Qatar and QLM were among the losers in the main bourse.In the venture market, Techno Q saw its shares depreciate in value this week.The foreign institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR260.96mn compared with net sellers of QR53.29mn the previous week.The Gulf institutions’ net buying increased marginally to QR9.11mn against QR9.09mn the week ended September 11.The Arab individuals were net buyers to the extent of QR3.72mn compared with net sellers of QR21.79mn a week ago.The Arab institutions’ net buying strengthened marginally to QR0.17mn against QR0.1mn the previous week.However, the domestic funds turned net sellers to the tune of QR159.27mn compared with net buyers of QR10.99mn the week ended September 11.The Qatari individual investors were net profit takers to the extent of QR101.56mn against net buyers of QR53.63mn a week ago.The foreign retail investors’ net selling expanded noticeably to QR8.39mn compared to QR0.33mn the previous week.The Gulf individuals turned net sellers to the tune of QR4.73mn against net buyers of QR1.6mn the week ended September 11.The main market saw a 95% surge in trade volumes to 1.05bn shares, 80% in value to QR2.91bn and 23% in deals to 121,622 this week.In the venture market, trade volumes shrank 15% to 2.31mn equities, value by 18% to QR5.94mn and transactions by 39% to 295.

Qatar witnessed a total of 52.55mn transactions valued at QR16.14bn through the country's payment system in August, according to the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) data.The number of transactions and total value grew 1.64% and 0.06% month-on-month respectively in August 2025, the QCB said in its social media handle X.The Qatar Payment System (QPS) is designed on the concept of real-time gross settlement (RTGS) and electronic straight through processing (e-STP).The point-of-sales constituted 51% of the payment system transaction, followed by e-commerce 26%, Fawran or instant payment system at 21% and Qatar Mobile Payment or QMP at 2% in the review period.There were 40.79mn card transactions through point-of-sales – which enables merchants to process payments and log transactions – valued at QR8.23bn in August 2025. The card transactions increased 1.14% and 0.12% month-on-month in volume and value respectively.The e-commerce transaction witnessed as many as 9.43mn transactions valued at QR4.24bn in the review period. While the number of transactions jumped 2.72%, total value was down 2.75% compared with July 2025.The point-of-sales and e-commerce together amounted to QR12.48bn through 50.22mn transactions this August, which showed 0.79% decline in value; but rose 1.43% in volume on a monthly basis.Fawran, a real-time payment service in Qatar, allowing users to send and receive money instantly and securely within the country, registered as many as 2mn transactions valued at QR3.38bn in the review period, registering 6.95% and 3.36% month-on-month growth respectively.There have been a total of 3.33mn total registered Fawran accounts in August 2025, growing by 2.69% month-on-month.Fawran was launched in 2024 and system members are QNB, Commercial Bank, Qatar Islamic Bank, Ahli Bank, Dukhan Bank, Doha Bank, QIIB and AlRayan BankQMP – which allows immediate transfer of funds between registered customers through any registered payment service providers – saw as many as 333,702 transactions valued at QR278.26mn in August 2025, registering 4.25% and 0.44% growth against July 2025 levels.There has been a total of 1.23mn registered wallets, a 2.5% increase on a monthly basis.The QMP is a centralised payment system that was launched in 2020, to enable individuals and corporates to perform instant fund transfers between e-wallets within payment service providers in Qatar.The system members are QNB, Commercial Bank, Doha Bank, Qatar Islamic Bank, Ahli Bank, QIIB, Arab Bank, HSBC Qatar, AlRayan Bank, Dukhan Bank, i-pay and Ooredoo Money.The QPS is based on the SWIFT network and messages standards and utilises the SWIFT messages to reconcile and settle the local payments and securities ownership transfers.Qatar's retail payment system comprises electronic cheque clearing system; national network system for ATMS and Points of Sales (NAPS); QMP; direct deposit and debit (QATCH); electronic payment gateway (QPay); wage protection system (WPS); and Fawran.

