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The State of Qatar, represented by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, is participating in the fifth edition of the Tashkent International Investment Forum (TIIF 2026), being held in Tashkent, Republic of Uzbekistan, over three days under the theme "Investment Resilience: New Horizons and New Partnerships.”The Ministry’s participation in the forum reflects Qatar’s commitment to strengthening its economic relations with the Republic of Uzbekistan and enhancing its active presence in Central Asia as a promising and rapidly growing investment destination.The forum brings together a distinguished group of senior government officials, international investors, and multilateral institutions to showcase investment opportunities in key sectors, most notably financial infrastructure, energy sector transformation, trade corridors, logistics services, and industrial development.The participation of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry also reflects Qatar’s strategic direction toward expanding its economic partnerships in emerging markets and reinforcing the position of its institutions as active partners within the global investment ecosystem.

Doha's rapidly emerging but still maturing venture capital (VC) sector got a shot in the arm with the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) proactively expanding its Fund of Funds (FoF) programme to $3bn.Beginning as a state-led, nascent market, the country's VC has evolved into a rapidly scaling, policy-driven ecosystem and is now entering in a globalisation phase with an aim to create world unicorns.It is a defining decade for Qatar's VC ecosystem, which has the potential to offer asymmetric opportunity for investors and developers.At the Web Summit Qatar 2026, His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani announced an additional $2bn of funding to the programme, bringing total capital commitment for the FoF to $3bn, which is expected to attract more global VC firms and deepen funding across Series A–C stages, as part of efforts to address current funding gaps.Five new funds are joining the programme, representing across sectors such as AI (artificial intelligence), fintech, blockchain technology and infrastructure.The FoF now supports 12 regional and global fund managers in Qatar, demonstrating the significant growth of Qatar’s startup ecosystem and its increasing connectivity to global markets.Complementing this, Qatar Development Bank (QDB) has emerged as a key domestic enabler, both as a direct investor and ecosystem builder.Its investment arm participated in one-third of all VC deals in Qatar in 2025, underscoring the continued importance of public capital in early-stage financing.Startup Qatar and the Qatar FinTech Hub further reinforce the pipeline development by reducing entry barriers through licensing support, funding programmes, and incentives; while regulatory frameworks facilitate ease of doing business and foreign ownership.Doha’s venture funding touched a record QR214mn in 2025, an 81% year-on-year jump, reflecting the country’s increasing attractiveness as an investment destination, according to a joint report by QDB and MAGNiTT.In a base case, Qatar has the potential to transition to a mid-sized Middle East and North Africa VC hub with funding grows to $150mn–$300mn annually through more Series A/B activity via FoF-supported funds.The ecosystem is characterised by a strong early-stage bias. Pre-seed and seed rounds account for over 90% of total deal volume, while early-stage investments represent the majority of capital deployed.VC -- which plays a powerful role in expanding foreign direct investment (FDI) into Qatar -- not just brings money in but reshapes how foreign investors engage with the economy.Doha has seen highly curated and strategically aligned global VCs such as Founders Circle Capital, B Capital, Builders VC, Deerfield Management, Utopia Capital Management, Rasmal Ventures and Golden Gate Ventures establish local presence.As Qatar scaled VC ambitions to $3bn FoF, more global firms like Greycroft, Ion Pacific, Liberty City Ventures, Speedinvest and Shorooq, covering sectors like AI, fintech, blockchain, and infrastructure, have joined the bandwagon.A mature venture ecosystem follows a cardinal principle that funding creates fuel to build and exits create credibility; but public markets are not yet the primary exit route, instead, its is acquisition-led liquidity is the dominant path, especially in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)."Qatar lacks a strong pipeline of venture-backed initial public offerings and exit activity is primarily strategic acquisitions," industry insiders said.Snoonu's acquisition by Saudi-listed Jahez Group, valued at QR1.1bn marked Qatar’s first billion-riyal tech exit and also the largest startup exit in the country’s history.Growth-stage and pre-IPO funding are still developing but the QIA's fund of fund seeks to address this, they said, calling for more pre-IPO funding vehicles and building domestic exit demand by incentivising large Qatari corporates to acquire startups."We are witnessing a shift from ecosystem creation to ecosystem scaling. From attracting venture firms to enabling exits. From funding startups to building global companies," a source in Qatar FinTech Hub said.Qatar's relatively small and state-dependent VC ecosystem, which faces the challenge of capital concentration, may now have to grapple with liquidity issues on repriortisation amidst expected fiscal pressures.Late-stage funding depth is still limited, and exit pathways —particularly through public markets — are nascent, forcing many startups to rely on regional or international markets for scaling and liquidity.Experts dealing with the sector have suggested deepening of private-sector participation, scaling later-stage funding, and building a self-sustaining innovation economy.Qatar is well-positioned to evolve into a sustainable venture ecosystem with viable exit routes, rather than just a capital deployment hub. 

