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Alfardan Automotive, a division of Alfardan Group, has announced a landmark collaboration with First Finance Company, a subsidiary of Dukhan Bank Group, introducing a permanent financing programme that sets new standards for accessibility and flexibility in premium vehicle ownership.The long-term initiative reflects the group’s commitment to delivering customer-focused solutions that enhance every stage of the automotive journey. The official signing ceremony recently took place at the Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle (SV) showroom at Burj Alfardan in Lusail City, in the presence of representatives from both parties, marking the beginning of this permanent initiative that will benefit both existing and prospective customers.The programme, which is now available across Alfardan Automotive showrooms, offers customers a suite of benefits designed to make ownership more attainable and convenient. Through the partnership, Alfardan Automotive and First Finance are setting a new benchmark for convenience and peace of mind in premium automotive retail.Samer Bou Dargham, chief sales officer at Alfardan Automotive, said: “The collaboration with First Finance Company reflects our ongoing dedication to customer satisfaction and our leadership in the automotive market. By embedding flexible, innovative financing solutions into the ownership experience, we are not only meeting today’s customer needs but also building the foundation for lasting trust and loyalty.”Eslah Assem, First Finance CEO, said: “We are proud of this strategic partnership, which will represent a qualitative leap in the world of car financing in Qatar, providing customers with multiple financing options that suit their needs. Signing this agreement is part of our successive steps to strengthen First Finance's position as a leading company in the Qatari market and the region.“This is in line with our approach, which is primarily based on enabling our customers to transform their aspirations into reality by providing seamless services and processes, and innovative solutions that comply with the provisions of Islamic Shariah. We are pleased with this cooperation and hope to build upon it in the future.”First Finance offers financing services to all bank customers, regardless of whether they work in the public or private sector. This makes it a strategic financing partner relied upon by all Alfardan Automobiles customers, including both Qataris and residents.First Finance also allows its customers to obtain advance credit approvals for financing through the company's mobile application, the FFC Mobile App, before the customer even visits its headquarters.By embedding financing into the heart of its customer experience, Alfardan Automotive is reaffirming its role as a forward-thinking industry leader, one that goes beyond sales to create holistic ownership experiences. More than a milestone, this collaboration is an additional step that sets the tone for how automotive retail in Qatar will evolve in the years ahead.

Bank of Japan (BoJ) Governor Kazuo Ueda kept his policy options open by reiterating the bank’s long-held stance on interest rates, avoiding sending any clear signals about the prospects for a rate hike when the board meets later this month.“If the baseline scenario for economic activity and prices outlined so far is realised, the bank, in accordance with improvement in economic activity and prices, will continue to raise the policy interest rate,” Ueda said Friday in a speech to local business leaders in Osaka.Ueda refrained from telegraphing any policy changes after market speculation over an impending rate hike gained momentum in recent weeks. Two board members dissented from the decision to hold settings steady last month, and a member considered dovish cited the heightened need for policy change in a speech earlier this week.Instead, Ueda took a more neutral tack by highlighting the factors officials are monitoring as they mull the timing for a rate shift.“To determine whether economic activity and prices are improving, the bank will, for the time being, monitor factors such as the points I mentioned,” Ueda said, citing the global economy — especially the US economy — and the impact of US tariffs on Japan’s corporate profits as factors to watch. He added that wage and price trends including food inflation required attention.The yen weakened as much as 0.4% to 147.82 against the dollar after Ueda spoke.