Tapping into more than 200 years of proven natural gas reserves and substantial oil resources expected to last for years, the Qatar’s strategic long-term role in fuelling regional and global growth is clear. In recent years, Qatar has stepped up its efforts to ensure its economic growth is sustained by maintaining a competitive advantage achieved through 25.7 billion barrels of proven oil reserves and natural gas deposits in excess of 900 trillion cubic feet. It is easy to see why investors see Qatar as the Gulf’s new economic powerhouse. The Qatari economy continues to boom, with national GDP on track to reach 18.6% in 2011 and the country’s stable international credit rating reflecting Qatar’s ability to shrug off adverse changes in business, economic and financial conditions. While oil and gas exports have traditionally generated the bulk of the national economy, the Qatari government is proactively encouraging economic diversification to strengthen the state’s longterm prosperity.
Even with Qatar’s increasing domestic investment plans, the country’s strong growth will ensure that it continues to generate vast amounts of surplus capital to be re-invested for decades to come. QInvest is on hand to lend its advisory, financing and investment expertise to help clients leverage wealth creating opportunities and further the country’s development for future generations.
At the center, Qatar’s push to create a more diversified economy has been the country’s financial sector, supported by a strong central bank, the establishment of the Qatar Financial Centre and the fast developing Qatar Exchange to implement world class financial best practice all underpinned by a robust regulatory environment. Within this landscape, QInvest has emerged as a role model for the investment banking industry in the region and beyond.
Amidst the widespread financial turmoil of recent years and as the global banking environment became tougher, QInvest proved it capable of resisting negative international trends and emerged from the crisis poised to execute a strategic vision to solidify its position as a regional investment banking champion with an international reach.
Under the visionary leadership of the chairman, Sheikh Jassim Hamad Jaber Al Thani, and CEO, Shahzad Shahbaz, QInvest offers expertise and a new perspective as the nation travels on the 2022 journey. It is an approach with a difference that enables the firm to deliver high value service covering advisory, financing and investment providing access to know-how and expertise on the ground here in Qatar.
Recruiting strong talent, with international experience and regional knowledge, dedicated to support its core business lines — investment banking, investment management, brokerage and wealth management — QInvest provides a platform which creates innovative Shariah compliant solutions supported by enduring client relationships built on knowledge, experience and trust.
While QInvest remains clearly focused on developing its business within Qatar and the GCC region, the firm also has its sights firmly fixed on broadening its reach more internationally. Implementing a bold program of strategic partnerships that increases investment opportunities and services to its regional clients, QInvest has successfully invested in financial institutions outside the UK, the US and India.
QInvest’s wider investment activity has seen purchases of a 40.8% stake in the UAE’s leading outsourced hospitality services business Intercat and Butlers, 28% stake in India’s leading exhibition and conferences organizer Asian Business Exhibition & Conferences and more recently a stake in FIITJEE, a leading Indian test preparation company for engineering and medical entrance examinations.
QInvest’s investment banking team has executed a growing pipeline of diversified deals covering financing and advisory activities to corporate and institutional clients both regionally and internationally. Working closely with origination and coverage; and placement and distribution, the team delivers high quality execution to:
• mergers and acquisitions
• corporate finance advisory
• equity capital markets
• debt capital markets
• leveraged finance
• real estate finance
• asset and liability management
• debt restructuring
QInvest is rolling out the best brokerage team that will deliver full service research, sales, trading and execution services across the firm’s geographic footprint. The business will leverage its UK and US partners and expertise combined with QInvest’s regional insight to create a market leader in the region to deliver:
• high quality research-led execution
• Pan-GCC institutional platform
• extended coverage to MENASA, Turkey and Southeast Asia region
QInvest wealth management unit offers a tailored service embracing client’s total investment portfolios. The focus is to bring clarity to the most complex, diversified, and disparate portfolios. Giving clients a holistic view of their portfolio value, asset mix and the overall risk, through comprehensive consolidated reporting which has been tailored to specific client’s preferences.
The unit provides expertise in portfolio structuring, as well as an active advisory service, shaped around clients’ investment preferences and risk appetite.
Supported by cutting edge technology, our areas of expertise include:
• multi asset, multi manager portfolio advisory
• portfolio review, analysis and investment recommendations
• fee and service provider optimization and due diligence
• discretionary portfolio management
• single client and family office fund solutions
• portfolio restructuring, disposal and risk overlays
QInvest’s strong structuring capabilities were recently evidenced by the launch of a Shariah compliant enhanced yield note that has been met with great enthusiasm by investors and raised significantly more than expected. Complementing this achievement, QInvest and Ambit, one of India’s preeminent financial services firms, are planning to launch the region’s first, and India’s largest, Shariah compliant equity fund.
QInvest takes a leading role in the development of the communities in which it operates. The company’s commitment to corporate social responsibility encapsulates supporting a number of educational, social and sport events. Understanding the need to plan for longterm success, QInvest has created QTalent — three recruitment, retention and career development programs to identify and develop high potential talent to meet the demands of QInvest’s ambitious expansion plans.
Testament to the quality of the firm, QInvest has achieved widespread international recognition with a string of prestigious awards including — Shariah Fund of the Year, Most Innovative Sukuk Deal, Best Sharia Compliant Firm, Most Innovative GCC Qatar Investment Institution, Best Islamic Bank in Qatar, and Qatar Deal of the Year.
QInvest has fuelled its growth strategy by successfully closing a rights offering to boost its paid up capital beyond the initial US$500million to its current level of US$750 million. In addition to strengthening its position as the leading investment bank in Qatar, QInvest established a representative office in Turkey complementing its strategic partnerships in the UK, the US and India. Lately, the firm was granted by The Capital Market Authority a provisional license to conduct business in the Kingdom.
Across the board, QInvest business lines are gaining traction and the firm has created a strong platform staffed by a highly talented team, all of which position QInvest well to deliver strong business performance in 2011 and beyond. As Qatar repares to make history by hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022, QInvest provides unrivalled access to capital sources and quality advice to ensure investing in Qatar is a rewarding experience for all clients. The message is clear— share in Qatar’s future by sharing in QInvest’s new perspective.