Invest Qatar, the Investment Promotion Agency of Qatar, convened business leaders from Qatar's international business community for a high-level Investor Dialogue, reaffirming the State's commitment to maintaining a stable and resilient business environment despite regional developments.The event brought together key stakeholders from across Qatar's private sector, providing a platform to exchange insights, address emerging challenges and reinforce confidence in the country's economic fundamentals and continuity of operations.In his opening remarks, CEO of Invest Qatar Sheikh Ali bin Alwaleed al-Thani emphasised the resilience of Qatar's business ecosystem and the importance of public-private collaboration. "Our business community has shown remarkable resilience in navigating extraordinary circumstances. Collaboration and shared purpose are essential in challenging times, and both continue to define Qatar's approach. Our national institutions are continuing to support the private sector by strengthening our secure, stable and supportive business environment."Discussions highlighted Qatar's robust macroeconomic position and the strength of its institutional framework in mitigating external risks. Participants were briefed on the country's continued economic resilience, supported by prudent fiscal management, diversified growth drivers and reliable, well-integrated supply chains.Reinforcing this outlook, major international credit rating agencies have maintained Qatar's strong sovereign ratings, underlining continued confidence in the country's fiscal strength, liquidity and long-term economic stability.The event also underscored the proactive role of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), alongside key stakeholders across the investment ecosystem, in ensuring uninterrupted business operations and continued support to companies across sectors.Invest Qatar highlighted its ongoing efforts to enhance the investor journey through digital tools and support services, including the Invest Qatar Gateway, a comprehensive platform providing streamlined access to market intelligence, licensing support and business services. The platform plays a significant role in enabling investors to make informed decisions and maintain operational continuity.Through initiatives such as the Investor Dialogue, Invest Qatar continues to deepen public-private engagement, ensuring investors remain supported, informed and well-positioned to capitalise on opportunities to pursue their business growth. 