“Some dovish comments from Ueda have prompted selling of the yen,” said Akira Moroga, chief market strategist at Aozora Bank. “While the market had expected Ueda to sound more hawkish, the governor refrained from taking an aggressive posture toward rate hikes.”Still, the mere reiteration of the existing policy stance will likely keep alive market speculation over a rate hike when authorities next set policy on October 30, as the governor refrained from backing or opposing such notions.Pricing in the overnight swaps market shows that traders see about a 56% chance for a move at that meeting, up sharply from around 22% early last month, though down from levels seen earlier in the week.The annual Osaka conference tends to be where BoJ governors deliver one of their most important speeches of the year. Friday’s event comes days after the central bank released its latest Tankan survey — the first time since 2013 that the key speech followed the quarterly survey. The timing fuelled market speculation that the bank might wish to lay the groundwork for a hike after examining the closely watched dataset. It showed business sentiment at a solid level.“Given the corporate sentiment until now, we can say that the likelihood is rising for our economic outlook to be realised,” Ueda told reporters later Friday. “But, looking ahead, it doesn’t give us strong information over the future impact of US tariffs.”Japan’s inflation has stayed at or above the BoJ’s 2% target for more than three years. Ueda has justified a gradual approach to rate hikes by explaining that the underlying trend remains shy of the target.At the September meeting, board members Naoki Tamura and Hajime Takata called for hiking rates. It was the first time in Governor Ueda’s tenure that more than one member had dissented from a vote to hold steady.Ueda didn’t cite political uncertainty among the factors he’s monitoring, but it’s likely he’ll be closely watching when the ruling Liberal Democratic Party selects a new leader on Saturday.Sanae Takaichi, a top contender for the party race and an advocate of monetary easing, said borrowing costs shouldn’t be raised while the other four candidates said monetary policy should be left to the central bank, Kyodo News reported Thursday, citing a survey.Another emerging uncertainty comes from a US government shutdown that began Wednesday. Economic data releases from the US are expected to be delayed as a result, including the unemployment report scheduled for Friday.“It’s a severe problem,” Ueda said. “We just have to gather information by various ways and make a decision” if the absence of data lasts until the October meeting, he said.

Lesha Bank LLC (Public) announced its investment in an energy platform in partnership with a leading energy and infrastructure manager. Lesha Bank has invested approximately QAR 540 million through an entity managed by the Bank, the bank said in a statement published on the Qatar Exchange website. The Bank achieved a net profit of QAR 82.436 million for the first half of 2025, marking a 52.3% increase compared to a net profit of QAR 54.131 for the same period in the previous year.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office of the United Kingdom (FCDO) has called on the Israeli occupation authorities to halt settlement construction in the West Bank, including the E1 expansion plan. "Israeli annexation of the West Bank cannot be allowed to happen. We also repeat our calls on Israel to halt the expansion of illegal settlements, including the E1 plans, and act decisively against extremist settler violence," FCDO said in a statement. The statement stressed that the two-state solution remains the only viable path to peace.

Palestinian civilians in several areas of the occupied West Bank were subjected to injuries, arrests, and assaults carried out by Israeli occupation forces and colonists, in a continuation of systematic measures that deepen the suffering of Palestinians through severe restrictions and relentless control over their daily life. In a statement, the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reported that a 12-year-old child was injured after being run over by an Israeli military vehicle in the city of Jericho and was transferred to hospital for treatment. In Beitunia, west of Ramallah, Israeli occupation forces detained three Palestinians during a raid, according to Palestinian security sources. The same sources added that colonists brutally assaulted another child in the Ein Jariot area near Beitunia, causing him to lose consciousness before he was taken to hospital. Meanwhile, in occupied Jerusalem, Israeli occupation forces stormed the town of Kafr Aqab, north of the city, firing tear gas canisters. No injuries were reported, according to local sources. The West Bank continues to witness heightened tensions due to Israeli settlement expansion and military violations. The situation has escalated sharply since the occupation launched its assault on the Gaza Strip in October 2023.

