The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE), which seeks to position itself as competitive destination for portfolio investment, showcased as many as 13 listed corporates, representing blue-chip, before global fund managers in London.
QNB, Doha Bank, Commercial Bank, Masraf Al Rayan, Ooredoo, Industries Qatar, QAMCO, Gulf International, Mesaieed Petrochemical, Nakilat, Qatar Insurance, Qatar Islamic Bank and Qatar Electricity and Water were showcased at the London Investor’s Forum, organised in association with QNB Financial Services.
The London investors’ forum is designed to complement the companies’ ongoing investor relations activities through providing an opportunity for the senior management of listed companies to meet key decision makers from a number of the world’s largest international fund managers.
“We believe developing a diversified investor base, including domestic institutions and a range of international institutional investors is central to the development of our equity markets,” QSE chief executive Rashid bin Ali al-Mansoori said.
Highlighting the reforms being carried out in the legislative system to facilitate investment and reduce the bureaucratic process reflects; he said such measures will help the country cope with the major tasks it faces in the new stage of economy-building and economic openness.
The QSE offers a fertile environment for investments, as it is ideally placed to best compliment Qatar’s economic diversification, according to him.
“On this basis, QSE is considered a platform for the diversification of the economy as it is a platform for capital allocation and capital formation, as well as a platform for government privatisation programme and the development of small and medium enterprises through the QSE Venture Market,” he said.
The QSE is also a platform that includes a variety of economic sectors reflecting Qatar’s strong and vibrant economic fundamentals, al-Mansoori added.
Abdul Aziz al-Emadi, director, Listing Department, said the new mandatory IR (investor relations) rules will improve transparency and communication, whilst in 2020 Qatar will join the growing number of exchanges that utilise XBRL (Extensible Business Reporting Language) in reporting and disclosure with the adoption of its Q-Disclosure Platform.
Effective from October 1, 2019, Qatar introduced a mandatory rules-based framework for IR as part of efforts to enhance the sustainability of listed companies, improve market accessibility and support the development of successful capital markets.