Qatar is positioning itself as a stable, digitally advanced gateway for global technology firms, offering policy certainty, strategic access and targeted incentives to accelerate regional expansion and long-term investment, according to a senior official at Invest Qatar.Invest Qatar acting chief marketing and communications officer Reem Saad al-Kuwari told Gulf Times that Qatar is reinforcing its standing as a strategic base for global technology companies and high-growth startups seeking to enter the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia.She added that the country’s proposition is built on long-term certainty and ecosystem readiness.“Qatar offers startups a compelling blend of stability, connectivity and pro-business regulation,” al-Kuwari said. “As one of the world’s safest countries with top-tier healthcare, infrastructure and quality of life, it provides a reliable environment for teams to thrive and innovate.”Qatar has risen 22 places in the Global Innovation Index over the past six years, ranking 48th in 2025.It also ranks second globally for general infrastructure in the 2024 index and second worldwide for mobile Internet speeds in 2025 – performance indicators that reinforce investor confidence in its digital backbone.Al-Kuwari highlighted the country’s geographic and commercial positioning as a key differentiator.“Qatar serves as an ideal entry point to the wider region,” she said. “Its strategic location, world-class connectivity and digitally mature market allow startups to pilot, refine and localise their products before scaling into high-growth markets across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia.”“This reduces risk while accelerating regional expansion,” al-Kuwari stated.It is learnt that through the Startup Qatar Investment Programme, early-stage firms establishing in the country can access funding of up to $1.1mn, while mature startups expanding into the market may receive up to $5.5mn.In parallel, the Invest Qatar Incentives Programme offers up to 40% reimbursement on eligible local investment costs over five years, including setup, infrastructure, equipment, leasing and employee expenses.Investor momentum is strongest across the technology, financial services, advanced manufacturing, and logistics sectors, aligned with diversification objectives under Qatar National Vision 2030.“In technology, momentum continues to accelerate thanks to Qatar’s rising innovation capacity and growing depth in applied R&D,” al-Kuwari said, citing partnerships such as imec establishing its regional headquarters in Qatar to strengthen the semiconductor and advanced technology pipeline.She added that financial services benefit from “a robust regulatory landscape and strong demand for fintech, asset management and digital financial innovation”.At the same time, advanced manufacturing is supported by “reliable and sustainable energy supply, sector-specific infrastructure and a national strategy that prioritises high-value production and Industry 4.0 capabilities”.In an increasingly competitive global environment, al-Kuwari said that founders consistently point to three differentiators: “stability, access and speed”.“They emphasise stability as a core strength – a predictable policy framework, clear national priorities and long-horizon economic planning give them the certainty to invest, hire and scale with conviction,” she said. “They also highlight the access they gain and the speed and responsiveness of our systems.” 

His Excellency the Governor of the Qatar Central Bank and Chairman of the Qatar Investment Authority, Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saoud al-Thani, met on Wednesday with Governor of the Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Yasir al-Rumayyan, along with the accompanying delegation, reports QNA. During the meeting, they exchanged views on a range of topics of mutual interest, and discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in relevant fields. 

The Governor of the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) His Excellency Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saoud al-Thani, who is also chairman of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), held a meeting Wednesday with Jenny Johnson, president and CEO of Franklin Templeton, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2026 in Davos, Switzerland. During the meeting, they reviewed key global financial and investment developments. 

Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has joined a group of investors in a deal to acquire the asset manager Janus Henderson Group and take it private.The all-cash transaction, led by Trian Fund Management and General Catalyst, values the New York-listed company at about USD 7.4 billion. QIA and Hong Kong-based Sun Hung Kai Co. Limited are among the strategic investors participating in the deal.Janus Henderson, which is headquartered in London, manages around USD 484 billion in assets and employs more than 2,000 people across 25 cities worldwide.QIA's chief executive, Mohammed Saif Al Sowaidi, said the fund looked forward to working with its partners to support the next phase of growth for the company. 

Invest Qatar, the country's investment promotion agency, recently concluded the successful hosting of the FDI Leaders Network Autumn Meeting, held in Doha on November 25-27. The prestigious, invitation-only forum brought together CEOs and heads of international and regional Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs) from around the world to exchange insights, challenges, strategies, and best practices in foreign direct investment.The FDI Leaders Network convenes twice a year in major global cities. It is unique in being the only network is for CEO's or heads of investment agencies. Previous editions have taken place in London, Tokyo, Frankfurt, Calgary and Vienna, with Doha now joining this distinguished list.The event featured high-level, in-depth discussions on global FDI trends, comparative leadership challenges, and collaborative opportunities to drive sustainable economic growth.CEO of Invest Qatar, Sheikh Ali Alwaleed al-Thani said: "Hosting the FDI Leaders Network in Doha underscores Qatar's commitment to fostering international partnerships and advancing our vision for economic diversification. This platform enabled meaningful dialogue and collaboration among global investment leaders."Founder of the FDI Leaders Network, Cathy Dawson said: "CEOs of Investment Promotion Agencies from Australia, Bermuda, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Kazakhstan, the UK and the USA have converged in Doha to discuss new challenges which continue to re-shape global investment."These leaders need networks like the FDI Leaders Network more than ever, to remain adaptable, retain effectiveness and channel investment towards sustainable and impactful outcomes. With thanks to Sheikh Ali Alwaleed al-Thani, our gracious host, and to Invest Qatar who have made this happen."The programme combined strategic discussions with cultural and networking experiences, reinforcing Qatar's role as a global investment hub. Participants explored emerging trends in foreign direct investment, shared best practices and identified opportunities for collaboration across sectors such as technology, sustainability and infrastructure. The event also showcased Qatar's world-class facilities and its commitment to creating an investor-friendly environment through progressive policies and incentives.The Investment Promotion Agency Qatar (Invest Qatar) is responsible for overseeing investment promotion activities, aimed at attracting foreign direct investment to Qatar. Established in 2019, Invest Qatar's mission is to strengthen Qatar's position as an ideal investment destination, while facilitating investments that foster economic diversification and development.The FDI Leaders Network is a high-level membership group of CEO's and Heads of Economic Development and Investment Promotion Agencies, from selected countries, who stand at the forefront of investment promotion. The network meets bi-annually for frank and open discussion in a confidential and closed environment. 