The United Nations on Friday released a long-awaited update of its database of companies with activities in Israeli settlements in Palestinian territories, listing 158 firms from 11 countries. UN rights chief Volker Turk has condemned as a war crime Israel's policy of settlements on Palestinian territory in the occupied West Bank. While several companies including Alstom and Opodo had been removed from the non-exhaustive database, major firms such as Airbnb, Booking.com, Motorola Solutions and TripAdvisor remained on the list. Contacted by AFP for their reaction, the companies have not so far responded. While most of the companies were based in Israel, others were based in Canada, China, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Britain and the United States. The report, from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), urged companies to "take appropriate action to address the adverse human rights impacts" of their activities. Turk said in a statement: "This report underscores the due diligence responsibility of businesses working in contexts of conflict to ensure their activities do not contribute to human rights abuses." Israel denounced the report as "a document with no legal ground and far beyond the scope of the OHCHR". The country's UN office in Geneva added: "The OHCHR continues to misuse UN resources to tarnish Israel, proving that it is not able to execute its mandate in any adequate way. "We call on friends not to yield to this ugly attempt to blacklist Israeli firms." The list was first produced in 2020 after a UN Human Rights Council resolution called for a database of firms that profited from business in illegally occupied Palestinian territory. The UN rights office was asked to list companies found to be taking part in any of 10 activities, including construction, surveillance, demolitions and destruction of agricultural land in Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Listing companies in the database was "not, and does not purport to be, a judicial or quasi-judicial process", it stressed. Despite a requirement for the database to be updated annually, it has been revised just once before, in 2023, when some companies named in the original list were removed. Friday's release marks the first update that includes fresh names. "A total of 68 new companies were added to the list published in 2023, while seven of those... were removed as they were no longer involved in any of the activities concerned," the rights office said. The list is not exhaustive, the rights office said, acknowledging that it had only had time to review 215 of the 596 companies about which it received submissions. For this latest update it said it had prioritised companies with a direct physical link in the settlements, in the fields of construction, real estate, mining and quarries. The remainder will be assessed in future updates, it said. The exercise has been contentious from the start. In 2020, Israel and the United States condemned the creation of the database. Today, nearly two years into the war raging in Gaza, where Israel faces growing accusations of committing genocide, the issue has become even more contentious.

E1 plan cuts West Bank off from East Jerusalemamilies set to lose access to schools, clinics, livelihoodsSettlements form near-total ring around cityRoad project would isolate Bedouin, split communitiesThe land available to Atallah al-Jahalin’s Bedouin community for grazing livestock near Jerusalem has steadily shrunk, as expanding Jewish settlements on Israeli-occupied territory encircle the city and push deeper into the West Bank.Now, the group of some 80 families faces eviction from the last patches of valley and scrubland they have called home for decades.Their predicament is tied to an Israeli settlement project that would slice through the West Bank, sever its connection to East Jerusalem, and — according to Israeli officials — “bury” any remaining hope of a future Palestinian state.As more Western powers move to recognise a Palestinian state amid frustration over the war in Gaza, Palestinians around Jerusalem say they are watching their land vanish under the advance of Israeli cranes and bulldozers. Settlements now form an almost unbroken ring around the city.“Where else could I go? There is nothing,” said Jahalin, seated beneath a towering cedar tree near Maale Adumim, a settlement that has already grown into a Jewish suburb of Jerusalem on Israeli-occupied Palestinian land.The so-called E1 project, recently greenlit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, will fill the last major gap in the settlement belt — an area that, until now, had remained untouched by construction.“This actually cuts the possibility of a viable Palestinian state,” said Hagit Ofran, of Peace Now, an Israeli anti-settlement group. “The territorial continuity from North to South is going to be totally cut.” Israel previously froze construction plans at Maale Adumim in 2012 and again in 2020, following objections from the US, European allies and other powers who viewed the project as a threat to any future peace deal with the Palestinians.But in August, Netanyahu and far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced that work would begin.