The Qatar Stock Exchange yesterday entered the third consecutive session of bullish run with its key index gaining 82 points to cross the 11,300 levels, a day after the US Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by 25 basis points.The foreign institutions were seen increasingly net buyers as the 20-stock Qatar Index gained 0.73% to 11,307.85 points, recovering from an intraday low of 11,208 points.The banks and industrials counters witnessed higher than average demand in the main market, whose year-to-date gains improved to 6.97%.The Arab institutions were seen bullish, albeit at lower levels, in the main bourse, whose capitalisation added QR4.66bn or 0.69% to QR676.61bn; mainly on midcap segments.The Arab retail investors’ weakened net selling had its influence on the main market, which saw as many as 0.01mn exchange traded funds (sponsored by AlRayan Bank and Doha Bank) valued at QR0.05mn trade across 13 deals.The foreign individuals’ lower net profit booking had its marginal impact on the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the increase.The Islamic index was seen gaining slower than the main barometer of the main market, which saw no trading of treasury bills.However, the domestic institutions were seen net sellers in the main bourse, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Total Return Index rose 0.73%, the All Share Index by 0.72% and the All Islamic Index by 0.48% in the main market.The banks and financial services sector index shot up 1.23%, industrials (0.79%) and consumer goods and services (0.24%); while telecom declined 1.41%, insurance (0.45%), transport (0.36%) and real estate (0.23%).As many as 20 stocks gained, while 28 declined and four were unchanged.Major gainers in the main market included Dukhan Bank, Estithmar Holding, Doha Bank, Qamco, QIIB, QNB, Lesha Bank, Qatar German Medical Devices, Industries Qatar, Gulf International Services and Qatari Investors Group.In the junior bourse, Techno Q saw its shares appreciate in value.Nevertheless, about 54% of the traded constituents were in the red with major losers being QIIB, Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, Ooredoo, Mesaieed Petrochemical Holding, Milaha, Medicare Group, Mannai Corporation and Vodafone Qatar.The foreign institutions’ net buying increased substantially to QR23.95mn compared to QR36.06mn on September 17.The Arab institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR0.06mn against net sellers of QR0.04mn the previous day.The Arab individual investors’ net profit booking declined noticeably to QR1.48mn compared to QR6.74mn on Wednesday.The foreign retail investors’ net selling weakened marginally to QR3.38mn against QR3.79mn on September 17.However, the domestic funds were net sellers to the extent of QR129.16mn compared with net buyers of QR2.65mn the previous day.The local retail investors’ net selling strengthened considerably to QR91.58mn against QR34.57mn on Wednesday.The Gulf institutions turned net sellers to the tune of QR4.42mn compared with net buyers of QR6.81mn on September 17.The Gulf individual investors’ net profit booking grew perceptibly to QR1.98mn against QR0.37mn the previous day.The main market saw a 23% surge in trade volumes to 300.22mn shares and 87% in value to QR1.1bn but on 22% shrinkage in deals to 24,042.In the venture market, a total of 0.11mn equities valued at QR0.29mn changed hands across 17 transactions.

Latvia, which offers attractive opportunities through eight free zones, is seeking investments from Qatar, especially in information and communications technology, food security, tourism, renewable energy, healthcare, and logistics.This was discussed at a Qatar Chamber meeting with Dana Goldfinča, non-resident Ambassador of Latvia to Qatar.She was received at the chamber’s headquarters by board member Abdulrahman bin Abduljalil bin al-Abdulghani, in the presence of other members Abdullah al-Emadi and Dr Mohammed bin Johar al-Mohammed.The meeting discussed ways to enhance trade and economic relations between the two countries, explored potential areas of cooperation between the Qatari and Latvian private sectors, and highlighted key investment opportunities for Qatari businessmen in Latvia.Abdulrahman al-Abdulghani said the current volume of trade between Qatar and Latvia remains very modest, underlining the importance of strengthening cooperation between the private sectors of both countries to expand trade exchange and mutual investments.Inviting Qatar Inc to Latvia, Goldfinča emphasised her country’s openness to Qatari investments across all sectors.The envoy further highlighted the importance of enhancing cooperation between the Qatar Chamber and the Latvian Chamber of Commerce and Industry to facilitate communication and foster stronger ties between the business communities of both countries.

