Qatar
Gulf statistics centre to promote transparency by working ‘hand-in-hand' with IMF
GCC-Stat, a joint effort by the Gulf states to improve collation of national data, hailed by IMF as an ‘important boost' that will harmonise implementation of international standards
GCC states need to jettison ‘destabilising' US-dollar pegs, says Qatar's Al Khater
Oil-rich Gulf states should peg currencies to crawling trade-weighted baskets as US demand becomes less of a factor in driving oil prices, says Qatari central banker
Norwegian SWF far too exposed to OECD nations, report finds
NCA/Re-Define report calls for 20% of Norway's GPF foreign assets to be allocated to development finance, as Peterson Institute again gives fund top marks for transparency and accountability
Central Bank of Egypt seeks help at home and abroad to shore up currency reserves
CBE governor wins $3bn in grant and interest-free loans from the UAE; bank launches ‘Egypt support' fund amid political unrest
Qatar central bank to launch interbank rate
Qatar Central Bank to launch interbank rate; first entry into market for gulf state, which will offer fixings across eight categories
Qatar launches m-payment scheme
Qatar Central Bank licenses two telecoms providers to offer mobile payment services; move makes it first in region to operate scheme
Gulf markets integrated enough for monetary union
IMF economists’ work indicates stage set for single-currency project
Thorpe on setting up a single regulatory authority in Qatar
Justin Keay speaks with the head of the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority about Qatar’s move to a single regulatory authority and the plans to roll western-style regulation across the whole country
Riyadh to host regional central bank
Saudi Arabia's capital has been named as the location for the Gulf's regional central bank, after an eight-month delay.
Qatar takes stake in Credit Suisse
The Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund, has bought a stake in Credit Suisse, Switzerland's second-largest bank.
Qatar Central Bank - Annual Report 2007
Qatar's state budget realised a surplus for the seventh-straight year in 2006, the central bank's latest Annual Report reveals.
GCC governors back regional CB plans
Central bank governors in the gulf have taken a significant step towards monetary union, backing the creation of a regional central bank.
Fund warns Gulf countries on inflation
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries with currencies pegged to the greenback will face a tough battle against inflation, the International Monetary Fund said on Monday.
Qatar confirms SWF partnership with Abu Dhabi
A senior official at Qatar's sovereign wealth fund has said that it will make a series of joint investments with one of Abu Dhabi's four state-run investment vehicles.
Sovereign wealth fund round-up
The creation of a much-mooted code of conduct for sovereign wealth funds edged closer this week after the European Commission submitted its ideas to the region's finance ministers for review in mid-March.
Qatar SWF to invest up to $15 billion in banks
The Qatar Investment Authority will spend between $10 billion and $15 billion buying up stakes in banks, the head of the sovereign wealth fund has revealed.
SWF round-up
The march of sovereign wealth funds on Western financial institutions continued this week with the announcement the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) will buy a stake in Credit Suisse, a Swiss bank.
Gulf reserves set to top $2 trillion
If global oil prices remain high, foreign exchange reserves in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will exceed $2 trillion by the end of this year.
Near-record inflation forces Oman to limit lending
The Central Bank of Oman upped banks' reserve requirement ratio on Sunday in a bid to curb rampant inflation.
Qatar Central Bank - Annual Report 2005
The Qatari economy rocketed by an impressive 33.8% in 2005, boosted by the oil and gas sector, which expanded by 46.3%.
Qatar may not track Fed moves
In comments that throw the future of a currency union in the Gulf in further doubt, the governor of the Qatari central bank has suggested the central bank could deviate from its usual practice of shadowing the Fed's monetary policy decisions.
Qatar to keep riyal pegged to dollar
Abdullah al-Thani, the governor of the Qatar Central Bank, said that the riyal would remain pegged to the US dollar on Tuesday.
Interim board for new Qatari watchdog by December
Qatar's finance ministry will appoint an interim board to manage the proposed single financial sector regulator by December this year.
New regulator for Qatar
Qatar is to follow the international trend towards an integrated approach to the regulation of various financial products, services and institutions. Work is under way to create a fully-integrated regulatory and legal environment for financial services.