“Whoever in the world is trying to recognise a Palestinian state today will receive our answer on the ground,” Smotrich said. “Not with documents nor with decisions or statements, but with facts. Facts of houses, facts of neighbourhoods.”The move was condemned by Australia, Britain, Canada, the European Union and Japan as a breach of international law.Palestinian presidential spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeinah condemned the announcement, calling it a violation of international law.The offices of Netanyahu and Smotrich did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.Reflecting growing criticism of the Gaza war — which has devastated much of the enclave on Israel’s southern border — Australia, Britain, Canada and Portugal recognised a Palestinian state on Sunday, joining about 140 other countries that have already done so.But the timing highlights a stark contrast between diplomatic gestures and the reality on the ground, where Israeli settlements continue to expand rapidly across the occupied West Bank.Most world powers consider all the settlements illegal under international law, although Israel says it has historical and scriptural ties to the area that it calls Judea and Samaria.A UN report says Israel has significantly expanded settlements in the West Bank in breach of international law.Today, about 700,000 Israeli settlers live among 3.4mn Palestinians in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics.Last month, Jahalin’s community was served demolition orders for their homes and told they had 60 days to tear them down themselves. Israeli security forces accompanied by dogs have repeatedly raided their homes at night, acts the community views as intimidation.“When a child wakes up and sees a dog in his face, he gets frightened, it’s a disaster,” said Mohammed al-Jahalin, Atallah’s brother.Mohammed al-Jahalin said they used to challenge the demolition notices in court, but since the Gaza war, “if you reach out to the court it will give you an immediate evacuation order.” Part of the E1 project includes the so-called “Fabric of Life Road,” which would create separate roads for Israelis and Palestinians, cutting off Palestinian access to large swathes of the West Bank. The road would also sever a vital link between Bedouin communities — like the 22 families living in Jabal Al-Baba — and the nearby Palestinian village of Al-Eizariya.As children, the Jahalin brothers walked down the stony hill to attend school in the bustling town below, and their grandchildren follow the same path today.“We are dependent on Al-Eizariya for education as the children go to school there, for health, for everything, our economic situation is also tied to Al-Eizariya,” said Atallah.A few hills over across a highway, the settlement of Maale Adumim is poised to expand under the E1 plan.“I do feel for the Palestinians,” said Shelly Brinne, a settler living in Maale Adumim, citing their struggles with checkpoints and limited work opportunities.“But unfortunately as an Israeli citizen I feel like I have to worry about my security first.” A spokesperson for the Maale Adumim settlement did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The Bedouin community came to Jabal Al-Baba after what Palestinians call the “Nakba” or catastrophe, when hundreds of thousands were dispossessed in the war at the birth of the state of Israel.“Our forefathers lived the Nakba, and today, we go through all the struggle, which we wish our children do not have to go through,” said Atallah, who is the leader of the community.In the evening one of the men made coffee over an open flame while the rest of the community lounged on cushions and traded jokes as the sun dipped behind the hills.Across the highway, the lights of Maale Adumim’s white high-rises glittered.“There is no place for us to go,” said Mohammed, sipping his coffee. “To leave the land that we were born in, and so were our fathers and forefathers, if we have to leave it, it would be like dying.”

Hundreds gathered Wednesday in a village of the Israeli-occupied West Bank to mourn a young man who the Palestinian health ministry said was killed by Israeli settler gunfire.Friends and relatives of 20-year-old Said al-Naasan, killed on Tuesday in Al-Mughayyir, carried his body through the village wrapped in a Palestinian flag with his head covered by a traditional keffiyeh.The Ramallah-based health ministry said in a statement that Naasan was killed “by settler gunfire”, while the Israeli military said an off-duty soldier had fired shots after Palestinians had thrown stones.The village’s mayor, Amin Abu Aliya, said that residents on Tuesday evening saw “several armed settlers herding cattle near homes on the eastern side (of the village)”.“They opened fire on residents there, critically wounding the martyr, who later died from his wounds,” Abu Aliya added.In response to a question from AFP, the Israeli military said the incident occurred during “a violent confrontation in which a dozen Palestinians hurled rocks at Israeli civilians in a pasture in the area of Al-Mughayyir”, using a term it usually uses to refer to settlers. Israeli settlers in the West Bank also serve in the army, and sometimes carry their weapons with them when off duty.Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.In a separate incident, the Palestinian health ministry said Israeli forces shot dead a man in his 20s in the West Bank town of Anza Wednesday. In a statement, the Israeli military said that during “operational activity in the area of Anza, a fighter hurled an explosive device towards (Israeli) soldiers operating in the area.”“The soldiers responded with fire and eliminated the fighter,” it said, adding there were no injuries to Israeli troops. Violence in the West Bank has soared since the October 2023 Hamas storming of Israel.Since then, Israeli troops and settlers have killed at least 981 Palestinians in the West Bank, including many fighters, according to health ministry figures.

