The specialised sustainable finance market, which Qatar is set to establish, is anticipated to reach a value of more than $22 trillion globally by 2031.
Experts from around the world are in the Qatari capital for the Qatar Financial Market forum to take on the most pressing economic and banking issues.
Under the theme ‘From Sustainable Financing to Debt Capital Markets, Uncovering Solutions for the Future of Banking in Qatar’, the forum is a collaboration between Bloomberg Intelligence, the research division of Bloomberg LP, and the Qatar Financial Centre.
Leaders and important stakeholders from private businesses, governmental organisations, and financial institutions are in Doha for a day of discussion on important issues like bank funding, debt capital markets, and sustainable finance.
“QFC has played an integral part in Qatar’s capital market development journey, and we are proud to collaborate with Bloomberg Intelligence in organising this forum for an open discourse on how we can maximise the financial solutions to advance national sustainability objectives,” Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida, Chief Executive Officer of QFC said.
The event examines Qatar’s banking funding environment and methods for guiding the sector toward inclusive and sustainable growth.
It also aim is to provide overall information on the current state of the banking sector in Qatar and the wider GCC region, as well as its prospects and viable remedies for fostering long-term growth.
The forum includes presentations by economists, banking specialists, and business thought leaders as well a panel discussions on “Sustainable Finance & ESG in Qatar” and “Developing a Domestic Debt Capital Market and its Impact on the Banking Sector,” both of which were moderated by renown Bloomberg TV Correspondent Simone Foxman.
The three presentations tackle important topics like the ‘2023 Energy Outlook’ by Salih Yilmaz, Senior Research Analyst, Bloomberg Intelligence. Followed by ‘Health Check on the GCC Banking Sector’ by Edmond Christou, Senior Research Analyst, at Bloomberg Intelligence, and finally, ‘Domestic Debt Capital Market in Qatar: Potential and Building Blocks’ by Ayman Doukali, Head of Islamic & Structured Finance at Qatar Financial Centre.
During his presentation, Yilmaz emphasised that the grand reopening of China will be the major catalyst for world economy in the coming year. Qatar will greatly benefit if the country goes back to its pre-Covid consumption levels, as it drives higher demand, Yilmaz noteed,
Overall, he sees that there is “a lot of optimism for in 2023 for the macro outlook.”
Despite the fact that Qatari banks issued less debt last year, diversification of the funding mix is still a top priority given that the debt held by local lenders accounts for only 8% of total liabilities, compared to over 11% for foreign rivals, stated Christou.
“Developing a domestic capital market helps banks tap into liquidity and strengthen long-term funding, to support a growing infrastructure pipeline,” he advised.
Qatar is working to create a capital market that is more diverse. The nation is poised to establish a specialised sustainable finance market, which is anticipated to reach a global value of over $22 trillion by 2031.
This is mostly thanks to established regulations for the governance of current and new financial investments and ongoing efforts to adopt comprehensive approaches to capital market development.