AFG College with the University of Aberdeen, subsidiary of Al Faleh Educational Holding, has opened its new premises in Msheireb area, which will serve as a hub for innovative programmes.The new premises at NBK1 Tower has been designed, after consultation with key stakeholders, to enhance the teaching and learning facilities and includes dedicated computer labs for the teaching of Cyber Security and Artificial Intelligence (AI), Al Faleh Educational Holding said in a communique to the Qatar Stock Exchange.The opening ceremony was attended by Al Faleh Educational Holding Chairperson and Founder, Dr Sheikha Aisha bint Faleh al-Thani, and Chief Executive Officer Sheikha Anwar bint Nawaf al-Thani alongside the University of Aberdeen Principal and Vice Chancellor, Professor George Boyne."This is not just the opening of a new teaching space, it represents our commitment as an organisation, to continued growth and development and to work towards providing our community with the resources required to tackle the ever-changing environment in which we operate. We look forward to continuing our role as the premium provider of quality higher education in Qatar," Sheikha Aisha said.The expansion is a strategic response to local demand, as well as a commitment to providing the local community with access to quality British higher education.Facilities will include modern computer labs, equipped with specialist software enabling the hosting of advanced studies in computer related disciplines.Emphasis has been placed on the development of collaborative teaching spaces in-line with the college’s approach to incorporating interdisciplinary and industry focused learning.Such additions will equip students with the requisite knowledge and skills that are needed for entering the modern workforce.Sheikha Anwar said after months of planning and preparation, it is finally in a position to open new facilities, which further demonstrates its commitment to contributing towards the Qatar National Vision 2030."Our new premises demonstrates our commitment to offering our students the tools and environment needed to fulfil their potential, whilst reaffirming our mission and vision of creating an environment that is adaptable, inclusive and sustainable,” said AFG College Principal, Brian Buckley.

Qatar has strengthened its role in Middle East space market with $220mn civil space investments and expected to grow 5% annually through 2033, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG)."Qatar, alongside the UAE and Saudi Arabia, represents the core of the region’s civil space investments, each contributing actively to the Gulf Cooperation Council's or GCC’s emergence as a hub for space innovation and ambition," BCG said in its latest report.Qatar, with a $220mn investment in civil space activities for 2024, contributes around 5% of the market today and holds just under 5% downstream services market share, strengthening the GCC’s collective leadership and offering a strong foundation for future growth, it said.Downstream refers to ongoing operations and services, while upstream includes spacecraft design and manufacturing, launch facilities, and ground operations. Downstream markets are increasingly merging with the digital industry, adopting technologies like AI (artificial intelligence) and cloud computing for efficient mass data collection and processing.The UAE has demonstrated a strategic commitment to space, with $443mn invested in civil space in 2024, corresponding to approximately 40–45% of government spending across the MEA (Middle East and Africa) region, whose space market is valued at $18bn.The UAE is positioned to capture more than 50% of the region’s downstream services market share, including satellite communications and earth observation, according to BCG.Saudi Arabia, with a comparable $220mn investment in 2024, accounts for an estimated 20–25% share of government space spending in the region and is expected to hold more than 20% of the regional downstream services market"All three markets are projected to grow at or above the global space economy compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% through 2033, underscoring the region’s long-term commitment and momentum.Qatar's Es'hailSat plays a crucial role in regional satellite communications, while the UAE's Mars Hope Probe showcases successful international collaboration frameworks."What we're witnessing across the GCC is a comprehensive understanding that space industry success requires simultaneous excellence across multiple dimensions, financial commitment, partnership strategy, risk management, and policy integration, while maintaining patience for long-term returns in a rapidly evolving global landscape," Thibault Werle, Managing Director and Partner at BCG, said.Saudi Arabia's partnerships with NASA and Axiom, along with private sector participation from entities like Neo Space Group, demonstrate the effectiveness of hybrid investment models.