Lower bank rates in Qatar will be an additional boost to consumers and corporates, Emirates NBD Research has said in a report.Recently, the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) decided to reduce the current interest rates for deposits, lending and repo by 0.25% or 25 basis points (bps). The new rates took effect on September 18.The QCB’s deposit rate (QCBDR) is now 4.35%, lending rate (QCBLR) 4.85% and repo rate (QCBRR) 4.60%.The QCB said the rate cut followed its “assessment of the current monetary policy of Qatar.On the impact (of the US Federal Reserve rate cut) on GCC economies, Emirates NBD Research said, “The rate cut has been matched by the GCC given that the currency pegs mean that monetary policy tends to move in lockstep with that of the Fed.Besides Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and Kuwait central banks have all cut their benchmark policy rates by 25bps, Emirates NBD noted.In a report, the UAE banking group said: “Lower rates will be an additional boost to consumers and corporates in the GCC economies. Credit growth to the private sector has accelerated in 2025 for both the UAE and Saudi Arabia compared with 2024.“In the UAE, banking claims on the private sector have recorded an average year/year growth of more than 8% this year, compared with 7% for 2024. In Saudi Arabia, credit demand has been even more robust with growth of more than 14% year-to-date up to July compared with around 11% in 2024.”The report noted: “As rates move lower, that will free up more income for consumption and investment and at the margin create more demand for credit. In a recent Central Bank of the UAE survey on credit demand, interest rates were the least critical variable cited as affecting demand for loans from the domestic banking system with corporates instead seeking to match the performance of the non-oil economy.”Emirates NBD said: “The US Federal Reserve cut rates by 25 bps (0.25%) at the September FOMC, in line with our expectations. This was the first rate change from the FOMC since December 2024 and takes the upper bound of the benchmark Fed funds rate to 4.25%.”According to the bank, the next FOMC meeting is at the end of October and will very much be a live meeting with the expectation of another 25bps cut nearly 90% priced in by markets following the September meeting. Should economic data continue to follow the path seen in the last few months — moderate inflation pressures with worsening labour market conditions — then an October cut looks more likely than not. We still expect a rate cut at the December FOMC at this time.For 2026, the Fed projected a more hawkish stance than markets are expecting as it keeps an eye on the inflationary risks of tariffs and sticky services inflation.“We still expect that the Fed will need to cut rates next year, targeting an end of 2026 Fed Funds rate at 3% by end of year,” Emirates NBD noted.

The first cohort from the venture studio - backed by the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and Utopia Capital Management - is expected before the end of this year, according to a top official of QDB."We look forward to welcoming the first cohort from Qatar before the end of this year," QDB chief executive officer Abdulrahman bin Hesham al-Sowaidi told the seventh edition of Investment Forum 2025, organised by QDB in association with Young Entrepreneurs Club.Developing Qatar's venture capital ecosystem, in partnership with a fund-of-fund programme launched by QIA, the QDB had collaborated with Utopia Capital Management to establish the first venture studio of Qatar, operated by A-typical Ventures.Unveiled at the Web Summit 2025, the venture studio is actively seeking the region's entrepreneurs looking to scale innovations and drive economic diversification across sectors such as fintech, healthtech, e-commerce, logistics and mobility, and climatetech.The studio will act as a magnet for entrepreneurs and investors across the region, while nurturing Qataris' startup with skills and capital, al-Sowaidi said."This long-term partnership is a testament to our commitment to advancing the VC (venture capital) ecosystem through private sector enablement. This partnership is already in action," he said, adding the region is witnessing an increasing maturity in the financial ecosystem that encourages startup investments, even amidst global headwinds.A-typical Ventures will enable pre-seed, seed and pre-series A founders across the GCC (Gulf Co-operation Council), Levant, Pakistan and Turkiye to refine their business models, optimise their go-to-market strategies, and unlock powerful growth opportunities.The QIA's investment marks one of the first deployments of capital from its 'fund-of-funds' programme, which aims to develop a strong start-up and venture capital ecosystem in Qatar and attract leading venture capital funds and entrepreneurs to the region.QDB is co-building the next generation of game-changing ventures as it collaborates with Utopia and the Qatari partners, marking a bold step toward reshaping the startup landscape.By merging strategic investment with hands-on venture-building expertise, QDB aims to empower high-potential startups in Qatar and across the Middle East, helping them scale faster, break into new markets, and drive real economic impact.Mohammed al-Emadi, QDB executive director of Incubation and VC Investment, said the venture studio would be catering to the entire Mena region."Our alignment and agreement with Utopia is that we don't want to have a centre that's only dedicated for single market. We want a Mena venture studio. And the reason is that we want to serve our 2030 vision by building a knowledge-based economy. We believe that we need to draw the talents from Qatar, but we also need to attract talents to the region and to Qatar specifically," he added.

