ABDULLA MUBARAK AL KHALIFA
Present in 31 countries across Asia, Africa, and Europe, the QNB Group has leveraged successful acquisitions in Turkey and Egypt to emerge in far more frontier markets.
BIOGRAPHY
Abdulla Mubarak Al Khalifa joined QNB Group in 1996 and is currently the acting CEO at QNB Group. His most recent role was as executive general manager and chief business officer with responsibility for corporate, retail, assets and wealth management, treasury, and international banking. He has also held several other senior strategic positions across the group, roles that have given him extensive experience in corporate and project financing, strategic planning, sales and marketing, risk management, M&As, and customer relationship management. He holds a bachelor's in business administration from Eastern Washington University.
What have been QNB's main areas of focus in the last few years at the national and international level, and what are its plans and expectations for 2020?
While our aspiration is to become a leading bank in the Middle East, Africa, and South East Asia by 2020, our main focus is to pursue sustainable, profitable growth. Our aspiration and focus are underpinned by a long-term strategy that encompasses protecting our dominant position in Qatar and accelerating international growth organically and inorganically. Domestically, we continue to focus on maintaining our leading position by maintaining our market share and profitability in the public sector as well as our profitability from the private sector and individuals. We focus on four primary areas: utilities, transport, 2022 FIFA World Cup infrastructure, and real estate. In addition to these, we are supporting a number of private-sector initiatives to make Qatar more self-sufficient in food production, logistics, and manufacturing to ensure its long-term economic sustainability. Furthermore, international organic expansion was and is one of the cornerstones of QNB Group's strategy. Through expansion, QNB aims to diversify its earnings and risk. Our growing international footprint is largely in frontier and emerging markets. As we expand, so too do the opportunities across our network. QNB Group is present in 31 countries across Asia, Africa, and Europe, and it has continued to strengthen its contribution from previous acquisitions in Egypt and Turkey. In both these markets, we see further growth potential and a pickup in economic growth. In Asia, we have a branch in Singapore, which serves as our Asia hub, and a subsidiary in Indonesia, the largest economy in ASEAN. We are specifically targeting ASEAN countries, which are export-oriented economies that have exceeded global economic growth in the last two decades and are expected to continue to do so. Besides organic growth, we also continue to consider strategic investments in markets that enable us to expand our geographic footprint. We are very selective in our approach with regards to further expansion and look at targets in relevant markets with regards to macroeconomic outlook, banking sector penetration, growth potential and regulatory requirements, risk/reward, target quality, strategic fit, and price.
Moody's Investors Service upgraded the outlook for Qatar's banking system from negative to stable in October 2018. How has the banking sector evolved in the last few years, and why did Moody's upgrade Qatar's rating?
The upgrading of the banking sector outlook to stable reflected the resilience of the Qatar's economy and banking system. The rating agency also stated that country's banking sector profitability will remain stable with capital buffers remaining strong. This upgrade stems from the successful rebalancing of Qatari banks' funding profile. Moreover, the sector has continued to demonstrate sustainable and healthy growth, substantiated by high asset quality, strong capitalization, and high profitability. Nonperforming loans were low, at 1.9% of total loans in 2018, and returns to equity were high, at 15.3%. Banks comply fully with Basel III capital adequacy standards with a capital adequacy ratio of 18% as of the end of 2018. Strong supervision by the central bank and prudent lending policies will ensure that the strong health of the Qatari banking sector will continue in the future.
How has the QNB rallied around the government's policies to make sure the objectives dictated in the QNV 2030 are accomplished and the economy is diversified?
The strategic initiatives around QNV 2030 are focused on human, social, economic, and environmental development. The achievement of the QNV 2030 goals requires strong coordination among major institutions in Qatar, both public and private. As a financial intermediary, we view ourselves as a natural catalyst to nurture the growth of the private sector, specifically SMEs. QNB Group has continued to build on the successful launch of its SME unit as a one-stop shop. What's more, we have broadened our value proposition for SMEs to enable a seamless service to support them throughout all lifecycle stages.
ABDULLA MUBARAK AL KHALIFA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Interview
Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida, CEO, Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Authority
Given its successful performance in the last few years, QFC is optimistic it will be able to capitalize on Qatar's ongoing efforts to create a world-class business environment and attract more global companies.
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Lolwah R M Al-Khater, Spokesperson, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is focused on pushing forward Qatar's foreign policy, sharing information and perspectives that could be useful for regional security and advancing the Qatari narratives on many issues facing the world today.
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Richard O’Kennedy, Vice President, Research, Development, and Innovation, Qatar Foundation
The first country in the world to track its citizens' genomes, Qatar is on track to make one of modern science's biggest breakthroughs by personalizing medical treatment and precision care.
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Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, Minister, Transport and Communications (MoTC)
With plans for a fully electric bus system and an impressive set of interconnected transportation options including metro, rail, and tram, the Ministry of Transport and Communication is shifting mobility into the next gear in Qatar.
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Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al Thani, Governor, Qatar Central Bank (QCB)
Encouraging local manufacturing, initiating self-sufficiency in dairy and farm products, expanding into new air and sea routes, offering select visa-free entry, and enacting fiscal reforms are but several of the successful reforms undertaken since 2017.
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Sean Kelly, Project Director, Place Vendôme
Place Vendôme is no ordinary mall: with 650 hotel rooms, a 6,000-sqm cinema with 18 screens, six slides, three toboggan runs, and an ice river opening in September 2020, it is looking to slide into Qatar's tourism infrastructure in time for the World Cup.
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Mehmed Zingal, General Manager, Turkish Airlines - Qatar
With its 30th year celebration of its Miles&Smiles club launch in Qatar, Turkish Airlines is acknowledging its continued diligence to provide the best customer service, with targets to increase customer happiness through innovative technologies and increasing tourism to Qatar for the future.
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Hassan Rashid Al-Derham, President, Qatar University (QU)
Ranked in the top-500 universities by the Times Higher Education, Qatar University improves students' academic success by supporting students throughout their academic lifecycle, from the pre-university stage to beyond graduation.
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A lesson learned
The international attention set to fall on Qatar over the coming years is significant only to the extent that it generates advances in human capital required by Qatar's blueprint, National Vision 2020, where local know-how and innovation advance the nation and promote wellbeing.
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Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health & Managing Director,, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)
The health minister is committed to continuing the growth of Qatar's healthcare system, with plans for more than 20 new facilities specializing in pediatrics, geriatrics, and mental health.
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