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Qatar’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) achieved a major milestone by reducing the time required to establish a company in the country to two days.After a meeting chaired by HE the Minister of Commerce and Industry, Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal al-Thani to review the performance of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry in the third quarter, MoCI noted, “The number of active commercial licences rose by 6.79%. Additionally, 4,631 new non-Qatari companies were established.” The meeting reviewed the key achievements of the third quarter and discussed detailed performance indicators across the ministry’s sectors and administrative units.Participants also examined existing challenges and proposed solutions to strengthen the implementation of plans and programmes, improve efficiency, and enhance institutional performance and service quality.The meeting was attended by HE the Undersecretary at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Mohammed bin Hassan al-Malki besides senior officials.MoCI said the Commercial Affairs Sector demonstrated significant progress across its key performance indicators. The number of new commercial registrations increased by 81.5% compared to the same period in 2024, while active main and subsidiary registrations grew by 18.1%.It said the ‘Single Window’ platform added five new electronic services in the third quarter, bringing the total to 13 since the beginning of 2025.It processed 72,500 transactions, 89% of which were submitted electronically, achieving a customer satisfaction rate of 94%.In the Industrial and Business Development Sector, the contribution of manufacturing industries to GDP reached QR13.44bn in the second quarter and QR26.84bn in the first half of 2025.During the third quarter, some 30 factories were evaluated under the Smart Industry Readiness Index.During the same period, the Ministry enhanced collaboration with the private sector to identify and address challenges, resolving 35% of reported issues.As many as 12 PPP projects were studied during the year—three more than in the previous quarter—while four new projects were launched and one awarded in the third quarter.The Consumer Affairs Sector also recorded “positive” results, MoCI said.The number of specialised licences issued increased by 30.87% compared to the third quarter of 2024, with the issuance period reduced to one day.Processing times for pricing requests of goods and services also decreased compared to previous quarters.The number of ration card beneficiaries rose by 2.61%, and the number of fodder distributors increased by 96.9% year-on-year.MoCI reviewed the safety levels and strategic reserves of essential commodities and fodder, and successfully resolved more than 8,000 consumer complaints.At the market monitoring level, MoCI conducted 73,747 inspection campaigns across all administrative units, underscoring its commitment to market regulation and consumer protection.The meeting highlighted several notable achievements, including the entry into force of the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement between Qatar and Türkiye on August 1, aimed to reinforce mutual trade relations and ease investment restrictions. The Ministry also launched an electronic platform for public-private partnership (PPP) projects and introduced 20 new e-services spanning specialised licensing, market monitoring, competition protection, consumer protection, and combatting commercial fraud.During the third quarter, the Ministry rolled out the Single Window’s ‘Sharikati’ on mobile application, alongside a voluntary review programme for merger and acquisition projects. The Ministry also secured first place and received the Golden Award in the 11th National Cyber Drill.Other key developments included merging the land, sea and air freight activities under a single commercial registration, introducing a temporary commercial licence for service providers in the Sealine area, publishing the updated Industrial Sectors Directory, and issuing a comprehensive guide on trade name procedures.MoCI also organised the Public–Private Dialogue Forum, strengthened its strategic partnership with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and exempted certain categories of citizens from fees for the issuance or replacement of ration cards.HE Sheikh Faisal emphasised the importance of maintaining a results-driven, efficiency-based approach, advancing digital transformation, and continuously improving services to enhance the competitiveness of national economy in line with the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has issued a circular compelling operators of commercial, industrial, and public establishments to record the prices of commodities and services on the ministry's website through online services.The move is part of MoCI’s efforts to promote the business environment and ensure transparent pricing in the domestic market.The circular aims to enable operators to easily record and update price data via the website, contributing to the development of an accurate and up-to-date nationwide database of commodity and service prices, the ministry highlighted in a statement Sunday.The statement further indicated that this procedure supports digital transformation efforts and enhances the mechanisms for monitoring prices in the domestic market, fostering transaction transparency while maintaining a balance between the interests of businesses and consumers.In addition, MoCI stressed the importance of accuracy in the data submitted during the registration process, in accordance with the provisions of Law No 12 of 1972 regarding compulsory pricing and profit margin regulations and their amendments, particularly Articles (1), (6), (9), and (10), which govern suppliers' obligations in alignment with the law and its executive regulations.The ministry further noted that it will continue to co-ordinate with operators of commercial activities to streamline the registration process and ensure enforcement of the relevant measures, in pursuit of stabilising the market and safeguarding consumers' rights.