Tagged: qatar

September 6, 2022 @ 7:11 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Qatar Central Bank (QCB) has reportedly issued the nation’s first virtual payment licenses to Ooredoo Money and iPay by Vodafone Qatar. The announcement was made via social media on August 30, 2022. The update noted that the issuance was made to contribute to the development… Read More

August 21, 2022 @ 9:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA) launched a public consultation about the “National Blockchain Blueprint for Qatar,” which was collaboratively “developed by CRA, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, and Qatar University, with the aim of receiving the views and comments of stakeholders and concerned parties in Qatar on… Read More

July 7, 2022 @ 12:48 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

QNB, which is one of the largest financial institutions in the MENA region, has introduced  WeChat Pay and AliPay+ to its existing range of payment options that are accepted by its merchant network in Qatar, making it the first banking institution in the country to… Read More

March 5, 2022 @ 7:58 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Qatar Fintech Hub announced that it decided to host the fourth hackathon “to foster innovative ideas in next generation banking” Applications had been open “until 2 March 2022.” As confirmed in the announcement, pitches “take place on 10 March, and winners to be announced by… Read More

January 31, 2022 @ 10:37 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Spendwisor Inc. has entered into an agreement with Gem Global Yield LLC SCS (GEM) in order to boost the existing facility size from QAR 190 million (appr. $50 million) to QAR 310 million (appr. $85 million). As mentioned in the update, this serves as a… Read More

November 1, 2021 @ 7:52 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Qatar Fintech Hub (QFTH) recently shared the list of 16 Fintech firms that will be joining Wave 3 of its incubator and accelerator program. Established by the Qatar Development Bank (QDB), the QFTH is responsible for running an incubator and an accelerator program in… Read More

October 5, 2021 @ 7:19 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Qatar Fintech Hub (QFTH), established by the Qatar Development Bank (QDB) to support the growth of the Fintech industry in the Middle Eastern country, published its first whitepaper on the current state of the fast-evolving Fintech ecosystem in the MENA region. Titled “From Qatar to… Read More

August 24, 2021 @ 10:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

HSBC Qatar has introduced mobile payments and collections services for its personal and corporate clients, as part of its ongoing investment into digitizing banking services. These recent updates will aim to enable greater financial inclusion for the unbanked sector and  visitors in Qatar, which is… Read More

July 16, 2021 @ 8:06 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Spendwisor, a US-headquartered mobile payment app with business offices and service locations in Qatar and the United Kingdom, has confirmed a QAR 190 million ($50 million) investment commitment from GEM Global Yield, a $3.4 billion Luxembourg-headquartered private alternative investment group. The company plans to use… Read More

June 1, 2021 @ 11:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Qatar-headquartered Fintech firm Dibsy has acquired $300,000 through a pre-seed round that was led by Salem Khalaf Al Mannai along with participation from several angel investors. Dibsy’s management reveals that their investment round was finalized in late 2020. The Dibsy team notes: “Our brand is… Read More

May 30, 2021 @ 2:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Total trade volume between Qatar and the United Kingdom reportedly reached £7 billion last year, even though there were restrictions in place (partly due to COVID). The strong trading activity is also being reported after various challenges related to the pandemic and resulting socioeconomic uncertainty,… Read More

March 26, 2021 @ 10:55 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Qatar’s Islamic or Sharia-compliant Fintech sector is on track to record significant growth in the next 5 years, according to local sources. As digital transformations accelerate Islamic finance ecosystems worldwide, we are happy to share with you the Global Islamic Fintech Report 2021 produced by… Read More

March 20, 2021 @ 7:03 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and M7, a creative start-up hub that’s operated under Qatar Museums, are introducing Scale7, which is a business incubator for MENA region entrepreneurs. Scale 7 aims to support a creative and artistic ecosystem. The initiative will help Qatari entrepreneurs, local… Read More

March 8, 2021 @ 10:59 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Fintech industry experts from Qatar and Bangladesh recently talked about potential opportunities in the financial services sector during a webinar.  Bangladesh Forum Qatar (BFQ) had organized the webinar on “An Exploration of the Qatar – Bangladesh Startup and Fintech Opportunities” along with assistance from the… Read More

January 10, 2021 @ 5:11 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Qatar-based Fintech firm Cwallet has finalized a $220,000 pre-seed investment round from its founders and MBK Holding, the company’s CEO has confirmed. Michael Javier, who’s also Co-founder at Cwallet, noted that the Fintech company is now working cooperatively with the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) in… Read More

December 14, 2020 @ 10:49 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The US-Qatar Business Council (USQBC), the Silicon Valley Forum and the Embassy of the State of Qatar in Washington DC recently held a discussion during a virtual event on December 8, 2020, titled “Qatar in Focus: Smarter Countries & Thriving Communities in the Digital Age.”… Read More

November 22, 2020 @ 3:03 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Qualified or eligible Fintech firms interested in establishing operations at the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) could save around $10,000 as the QFC gets ready to launch its “Tech Talk” series. Henk Jan Hoogendoorn, MD at the Financial Sector Office at the QFC, noted earlier this… Read More

November 9, 2020 @ 5:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Qatar’s private sector is now ready to work cooperatively with US-based companies and businesses, according to Qatar Development Bank CEO Abdulaziz Bin Nasser Al Khalifa. As previously reported, the Qatar Development Bank (QDB) offers financial services, banking, and loans to support the development of the… Read More

October 27, 2020 @ 11:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Abdulaziz Bin Nasser Al Khalifa, the CEO at Qatar Development Bank (QDB), which offers financial services, banking, and loans to support the development of the nation’s economy, has said that changing mindsets regarding entrepreneurship is “critical to growth.” QDB plans to help both government employees… Read More

October 15, 2020 @ 6:35 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Qatar is now well-positioned to provide a test-bed for creating business-to-business (B2B) Fintech solutions. The Middle Eastern nation has introduced its National Vision 2030 Strategy, which includes several Fintech-focused projects that should help with expanding and diversifying Qatar’s economy. Qatar’s financial technology sector has been… Read More