The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Qatar, in collaboration with MERGE, has hosted the inaugural ‘Qatar Trade and Treasury Thought Leaders Roundtable’ at Qatar Chamber’s Doha headquarters.

The roundtable brought together key stakeholders from leading banks and fintech companies, including Masraf Al Rayan, Commercial Bank, QNB, Standard Chartered, Mashreq Bank, Finastra, CQUR Bank, GBM Qatar, and Naxxum.

Moderated by Eleanor Hill, content director at MERGE, the discussion delved into pressing issues shaping the future of trade and treasury. As Qatar continues its ambitious 2030 national vision, the roundtable explored the role of economic diversification, trade digitalisation, sustainability, Islamic finance, and regulation, in transforming the country’s financial landscape.

Participants unanimously agreed on the need for continuous collaboration between financial institutions, corporates, and regulators to successfully navigate the road ahead for Qatar’s trade and treasury sectors.

The roundtable served as a primer to the upcoming ‘Qatar Trade and Treasury Transformation Summit 2025’, organised by MERGE with the support of ICC Qatar, set to take place in February 2025.

The discussion also contributed to the work of the ICC Qatar’s newly-formed ‘UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR) Task Force’, which will kick off on October 9.

Hill said, “The candid conversations highlighted the transformation challenges and opportunities within Qatar’s trade and treasury sectors. From digitalisation to sustainability, it’s clear that the potential benefits ahead are vast, but they will require collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment to progress. To effect this change, we must go beyond talk and ensure these discussions translate into action.”

Queenie Taylor-Wong, co-founder & CEO of MERGE, added: “We are delighted to have the support from the local trade and treasury community in helping us to drive the conversation forward, especially in the area of digitalisation. It is important to have these discussions. We look forward to continuing to work closely with ICC Qatar and all key stakeholders on vital commissions, such as ‘ICC Qatar Customs & Trade Facilitation Commission’. We also look forward to having more key players involved from various industries, particularly corporates, at next year’s summit.”

An ICC Qatar spokesperson stated, “The topics discussed during the roundtable are vital for advancing our sector. The agenda pushed boundaries, and we aim to further develop these conversations in a more technical context, incorporating them into our regular commission and task force meetings. This is particularly relevant for the UNCITRAL MLETR Task Force, with our next meeting scheduled for October 9th, 2024. We also look forward to expanding these thought leadership discussions at the summit next year.”