HE Sheikh Abdullah and Alderman Michael Bear

Qatar Central Bank governor HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Saud al-Thani yesterday said total assets of the banks in the country in 2010 jumped to QR567bn, a 21.3% rise compared with QR468bn in 2009.

Sheikh Abdullah was inaugurating a seminar on “Adaptation with the New Fiscal System: Building the Potential of the Future” in co-operation with the British embassy in Doha.

Sheikh Abdullah said total deposits with the banks in 2010 stood at QR307bn, up 24% compared with QR247bn in 2009. Total loans jumped 16.7% to QR294bn in 2010

He said the net profit of the commercial banks in 2010 was 2.7% of the assets, “an indication that the banking system in Qatar growing positively.”

Alderman Michael Bear, Lord Mayor of the city of London, said his country is ready to exchange experiences with Qatar for the FIFA 2022 World Cup.