Doha – In recent decades, the merging of new and advanced technologies has brought us a wealth of opportunities and challenges, significantly influencing our prosperity, economic resilience, lifestyle, and work dynamics, said Maha Sultan Al Sowaidi, Qatar Central Bank Assistant Governor for the Financial Stability Sector.
She was speaking at the 2nd edition of the Qatar Financial Market Forum, which began today. The forum is discussing this year’s theme, “Trends Shaping Emerging Markets and Sustainable Infrastructure and Mobility.”
Hosted by the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) and featuring participation from Bloomberg Intelligence, the forum is focusing on the State of Qatar’s strategic initiatives to enhance sustainable infrastructure.
It also delves into the significant role of policy in the transition to electric transport and ways to foster development in Qatar. Additionally, it covers the top trends shaping emerging markets in 2024, the Middle East in a global context, and the outlook for GCC banks.
Al Sowaidi praised the forum for being a platform that promotes knowledge exchange in pursuit of economic growth. “The financial sector is well-positioned to leverage the opportunities and address the risks presented by this technological evolution. Adopting a forward-looking approach, we are committed to ensuring that the financial sector has the necessary resilience, capital, and liquidity to maximize opportunities and effectively mitigate risks,” he said.
Yousuf Mohamed Al Jaida, QFC Chief Executive Officer, added, “We were thrilled to collaborate with Bloomberg Intelligence once again for the second edition of the Qatar Financial Market Forum.
This platform is dedicated to fostering high-level knowledge exchange and meaningful discussions that enable us to gain insights into evolving economic and industry trends, identify opportunities, and address challenges that can impact and shape our future.
This year’s theme is particularly noteworthy given the critical importance of understanding the dynamics in emerging markets, and sustainable infrastructure and mobility, in developing an effective strategy and fostering economic growth,” said Edmond Christou, Senior Industry Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence, speaking at the event.
“The Gulf region outpaces Europe and leads among emerging markets with a construction pipeline valued at over US$1.7 trillion for the next five years, exclusive of energy-related infrastructure. This substantial investment aims to diversify the region’s oil-dependent economy, offering Qatari banks, as well as other Gulf lenders and investors, a unique opportunity to capture a strong growth trajectory and mobilize green liquidity,” he added.
Analysts from Bloomberg Intelligence and QFC then led a series of engaging presentations and in-depth panel discussions, shedding light on key areas such as green technologies and renewable energy, smart urban planning, and resilient mobility solutions. Furthermore, the forum’s collective insights underscored the global relevance of the discussions and emphasized their specific implications for Qatar.
They also highlighted the importance of ongoing collaborations and dialogues in addressing the complex challenges facing emerging markets and sustainable development. Bloomberg Intelligence, the research arm of Bloomberg International, provides in-depth analyses and data on industries, companies, government sectors, credit, judicial disputes, and economic factors.