DOHA: The two-day annual Euromoney Qatar Conference opening here today will examine a full range of key issues impacting the national, regional and global economies, with an extra focus on Qatar’s real estate sector.
Qatar’s fast-growing economy and rising population are creating significant opportunities for investors, as well as for local and international banks. Real estate prices hit record highs in June 2014, after rising 28.9 percent year-on-year.
Increasing real estate activity has delivered a knock-on effect on bank lending levels. According to Qatar Central Bank, loans to the real estate and contracting sectors are now worth more than 20 percent of all credit advanced by commercial banks in Qatar.
A special panel on “Building the Future: Opportunities in the Qatari Real Estate Sector,” will be held on the second day of the Euromoney Qatar conference. Panel speakers will include Jeremy Scott, Senior Associate - Real Estate, Al Tamimi & Company, and Peter Bibby, Director and Qatar Country Manager, Colliers International.
Richard Banks, Director, Euromoney Qatar Conference, said: “Population growth and increasing development are creating strong demand for housing and office space within Qatar, particularly as work on many of the country’s mega-projects picks up speed. This year’s Euromoney Qatar Conference will examine the changing regulatory climate that will make it easier for international financial organisations to play a bigger role in this dynamic and fast-changing market.”
The Euromoney Qatar Conference, which is co-hosted by Qatar Central Bank, has become a financial industry must-attend event. Prominent speakers from Qatar include Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani, Chairman of Ooredoo; Sheikha Hanadi Nasser bin Khaled Al Thani, Founder and Chairperson of Amwal; and Aisha Mohammed Saad Al Nuaimi, Investment Director, General Retirement and Social Insurance Authority (GRSIA).
Other panels include “Changes in the Global Regulatory Environment and their Impact on the GCC Eurozone Outlook for 2015”, “Trading and Issuance Implications of Post-Crisis Debt Market’s Liquidity”, and “The World in 2015: The Macroeconomic Outlook”.
The Peninsula
