The Qatar Financial Center (QFC) has kick-started its 2017 global outreach with its roadshow in Germany, showcasing the country and its corporate sector before professionals from German corporations and private companies in Berlin and Munich.
The visit to Germany comes as part of a number of roadshows planned during 2017 that would see the QFC and its senior officials visit major financial capitals across Europe, Asia and North America, a spokesman of the centre said.
The QFC Germany roadshow is one of many initiatives that seek to further develop bilateral and economic relations between the two countries, and discuss opportunities to expand in the Middle East through the QFC platform.
The roadshow also provided attendees with an opportunity to network with some of the Middle East and North Africa region’s most influential decision-makers, including Ghorfa, AHK, Manateq and Rödl & Partner.
Relations between Germany and Qatar have continued to strengthen over the past few years with Germany emerging as the 12th largest trading partner for Qatar with a 2.4% of the total value of trade exchange.
Trade between the two countries reached QR9.5bn in 2016 and German companies in Qatar are playing an important role in cementing the two countries’ economic relations.
Currently, there are 27 companies fully owned by Germans operating in Qatar with a total capital of QR1.3bn in addition to 112 companies in partnership with Qataris working with a total capital of QR1.1bn. These are operating in the fields of railway development, trading, contracting, services, communication, infrastructure and more.
“I am pleased to have been part of this event and to support the QFC in its outreach programme to promote Qatar as the ideal location to do business in the Middle East. We are well aware of the importance Qatar-Germany relations, which we believe such events help to further foster,” according to Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Qatar’s ambassador to Germany.
The QFC’s mission has always been to drive economic development and diversification by providing a world-class commercial, legal and regulatory environment to local and international firms alike, its chief executive Yousuf Mohamed al-Jaida said. “Our vision to transform Doha into a leading global and financial capital can only be fulfilled by attracting the biggest companies from the world’s strongest economies, and that is exactly what our roadshows aim to do,” he said.
Stressing the importance of the relations between the two countries, Abdulaziz al-Mikhlafi, secretary general at the Arab-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the QFC Germany roadshow would further contribute to strengthen Qatar-German economic relations.
Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Qatar’s ambassador to Germany, along with senior representatives from the QFC, Manateq and Ghorfa at the Germany roadshow. The visit to Germany comes as part of a number of roadshows planned during 2017 that would see the QFC and its senior officials visit major financial capitals across Europe, Asia and North America.
