Doha, April 08 (QNA) - The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) announced the addition of more than 800 new firms to its business platform from January to March 2026, thus recording an annual growth of 57% in the first quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2025.

The QFC said in a statement Wednesday that this performance of the center, which has become one of the leading financial and commercial centers, reflects continued confidence in the robustness of the business environment in Qatar.

In March, Qatar’s sovereign credit rating of ‘AA’ with a stable outlook was reaffirmed by Fitch Ratings, highlighting the country’s strong financial position, high national income, and substantial overseas investment portfolio, alongside a favorable long-term growth outlook, all of which support its capacity to absorb external shocks and navigate global trade disruptions.

In this context, CEO of QFC Mansoor Rashid Al-Khater said, "QFC’s first quarter performance, including March, reflects the underlying strength of our platform and trust in Qatar’s economic resilience. We remain focused on our strategic priorities, including attracting wealth, developing the local financial services sector, supporting diversification, and maintaining uninterrupted delivery of our full range of services to a consistently high standard."

These efforts, alongside QFC’s commitment to supporting Qatar’s long-term national development objectives, continue to create opportunities across sectors and strengthen Doha’s position as a competitive financial hub. 

This is reflected in Doha’s standing in the Global Financial Centres Index 39, where it climbed 14 places to rank third in the MENA region. Doha’s rating also increased by four points, indicating enhanced overall competitiveness.

The QFC was established to operate within the country, providing a distinguished business platform for firms wishing to establish and conduct their activities in Qatar or the region in general.

The QFC offers its own legal, regulatory, tax and business environment, which allows up to 100% foreign ownership, 100% repatriation of profits, and charges a competitive rate of 10% corporate tax on locally sourced profits. (QNA)