The foreign funds were on Wednesday increasingly net buyers on the Qatar Stock Exchange, which closed 52 points higher.The real estate and banking counters witnessed higher than average demand as the 20-stock Qatar Index gained 0.49% to 10,542.71 points, recovering from an intraday low of 10,467 points.The foreign individuals were increasingly bullish in the main market, whose year-to-date losses truncated to 2.66%.As much as 62% of the traded constituents extended gains to investors in the main bourse, whose capitalisation expanded QR5.33bn or 0.87% to QR615.24bn on the back of midcap segments.The Arab institutions were seen net buyers in the main market, which saw 6,581 exchange traded funds (sponsored by Doha Bank) valued at QR0.07mn trade across five deals.The domestic funds’ weakened net profit booking had its influence in the main bourse, which saw no trading of treasury bills.The Gulf institutions’ lower net selling also had its say in the main market, which saw no trading of sovereign bonds.The Islamic index was seen gaining slower than the other indices in the main bourse, whose trade turnover and volumes were on the increase.The Total Return Index rose 0.49%, the All Islamic Index by 0.45% and the All Share Index by 0.56% in the main market.The realty sector index shot up 2.61%, banks and financial services (0.73%), industrials (0.46%), transport (0.45%) and consumer goods and services (0.02%); while telecom and insurance declined 0.65% and 0.34% respectively.Major gainers in the main market included Ezdan, Alijarah Holding, Mazaya Qatar, Qamco, Qatar Oman Investment, QNB, Masraf Al Rayan, Aamal Company, Al Khaleej Takaful, United Development Company, Barwa and Nakilat.Nevertheless, QLM, Al Faleh Educational Holding, Qatar General Insurance and Reinsurance, Medicare Group and Doha Insurance were among the losers in the main bourse.In the venture market, both Al Mahhar Holding and Techno Q saw their shares depreciate in value.The foreign institutions’ net buying increased noticeably to QR73.85mn compared to QR47.88mn on September 24.The foreign retail investors’ net buying strengthened marginally to QR4.77mn against QR4.73mn the previous day.The Arab institutions turned net buyers to the tune of QR0.47mn compared with no major net exposure on Tuesday.The domestic institutions’ net profit booking decreased perceptibly to QR19.37mn against QR23.67mn on September 24.The Arab individuals’ net selling weakened markedly to QR2.93mn compared to QR9.82mn the previous day.The Gulf institutions’ net profit booking eased marginally to QR8.34mn against QR9.08mn on Tuesday.However, the Qatari individuals’ net selling expanded significantly to QR48.33mn compared to QR11.52mn on September 24.The Gulf retail investors were net profit takers to the extent of QR0.11mn against net buyers of QR1.47mn the previous day.Trade volumes in the main market soared 78% to 294.63mn shares, value by 43% to QR536.2mn and transactions by 25% to 19,020.The venture market saw an 84% plunge in trade volumes to 0.1mn equities, 81% in value to QR0.26mn and 19% in deals to 25.

Ooredoo Group announced on Tuesday a landmark QR2bn financing deal to accelerate the growth of its data centre and AI business, enabling a significant expansion of capacity and the modernisation of its data centres.The financing deal was signed with QNB, Doha Bank, and Masraf Al Rayan. The 10-year hybrid facility, comprising commercial and Islamic tranches, is the largest transaction – in terms of value and tenor – ever achieved in Qatar’s tech sector, underscoring the confidence of leading financial institutions in Ooredoo’s strategic vision.The funds will be strategically allocated to carve out existing data centre assets from Ooredoo’s telecom operations, with a significant portion directed toward expanding capacity and upgrading infrastructure to support the growing demand for AI, cloud services, and hyperconnectivity in the Mena region.Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo, Group CEO, Ooredoo, said: “The Mena region is one of the fastest growing markets for data centres worldwide, and there is significant untapped potential in AI, Cloud services and accelerated computing. This financing deal marks a major milestone in our strategic vision for expanding our data centre and AI business, and we are excited to meet the region’s increasing demand while upholding our commitment to sustainable, energy-efficient infrastructure.“I would like to thank QNB, Doha Bank, and Masraf Al Rayan for their invaluable support in this landmark transaction and their dedication to accelerating the growth of digital infrastructure both in Qatar and across the region.”Abdulla Mubarak al-Khalifa, QNB Group CEO, said: “We are proud to have worked alongside Ooredoo Group, Doha Bank, and Masraf Al Rayan on this important financing deal, which will facilitate the growth of data centres in Qatar and the region. We expect the data centre market to grow significantly over the coming years, and by supporting Ooredoo, we are investing in the future of AI and Cloud services. This collaboration also strengthens Qatar’s leadership in technological innovation. We look forward to working closely with Ooredoo Group as this market evolves.”Fahad al-Khalifa, Group CEO, Masraf Al Rayan, commented: “We are excited to be part of this major financing deal, which will contribute to driving technological progress in Qatar and the region. By partnering with Ooredoo, we are investing in the future of digital infrastructure and supporting sustainable growth through innovation and economic diversification. We are proud to be at the forefront of this significant initiative, which will undoubtedly cement Qatar’s position as a leader in the digital economy.”Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Fahad bin Faisal al-Thani, Group CEO, Doha Bank, stated: “We are dedicated to supporting Ooredoo in its ambitious expansion of digital infrastructure through this financing deal. The growth of Ooredoo’s data centres will have a transformative impact on the tech sector, enhancing regional competitiveness and positioning the country as a leader in the digital economy. We are proud to play a role in enabling this important step towards achieving comprehensive development in Qatar and the region.”Ooredoo’s Data Centre Company was established to pioneer the region’s digital transformation by providing cutting-edge colocation services to hyperscalers and enterprises. As part of its strategic growth, the company plans to expand its capacity to over 120 megawatts through a $1bn investment in the medium to long term. This expansion will position Ooredoo to better serve the increasing demand for localised Cloud services and IT workloads, particularly from hyperscalers.With 26 active data centres across Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq, and Tunisia, Ooredoo continues to lead the Mena region’s data centre market. The company is committed to building a new generation of sustainable, energy-efficient data centres that securely process IT workloads for governments, hyperscalers, enterprises, and startups, driving innovation and AI adoption across the region.The deal will position Ooredoo and its Data Centre Company among the leading companies in the region to utilise the rise of generative AI and solidify Ooredoo’s position as the leading digital infrastructure provider in the region.Ooredoo Group has strong partnerships with hyperscalers, enabling the company to offer cloud-based solutions including Software as a Service (SaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS).Earlier this year Ooredoo Group announced a collaboration with NVIDIA, which will see the company leverage NVIDIA’s advanced accelerated computing platform to help enable the AI revolution across the Mena region and provide sovereign cloud solutions to governments and enterprises. The agreement marked NVIDIA’s first large-scale launch in the region.