SILQ, the largest B2B commerce platform across the Gulf and emerging Asia, is relocating its entire engineering centre to Qatar, which has "tremendous" rate of improvement, according to its top official."We recently decided to actually move our entire engineering centre to Qatar," SILQ founder and group chief executive officer Afeef Zaman Wednesday told a panel session at the seventh edition of Investment Forum 20205, organised by Qatar Development Bank in association with Young Entrepreneurs Club.He joined the panel on bridging entrepreneurs with private wealth, where he shared SILQ's mission and emphasised that meaningful connections require more than capital; they require models built on trust. Shariah-compliant finance, grounded in transparency, fairness, and shared risk, provides that foundation and stands as a globally relevant framework for SME (small and medium enterprises) growth.SILQ is a platform dedicated to bridging economies and empowering businesses to trade, grow, and navigate new frontiers. By enabling seamless commerce, logistics, and finance, it unlocks opportunities in emerging economies, fuelling ambitions and redefining global trade.The platform does roughly around $1.2bn business a year and roughly 30% of it, which is $350mn a year, is what it finances, according to him.Stressing that if one has to make predictions about the future, the rate of improvement has to be considered; he said it has seen the Qatari market grow and when it comes to venture in Qatar, the rate of improvement is "quite tremendous"."The entire Gulf has done very well, but Qatar particularly has done well across many vectors here," Zaman said."From our engineering centre in Qatar, SILQ is advancing this vision to make financing seamless and future-ready across emerging markets and the Gulf," the company said.Referring to the government's efforts to strengthen the venture ecosystem in the country, he said such strategy "actually helped us have the conviction to put our engineering future in Qatar."Mohammed al-Emadi, executive director of Incubation and Venture Capital Investment, QDB, said Zaman has been a beneficiary of the Startup Qatar Investment Programme and QDB worked some of the regional funds to co-invest and help relocating or expanding part of the business to Qatar.Highlighting that the legworks for the country's venture capital system started in 2016-17; he said "as we started to evolve in the last few years, we noticed the importance of bringing the private sector to bring in more sustainability and also additional capital to this sector.""When we started developing the private venture capital here in Qatar, we started with the first pillar, which is the angel investors," he said, adding the development of the angel investors had not happened overnight but through calibrated training programmes."Today, we see a rising importance of growing the private wealth through the family offices," he said.

The first cohort from the venture studio - backed by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and Utopia Capital Management - is expected before the end of this year, according to a top official of QDB."We look forward to welcoming the first cohort from Qatar before the end of this year," QDB chief executive officer Abdulrahman bin Hesham al-Sowaidi told the seventh edition of Investment Forum 2025, organised by QDB in association with Young Entrepreneurs Club.Developing Qatar's venture capital ecosystem, in partnership with a fund-of-fund programme launched by QIA, the QDB had collaborated with Utopia Capital Management to establish the first venture studio of Qatar, operated by A-typical Ventures.Unveiled at the Web Summit 2025, the venture studio is actively seeking the region's entrepreneurs looking to scale innovations and drive economic diversification across sectors such as fintech, healthtech, e-commerce, logistics and mobility, and climatetech.The studio will act as a magnet for entrepreneurs and investors across the region, while nurturing Qataris' startup with skills and capital, al-Sowaidi said."This long-term partnership is a testament to our commitment to advancing the VC (venture capital) ecosystem through private sector enablement. This partnership is already in action," he said, adding the region is witnessing an increasing maturity in the financial ecosystem that encourages startup investments, even amidst global headwinds.A-typical Ventures will enable pre-seed, seed and pre-series A founders across the GCC (Gulf Co-operation Council), Levant, Pakistan and Turkiye to refine their business models, optimise their go-to-market strategies, and unlock powerful growth opportunities.The QIA's investment marks one of the first deployments of capital from its 'fund-of-funds' programme, which aims to develop a strong start-up and venture capital ecosystem in Qatar and attract leading venture capital funds and entrepreneurs to the region.QDB is co-building the next generation of game-changing ventures as it collaborates with Utopia and the Qatari partners, marking a bold step toward reshaping the startup landscape.By merging strategic investment with hands-on venture-building expertise, QDB aims to empower high-potential startups in Qatar and across the Middle East, helping them scale faster, break into new markets, and drive real economic impact.Mohammed al-Emadi, QDB executive director of Incubation and VC Investment, said the venture studio would be catering to the entire Mena region."Our alignment and agreement with Utopia is that we don't want to have a centre that's only dedicated for single market. We want a Mena venture studio. And the reason is that we want to serve our 2030 vision by building a knowledge-based economy. We believe that we need to draw the talents from Qatar, but we also need to attract talents to the region and to Qatar specifically," he added.