Press Release

QInvest, Qatar’s leading Investment bank, has sold its stake in Asian Business Exhibitions and Conferences (“ABEC”), India’s leading trade exhibition organizer, to ITE plc, the London-listed global trade exhibition organizer focused on emerging markets.

Commenting on the transaction, Tamim Hamad Al-Kawari, QInvest’s newly appointed CEO, said: “QInvest’s successful realization of its investment in ABEC shows the firm’s capability in private equity and its ability to manage and profitably exit investments in a difficult economic environment”

The Board of Directors of QInvest LLC announced today that Shahzad Shahbaz has resigned as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. He will remain with the firm for a period of time to facilitate a smooth transition. The Board appointed Tamim Hamad Al-Kawari as the new CEO.

Mr. Al-Kawari previously served as QInvest’s Deputy CEO. Prior to joining QInvest, Tamim was Goldman Sachs Managing Director and Country Head for Qatar.

Leading private equity firm to form joint venture with QInvest and other Qatari investors to bring much-needed natural gas to the Egyptian market starting mid-2013

• 8 year QAR and USD dual currency Islamic syndicated facility to construct the Sidra Village Residential Project.
• QInvest acting as Financial Advisor and Sole Bookrunner, with Qatar Islamic Bank acting as Investment Agent and Mandated Lead Arranger (MLA)
• Arab Banking Corporation (ABC), National Bank of Abu Dhabi and First Gulf Bank participated at MLA level with Ahli United Bank taking a Lead Arranger role

QInvest is ranked number 1 in Loans Bookrunners, number 3 in Mergers & Acquisitions, number 4 in Sukuk MENA Bookrunners league tables, and number 9 in Sukuk International Bookrunners, as published by International Finance Review (IFR)/ Thomson Reuters and Bloomberg.

• 1-year syndicated financing facility for Turkey’s largest industrial enterprise.
• QInvest acting as Sole Bookrunner and Structuring Advisor.
• Syndicate comprised of 9 banks with QInvest, Qatar Islamic Bank Q.S.C., Barwa Bank, The Commercial Bank of Qatar Q.S.C. and First Gulf Bank taking the Mandated Lead Arranger role, Ahli United Bank B.S.C, Al Hilal Bank PJSC, Doha Bank Q.S.C and Dubai Islamic Bank PJSC as Lead Arrangers.

By Abhinav Ramnarayan, IFR

Qatar Islamic Bank is set to raise US$1.5bn in a sukuk issue, and could be the first of many financial institutions to tap this capital market this year. The move follows a jumbo Islamic offering from Qatar last month to raise US$4bn – the biggest ever international sukuk transaction.

• 2-year syndicated US Dollar Murabaha facility. 
• QInvest acting as Sole Bookrunner and Structuring Advisor. 
• Qatar Islamic Bank acting as Initial Mandated Lead Arranger with Barwa Bank, First Gulf Bank and Mashreq Bank as Mandated Lead Arrangers.

İş Gayrimenkul Yatirim Ortakligi A.S (“İş REIT” or the “Company”) has signed a US$ 50 million Murabaha facility with a syndicate of banks from the GCC. The facility carries a tenor of 2 years and a profit rate of LIBOR +250 bps.

Proclad Group Limited (“Proclad”), the world’s leading provider of protective weld cladding to the oil and gas sector, has appointed QInvest, Qatar’s leading investment bank, as its exclusive financial advisor to arrange a multi-tranche syndicated financing for the expansion of its UAE facilities and to fund future projects. The signing ceremony was attended by Mr. Yaseen Jaafar, CEO of Proclad, and Mr. Asar Mashkoor, head of investment banking at QInvest, who signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations at Proclad offices.

By Reuters

UBAI, (Reuters) - Qatar launched a $4-billion, dual-tranche sukuk on Wednesday, its first Islamic bond issue in nearly a decade and the largest sukuk deal from the Gulf this year.

By Reuters

Qatar is planning to issue sukuk, for the first time in nearly a decade, as it seeks to take advantage of global demand for safe havens and Sharia-compliant assets amid market uncertainty.

• 10 year dual tranche, comprising conventional and Islamic facilities.
• QInvest acting as Financial Advisor and Bookrunner with Commercial Bank and Barwa Bank as Mandated Lead Arrangers.
• The largest Qatari private sector syndicated transaction.
• The QAR 6 billion Doha Festival City to comprise of the first Ikea store in Qatar as well as a mall of 260,000 sqm gross leasable area.

EUROMONEY 2012 Award For Excellence

Qatar’s Leading Investment Bank, QInvest, has been recognized as Qatar’s Best Investment Bank in Euromoney’s 2012 awards for Excellence.

The awards, recognized as the most prestigious in the finance market, were announced at a dinner attended by a consortium of industry professionals in Mina A'Salam Hotel in Dubai, UAE.

QInvest Head of Real Estate Investment and Advisory, Craig Cowie, discussed Qatar’s careful planning for the 2022 FIFA World Cup

QInvest, Qatar’s leading investment bank, participated in the Annual Sharia'a Conference that took place in the Kingdom of Bahrain at the Diplomat Hotel on the 7th and 8th of May 2012.

The Conference was held under the auspices of Central Bank of Bahrain and organized by the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI), the international organization that formulates standards on accounting, auditing, ethics, governance, and Shari'a for the international Islamic finance industry.