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) has launched 20 new electronic services on its official website as part of the 2024–30 digital transformation strategy. The initiative aims to achieve excellence in governmental service provision and enhance user experience through full digital transformation in line with National Vision 2030. Affirming that the launch of these e-Services marks a significant step towards comprehensive digital transformation, MOCI said this development contributes to faster transactions, streamlined procedures, and enhanced service quality, ultimately strengthening Qatar’s business environment and competitiveness regionally and internationally. The ministry said users can access the new e-Services via its website through the e-Services section, using the National Authentication System (NAS) to ensure data security and confidentiality. The initiative seeks to simplify procedures, accelerate transaction processing, and improve efficiency, thereby enhancing services for consumers and investors and strengthening institutional excellence in government service provision. The newly launched services cover a wide range of MOCI's activities, including specialised licensing, market monitoring for goods and services, and price assessment for commercial establishments. They also include services related to competition and consumer protection, and combating commercial fraud, such as product recalls, handling and tracking complaints, and enabling users to submit complaints electronically and monitor inspection activities. Additionally, the new services integrate directly with the General Authority of Customs to facilitate product registration after customs clearance. Users can also view company information, track applications, and monitor their status through this service. These e-Services serve all user categories interacting with the ministry, including companies with recalled products, citizens and residents reporting consumer law violations, and business owners registering goods and services.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) has organised a specialised seminar on enhancing quality management in the auditing profession.Held at the ministry's premises with the participation of registered auditors, the seminar aimed to bolster their understanding of the latest updates to quality management standards in the auditing profession and to raise awareness of the practical applications of these standards, thereby contributing to enhancing the quality of auditing work and ensuring strict compliance with professional and regulatory requirements, in accordance with best practices.This event was part of MoCI's steadfast efforts to advance this profession, as regulated by Law No 8 of 2020, through backing auditors' capabilities and enhancing their performance to ensure accurate and reliable financial reports.The seminar featured the International Standard on Quality Management (ISQM 1), which aims to enhance the efficiency of audit processes and emphasises the importance of quality management within auditing and assurance firms, whether regarding financial statement audits or assurance and related services, including engagement quality reviews.In addition, the seminar emphasised that it is important for auditing firms to establish integrated quality management systems, pursue a constant optimisation approach, and implement a monitoring mechanism as a key enabler of success, through quality standards impacting the quality of audit services and their role in building client trust and enhancing firms' presence and credibility in the market.The seminar concluded with an interactive panel discussion, during which experts answered the participants' questions, reviewing methods of navigating key challenges they might encounter when applying these standards, thereby fostering the quality of auditing processes and adherence to international standards.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), in collaboration with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), has organised a two-day training workshop for members of the National Network of Technology and Innovation Support Centres (TISC) at the ministry’s headquarters in Lusail City.The workshop aimed to strengthen participants’ skills in patent research and to stress the importance of intellectual property intelligence in supporting innovation and development. It comprised specialised training sessions that were delivered by experts from the WIPO, covering topics including research strategy, access to international databases, among other areas of speciality.The workshop is part of the ministry’s efforts to reinforce the national innovation ecosystem and to build the capacity of national professionals in the fields of intellectual property.

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) has organised a workshop on E-commerce, highlighting the key opportunities and challenges facing the sector. The workshop “The Impact of E-Commerce on the Local Retail Sector” at the ministry’s headquarters in Lusail city, examined the effects of E-commerce on the dynamics of domestic retail market in Qatar. The event brought together a number of specialised entities active in the field of E-commerce in Qatar, including local and global companies, as well as representatives from the MOCI, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and the Strategy& team. Participants addressed a wide range of themes, discussed the preliminary findings of an ongoing study on E-commerce conducted in collaboration with local stakeholders; and tackled proposals for potential future policy measures. The workshop is part of the ministry’s efforts to strengthen Qatar’s digital business environment and develop policies that support the retail sector. Such efforts enable local companies to keep pace with global developments and enhance the role of E-commerce in achieving economic diversification under Qatar National Vision 2030. (Ends)