Doha is steadily cementing its position as a competitive player in the global AI and technology race, supported by strategic investments from the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), according to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).These include the establishment of a $3bn global platform with Blue Owl Capital to accelerate international AI and cloud infrastructure expansion, as well as QIA’s participation in Anthropic’s $13bn funding round, BCG said in its report presented at the Mobile World Congress, which concluded Wednesday.These initiatives underscore Qatar’s commitment to advancing its digital capabilities and align closely with the ambitions of the Qatar Digital Vision 2030, it said in the report “AI Data Centers: An Opportunity in the Middle East”.“Qatar’s digital ambition is rapidly taking shape, driven by decisive leadership and a deep commitment to innovation. In line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and Qatar’s Third National Development Strategy, the country is harnessing AI and emerging technologies to cement its role as a competitive force in the global digital economy," said Harold Haddad, managing director and senior partner.The report revealed that the Middle East is rapidly positioning the region as a rising global nexus for AI data centre investment and innovation. As global demand for AI infrastructure accelerates, with data centre power needs projected to grow from 86GW (Gigawatt) in 2025 to 198GW by 2030, BCG finds that the Middle East has a uniquely competitive advantage in supplying scalable, cost-efficient AI compute capacity.Highlighting that the Middle East is not merely participating in the global AI infrastructure race; it is fast emerging as a critical new hub of AI data centre development; it said the region benefits from distinctive structural advantages.Its strategic geography places it within a 2,000-mile radius of over 3bn people, enabling it to serve Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Global South with non-latency-sensitive AI inferencing at scale.Competitive cost structures, including up to 50% lower leasing rates, low power tariffs, and advanced cooling systems adopted by regional operators, significantly reduce the total cost of ownership, BCG said, adding meanwhile, markets such as the UAE and Saudi Arabia continue to accelerate time-to-market for new data centres through fast-track development, dedicated investment teams, and special economic zone clusters such as Masdar City’s Stargate Campus."This momentum is reinforced by the region’s expansive land availability, scalable power ecosystems, and the planned ~720Tbps Fibre in the Gulf (FIG) submarine cable project," it said.Thibault Werlé, managing director and partner at BCG said the Middle East is undergoing a pivotal transformation as it positions itself to become a global hub for AI infrastructure."With strategic investments, progressive digital policies, and ambitious national visions across Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia, the region is building the foundation for scalable, next-generation AI compute," he added.The report outlines major national initiatives shaping the Middle East’s AI infrastructure landscape. Saudi Arabia has launched HUMAIN with a targeted 1.9GW AI data centre capacity, along with partnerships with NVIDIA, AMD, AWS, DataVolt, and Groq to develop multi-hundred-megawatt AI campuses, including the world’s largest AI compute centre.The UAE is advancing a 5GW AI campus in Abu Dhabi under the US-UAE AI Acceleration Partnership and is importing 500,000 GPUs for regional and US partners, supported by Microsoft’s $15.2bn AI and cloud infrastructure investment."Qatar’s strategic investments complement these national efforts and reinforce a GCC-wide push toward establishing a global AI compute corridor," the report said.With its strategic geography, favourable economics, and ambitious national digital agendas, the Middle East is uniquely poised to emerge as a global AI data centre powerhouse — particularly for regions requiring scalable and cost-efficient AI compute such as the Global South. 

