IBQ has launched structured products that will be linked to different asset classes and give investors the possibility of earning higher returns and capital protection at maturity. An IBQ executive yesterday said the bank targeted elite customers who were seeking portfolio diversification for better yield compared with traditional deposits. Structured products will be available to retail customers looking for diversification into different asset classes and the possibility to achieve increased returns with up 100% capital protection. Matthijs Westra, investment and structured products manager at IBQ, said the minimum investment required in the structured products was QR100,000. For short-term investors, the bank looks at a time horizon of one to three years, though the investment can be withdrawn earlier without the benefits of full capital protection. Investors would have different asset classes to choose ranging from local stock market to investment in China, real estate and commodities including gold, Westra said. “Given Qatar’s economic growth and prospects and the fact that many of the Qatari stocks are under-priced, investment in the local market is worth considering,” he said.Depending on the type, structured products offer benefits that may include principal protection, enhanced investment returns, reduced volatility or risk and the ability to earn a positive return in low yield or flat equity market environments. The return on structured investments is related to the performance of the underlying asset class and can be negative in cases where the underlying asset does not perform and the product is not capital protected.“Structured products can be customised to meet the unique objectives and investment approach of investors, helping them diversify into a variety of asset classes and sectors. These products can be designed to meet the specific financial needs of an investor, offering investment strategies that respond to their specific risk profiles, return requirements and market expectations, and with the possibility of higher returns and a potential of guaranteeing up to 100% of the invested capital.” Introducing IBQ’s addition of structured products to its growing wealth management portfolio, IBQ assistant general manager Philip King said, “We are proud to launch structured products for our elite banking segment. Interest in these products has been increasing over the past few years and high net worth investors worldwide are now using these investments as a way of portfolio diversification.” As part of its “privilege programme” for the elite banking segment, IBQ held a seminar at the Four Seasons to introduce investment strategies related to structured investments.