Qatar's family offices are in the path of shifting to "bold" venture capital (VC) investments, which have emerged as a powerful driver of growth, according to a top official of the Qatar Development Bank (QDB).In the GCC (Gulf Co-operation Council), family offices are shifting from conservative wealth managers to bold venture investors, and "Qatar’s ecosystem is ready for this transformation," QDB chief executive officer Abdulrahman bin Hesham al-Sowaidi on Wednesday told the seventh edition of Investment Forum 2025, organised by QDB in association with Young Entrepreneurs Club."As Qatar moves with confidence towards 2030, opportunities have never been more exciting. Investment is yielding growth and the market is laden with potential," he said.Highlighting that QDB continues to be a key enabler for the nation's VC space, maintaining strong growth through 2025; he said QDB's direct and indirect investments (as of today) exceed QR350mn, resulting in more than 1,100 direct and indirect new jobs, thus contributing to a strong private sector capable of driving Qatar diversification."Our mandate has expanded beyond local boundaries in alignment with our new strategy, positioning Qatar as the centre of tomorrow's opportunities. We launched the Startup Qatar Investment Programme, opening Qatar's door to global founders, capital, and ideas," according to him.In two years, this programme has directed more than QR120mn into more than 30 companies, scaling their growth and projecting their reach beyond its borders, he said, adding "this is only the opening chapter."Following the success of the first phase, QDB expanded the programme's capacity further, attracting 177 applications from 27 countries."With more than 40 entrepreneurs already benefiting from this community, the programme is establishing itself as a true hub of global talent," according to al-Sowaidi.Stressing that a great economy is not built on capital alone, but on knowledge, on talent and on trust and it is why QDB continues to invest in people; he said through its VC training programme, more than 170 investors are now equipped to play a leading role in the VC landscape of tomorrow."By the end of 2024, private sector participation in the VC scene reached 57% of total investment, surpassing the 50% target set for the same year," according to him.The QDB official said VC funding in the Middle East nearly doubled in the first half of 2025, reaching about $1.35bn, despite a global VC slowdown."In Qatar and beyond, private capital from high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and venture funds has emerged as a powerful driver of growth," he said, adding globally, family offices are rethinking how to preserve and grow assets across generations, as assets under their management are projected to exceed $5tn by 2030, underscoring their rising influence in finance.Placing particular emphasis on the growing role of family offices both regionally and globally; al-Sowaidi said these institutions have become vital partners in shaping the future of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, leveraging accumulated expertise and directing investments toward the sectors of tomorrow.

Qatar Central Bank (QCB) decided to reduce the current interest rates for deposits, lending and repo by 0.25% or 25 basis points (bps).The new rates will take effect on September 18, QCB noted.Qatar Central Bank’s deposit rate (QCBDR) will now be 4.35%, lending rate (QCBLR) 4.85% and repo rate (QCBRR) 4.60%.In a statement, QCB said the rate cut followed its “assessment of the current monetary policy of the State of Qatar.