Doha, whose energy sector remains a global benchmark, is rapidly expanding into high growth areas, making it the most attractive investment destinations in the region, according to the top official of Invest Qatar."While our energy sector remains a global benchmark, we are rapidly expanding into high growth areas such as technology and digital services, healthcare and life sciences, logistics and supply chain innovation, financial services and fintech," Invest Qatar chief executive officer Sheikh Ali Alwaleed al-Thani told Poland Qatar Investment Forum, organised by Polish Embassy and Polish Investment and Trade Agency, in partnership with LuLu and Comarch.To support the development of these sectors, Invest Qatar recently announced a $1bn incentive programme to make Qatar one of the most attractive destinations for strategic investments in the region. It is designed to support new investment, digitise existing operations and create high-skilled jobs, fostering robust growth in the R&D (research and development) ecosystem.Highlighting that Qatar today is home to around 35 Polish companies, which play a vital role in supporting the country's economic diversification and development; he said "the opportunities for Polish businesses in Qatar are not only growing, but they are also evolving in exciting and impactful ways."Polish companies operate across a wide variety of sectors in Qatar, including professional services, logistics and technology, reaffirming the breadth of opportunities available in Qatar, he said at the forum, which also witnessed signing of memorandum of understanding between Invest Qatar and Polish Trade and Investment Agency as well as between Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) and Employers of Qatar."At Invest Qatar, we are committed to supporting Polish businesses at every step of the investment journey, whether you are exploring the market or seeking partnerships or expanding existing operations," Sheikh Ali said.Polish ambassador to Qatar Tomasz Sadziński said more than 30 Polish businesses are represented at the forum from sectors such as energy, IT, automation, infrastructure, food, fashion, consulting, and legal.Highlighting that investing in Poland is even more important today, Łukasz Gwiazdowski, deputy chairman of Polish Investment and Trade Agency, said investing in Poland means investing in a secure, confident, strong European economy, the fastest growing European economy, the sixth European economy and the 20th worldwide economy."Today, investing in Poland is a huge investment for the future. Today is the right moment to invest in Poland, thinking about the European market, thinking about the gateway of the East," according to him.Sheikh Mansoor bin Jassim al-Thani, member, QBA, said over the last five years, the trade exchange between Qatar and Poland has witnessed notable growth of 23%, reaching approximately QR4.8bn in 2023 against QR3.9bn in 2018.**media[385552]**Finding "excellent opportunity" for Qatari and Polish companies to explore collaboration in key sectors such as energy, infrastructure, logistics, trade, transport, technology, healthcare, agriculture and advanced manufacturing; he said through joint ventures, knowledge exchange and strategic partnership, the companies can leverage each other's strength to create long-term value, drive innovation and expand into new regional and global markets."Together, we can build partnerships that go beyond traditional trade to include technology, transport, capacity building and sustainable investment models that benefit all nations and elevate our economy, co-operation to new levels," he said.Joanna Makowiecka-Gatza, president, Employers of Poland, said the agreement signed with QBA signifies an active way for Qatar to support Polish businesses and, conversely, to support Qatari partners and the Polish market."Our bilateral relations have enormous potential for further development. We want to be present in Qatar, not mainly to get to know each other, but actually to create trust," she said.

