Doha, February 17 (QNA) - Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MOCI) unveiled the issuance of almost 28,000 commercial registrations (CR) during 2025, marking 57% growth compared to 2024.

This came during the fourth quarterly meeting to review the Ministry’s performance for 2025, chaired by HE Minister of Commerce and Industry Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al-Thani and attended by HE Minister of State for Foreign Trade Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sayed, HE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry Mohammed bin Hassan Al Malki, alongside assistant undersecretaries and department directors.

The meeting scrutinized the key milestones and initiatives the Ministry achieved throughout the fourth quarter of 2025, including continuing the enhancement of economic diversity, backing public-private sector partnerships, accelerating the pace of digital transformation in services, empowering small and medium-sized enterprises, and safeguarding intellectual property rights in alignment with Qatar National Vision 2030 objectives and the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030.

The meeting also debated the outcomes of MOCI's overall performance during the fourth quarter of 2025 and examined the performance indicators of its sectors and departments, identifying key operational challenges, in addition to putting forward a number of solutions and targeted initiatives to accelerate the execution of approved plans and projects, thereby contributing to enhanced performance efficiency and improved quality of delivered services.

Regarding the trade affairs sector, indicators demonstrated a remarkable breakthrough, with almost 28,000 CRs issued throughout 2025, reflecting 57% growth compared to 2024, as well as the issuance of 34,500 commercial licenses, marking a 53% increase compared to 2024. Additionally, 16 auditors were registered, along with 8 accounting companies and offices during 2025.

  The Single-Window platform continued to operate, with 26 services developed during 2025, while the total number of transactions submitted through the platform reached 239,593, 93% of which were submitted electronically, reflecting the efficiency of efforts to accelerate digital transformation in service delivery.

The customer satisfaction rate for the electronic submission service reached 95% during the fourth quarter of the same year.

On the foreign investment front, 12,449 non-Qatari companies were established during 2025, achieving 600% growth compared to 2024, demonstrating the attractiveness of Qatar’s investment climate and reinforcing investor confidence.

In the domain of intellectual property protection, indicators showed a marked improvement. In 2025, the number of granted patent applications reached 255, a 6% increase compared to 2024; 9,218 trademark registration applications were granted, reflecting 23% growth; and 258 copyright applications were granted, representing an 89% increase compared to the previous year.

In the industry and business development sector, the contribution of manufacturing industries to GDP reached approximately QAR 14.2 billion during the third quarter of 2025, while the sector continued to expand its industrial base with the registration of 39 factories in 2025, in addition to assessing the readiness of 100 factories under the Smart Industry Readiness Index (SIRI).

The volume of investments in new factories during the fourth quarter reached approximately QAR 758 million, while the cumulative investment in the industrial sector totaled QAR 270 billion during the same period.

  As part of efforts to foster the business environment and support the private sector, the statement noted that 10 public-private partnership projects were studied during 2025.

In addition, the time required to issue industrial licenses, obtain initial approvals, and secure customs exemptions for factory inputs was reduced to one working day during the fourth quarter of the year.

In the consumer affairs sector, indicators reflected an improvement in procedural efficiency, with 18,400 specialized licenses (for discounts and promotional offers) issued during 2025, representing 26% growth compared to 2024, in addition to reducing the processing time for these licenses to less than one working day.

The average time required to process requests for price increases of goods and services (registration, addition, deletion, modification) was reduced from two working days to one working day during the fourth quarter, while the annual average processing time for price-increase requests in 2025 reached 25 days, reflecting a 63% decrease compared to 2024.

Overall, 229,000 inspection operations were carried out during 2025, with violations accounting for 19% of the total inspected establishments, most of which resulted from the establishment not being present at its registered location, as part of efforts to enhance market oversight and protect consumers.

The Consumer Affairs sector received 23,400 complaints during 2025, all of which were closed at 100%, while the number of beneficiaries of supply support (Tamween) reached 450,000 during the fourth quarter of 2025, and the number of beneficiaries of fodder support reached 8,535 during the same period.

As the meeting wrapped up, HE Minister of Commerce and Industry stressed that it is essential to continue working based on a combined corporate approach in terms of elevating performance efficiency and boosting its effectiveness.

He emphasized that what maters most is to accelerate digital transformation and promoting the quality of provided services, thereby fostering national economic competitiveness and helping achieve Qatar National Vision 2030 objectives. (QNA)