QFC revamping its digital interfaces to meet increasing customer demand

The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) is revamping its digital interfaces to meet the increasing demand from its customers as Doha has been witnessing accelerated growth in the digital technology sector, opening new opportunities.

"Accelerated growth in the digital technology sector is one such major trend we continue to notice in Qatar. Most importantly, to respond to the increased digitalisation, the QFC is revamping its digital interfaces to meet challenges and demands from our customers," Henk Jan Hoogendoorn, managing director, Financial Sector Office, QFC, told a recently held “Economists’ Roundtable: Enhancing the Roundtable’s Work and Impact”.The fight against the pandemic gaining traction in most major economies, which is gradually shifting economic activities back to normal and many new opportunities are arising, he said.The event featured engaging discussions among representatives of some of Qatar’s leading institutions as part of the roundtable’s work-streams, focusing on areas critical to achieving a sustainable and equitable recovery, including enhancing Qatar’s competitiveness and foreign direct investment (FDI); making better use of data from the Planning and Statistics Authority for more effective policies; and carbon pricing mechanisms.The roundtable also featured an informative session on the state of affairs at the QFC, a leading onshore financial and business centre in the region, and its contributions to Qatar’s economy at large and the post-Covid-19 economic recovery in particular.Leading business, policy, and research experts delivered insightful presentations and vital industry updates during the event. Speakers included Nader Kabbani, Director of Research and Senior Fellow, Brookings Doha Center; John Kilani, Director of Sustainable Development, Al-Attiyah Foundation; Thaddeus Malesa, Senior Adviser, Economics and Research, QFC; and Nejla Ben Mimoune, Research Assistant, Brookings Doha Center.Sheikha Alanoud bint Hamad al-Thani, Managing Director of Business Development, QFC, shared closing remarks, highlighting the QFC’s commitment to a more sustainable economic growth in the country."As nations struggle to rebuild their battered economies after the profound impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the urgency of dealing with climate change remains in the spotlight. We are seeing many countries now committing to ambitious target of net-zero emissions by 2050, as a show of their commitment to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement," said Kilani.Highlighting that the growing number of countries and companies announcing such targets could soon make it unavoidable for most entities not to jump on the bandwagon, he however said enormous efforts, entailing a host of approaches, would be required to reach the net-zero targets.Suggesting that one such approach is carbon pricing, Kilani said a growing number of industry leaders, including energy industry leaders, are affirming that a price on carbon would create an incentive for companies to decarbonise, and to finance climate action through carbon credits."It is appropriate that one of the roundtable’s work streams is exploring the potential of carbon pricing, as a cost-effective tool for climate mitigation, with expected outcomes that should contribute to Qatar’s efforts to continue to expand its economy, in line with the country’s commitment to the goal of the Paris Agreement,” he added.