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the country's sovereign wealth fund, has invested in d-Matrix, a pioneer in generative AI (artificial intelligence) inference for data centres.Valued at $2bn and bringing the total raised to date to $450mn, d-Matrix will use the new capital to advance their roadmap, accelerate global expansion and support multiple large-scale deployments of the world’s highest performing, most efficient data centre inference platform for hyperscalers, enterprise, and sovereign customers.The oversubscribed round attracted leading investment firms across Europe, North America, Asia, and the Middle East. The funding was co-led by a global consortium including BullhoundCapital, Triatomic Capital, and Temasek, and welcomed new investors including QIA and EDBI, alongside follow-on participation from M12, Microsoft’s Venture Fund, as well as Mirae Asset, Industry Ventures, and Nautilus Venture Partners.d-Matrix's full-stack inference platform combines breakthrough compute-memory integration, high-speed networking, and inference-optimised software to deliver 10× faster performance, 3× lower cost, and 3–5× better energy efficiency than GPU-based systems.This step-change in performance and efficiency directly addresses growing AI sustainability challenges. By enabling one data centre to handle the workload of ten, d-Matrix offers a clear path to reducing global data centre energy consumption while enabling enterprises to deliver cost-efficient, profitable AI services without compromise.“From day one, d-Matrix has been uniquely focused on inference. When we started d-Matrix six years ago, training was seen as AI’s biggest challenge, but we knew that a new set of challenges would be coming soon,” said Sid Sheth, chief executive officer and co-founder of d-Matrix.“We predicted that when trained models needed to run continuously at scale, the infrastructure wouldn't be ready. We've spent the last six years building the solution: a fundamentally new architecture that enables AI to operate everywhere, all the time. This funding validates that vision as the industry enters the Age of AI Inference,” he added.Investor confidence reflects d-Matrix’s differentiated technology, rapid customer growth, and expanding network of global partners — including the recently announced d-Matrix SquadRack open standards-based reference architecture with Arista, Broadcom, and Supermicro.A strong product roadmap featuring 3D memory-stacking innovations and a customer-centric go-to-market strategy further establishes d-Matrix as a cornerstone of the new AI infrastructure stack.

Qatar Investment and Innovation Conference has announced that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) has joined the upcoming edition 'Driving GCC Entrepreneurial Growth' as strategic partner. This high-level forum, organised by The Business Year and Msheireb Properties aims to foster dialogue between policymakers, investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators from across the Gulf region.The partnership underscores MCIT's commitment to advancing Qatar's digital transformation, fostering innovation, and building a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem in line with the Third National Development Strategy, Qatar National Vision 2030, and Digital Agenda 2030. By focusing on emerging technologies, digital inclusion, and innovation-led growth, MCIT's participation emphasises the vital role of public-private collaboration in shaping the region's future as a knowledge-based economy.Faraj Jassim Abdulla, director of the Digital Economy Department at MCIT, stated: "Through the Qatar Investment and Innovation Conference, MCIT aims to empower entrepreneurs and innovators across the GCC by providing a platform to connect, share ideas, and explore growth opportunities. This conference is an excellent example of how public-private partnerships can strengthen the digital economy, accelerate innovation, and position Qatar as a leader in innovation and sustainable economic transformation."The conference, scheduled for November 3 at Barahat Msheireb, will convene senior leaders from government, investment, and the private sector to explore opportunities in entrepreneurship, innovation, and digital transformation across the GCC. Msheireb Downtown Doha will provide a fitting venue for these regional stakeholders to engage in meaningful discussions on the role of entrepreneurship in driving economic growth, strategies for scaling start-ups, the evolving investment landscape, and the importance of public-private partnerships in strengthening global competitiveness.New to this year's edition is the “AI for Good Innovation Challenge”, hosted in collaboration with the AI for Good initiative YAILs and its Doha chapter. This dynamic segment will provide a global platform for showcasing emerging AI-driven solutions aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), featuring emerging companies from across the GCC alongside main panel discussions with industry leaders and policymakers.As a Strategic Partner, MCIT will play a central role in shaping the programme, ensuring alignment with Qatar's national priorities and reinforcing the country's position as a regional hub for innovation and entrepreneurship.