Author: qfbadmin

Employee families invited to compete in Family Sports Day Event at Aspire Park

Qatar First Bank (QFB), is an the independent Shari’ah compliant private authorised and regulated by QFC Regulatory Authority. QFB, dedicated to providing bespoke financial services and investment opportunities to High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI), corporate and institutional investors today announced the launch of “QFB Fit-Feb” a month long corporate wellness programme that includes a series of initiatives to mark Qatar’s fifth National Sports Day.

“QFB Fit-Feb” which will run during the month of February aims to encourage staff to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle and to reinforce the benefits such a lifestyle can bring to employees’ productivity and efficiency. Awareness will be raised through a series of daily health tips and seminars.

As part of the QFB Fit-Feb program, the bank will organize a family Sports Day, on 9th February at Aspire Park, for QFB employees and their families. This is an opportunity for all families to come together and participate in various sport competitions including a rowing competition, mini football tournament and many more.

Mr Ziad Makkawi, QFB’s Chief Executive Officer, added: “QFB Fit-Feb program is aimed at raising the employee’s awareness about the importance of embracing a healthy and active lifestyle. Studies have proven that regular exercise can improve mental performance and time management skills leading to a more efficient and productive workforce. We applaud Qatar’s initiatives in integrating wellbeing as a pillar of its National Vision 2030 and dedicating a day to raise the awareness of the nation on the importance of adopting a well-balanced lifestyle.”

Qatar’s National Sports Day is held annually on the second Tuesday of February, with the main objective of promoting a healthy lifestyle among the community. Private and public organizations throughout Qatar organize events to encourage the population regardless of their age or fitness levels involved in a competition or activity.

Bank launches high level series of speaker events, seminars and workshops for business community

Qatar First Bank (QFB), the independent Shari’ah compliant bank authorised and regulated by QFC Regulatory Authority. QFB is dedicated to providing bespoke financial services and investment opportunities to High Net Worth Individuals (HNWI), corporate and institutional investors, today announced the launch of its ‘Knowledge Excellence Series’.

The “Knowledge Excellence Series” is part of QFB’s wider Corporate Social Responsibility strategy that focuses on education and promotion of knowledge. This comes in alignment with Qatar’s National Vision of which education is a key pillar. The “Knowledge Excellence Series” is a platform to facilitate knowledge exchange among different segments of society through the hosting of regular speaker events, workshops, educational and lifestyle events focusing on a wide range of topics including finance, economics, investments, health, education and art.

To kick off the series, on 1st February, QFB will host, Financial expert Nili Gilbert, Co-Founder and Portfolio Manager for Matarin Capita with responsibility for hedge fund and long-only equity strategies, at its recently launched premium Private Banking Lounge. Nili is regularly invited to share her extensive investment insights on CNBC television network. She is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with a BA from Harvard University, where she graduated magna cum laude in a Special Concentration in Economics and Social Studies, and an MBA in Finance from Columbia University, where she was a Toigo Fellow.

Nili was selected as a winner of the Toigo Bridge to Business 2011 award, and as a 100 Women in Hedge Funds 2013 Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Scholar. She chairs the Finance and Investment Committees of the Board of Directors of the Synergos Institute, an organization founded and chaired by Peggy Dulany, the daughter of renowned American banker, David Rockefeller. Gilbert is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, where she sits on its International Affairs Fellows Selection Committee and its Term Member Advisory Committee.

Mr Ziad Makkawi, QFB’s Chief Executive Officer said: “Education is key in driving economic growth. Our “Knowledge Excellence Series” aim to support Qatar’s initiatives to become a knowledge based economy. Our intention is to develop a platform that will accelerate the transfer of knowledge and information sharing by bringing together industry practitioners and business leaders from the wider community.”

We hope that the business community find our first speaker event informative as Nili highlights how the current changing global landscape will impact investment decisions in 2016 and share insights into how investors are positioning their portfolios.”

QFB inaugurates their exclusive Private Banking Lounge & unveil new brand

Qatar First Bank (QFB), the first independent Shari’ah compliant financial institution regulated by the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority (QFCRA), announced today the launch of its exclusive Private Banking Lounge, the unveiling of its new brand and future strategic direction.

Established in 2009 as a boutique investment bank QFB has since then evolved and implemented a new business strategy. Capitalizing on the growing demand for Shari’ah compliant banking and catering to the growing wealth market in the region, QFB now combines the best of a Private Bank with bespoke investment solutions to manage, grow and diversify wealth.

QFB’s new brand encapsulates the bank’s commitment to deliver excellence. The new logo is based around the Arabic word for “First”, which underlines QFB’s status as the region’s first truly Shari’ah compliant private bank. QFB is focused on nurturing sustainable partnerships based on confidence, trust and discretion. As a trusted financial advisor, QFB puts the clients’ best interests first, delivering innovative, personal and original financial solutions to help them manage their private wealth.

QFB’s Private Banking Lounge is a testament to the Bank’s commitment to assure its clients that they will enjoy Private Banking services in a unique environment that evokes trust, professionalism, privacy and exclusivity. Located at Suhaim bin Hamad Street, in Al Sadd QFB’s Private Banking Lounge serves as an icon in enhancing the bank’s image amongst its stakeholders.

The design of QFB’s exclusive Private Banking Lounge conveys modernity built on traditional foundations. The design combines architectural cues, grand spaces and craftsmanship with elements of contemporary features that QFB’s private clients will have experienced in luxury venues. QFB’s unique Private Banking Lounge promises to become the destination of choice for those aspiring for excellence and who wish to conduct financial transactions in a comfortable and opulent surrounding.

QFB will offer Private, Corporate and Institutional clients with private banking services complemented by corporate and alternative investment offerings. Together, this comprehensive portfolio of services will enable QFB to present its clients with unique and exciting opportunities to grow their wealth, finance their businesses and participate in lucrative investment propositions identified through the bank’s extensive market intelligence and professional network. QFB has a successful track record of sourcing and executing value adding transactions, which will give confidence to clients that the Bank has the required skill and experience to manage their wealth.

QFB’s Chairman, Abdullah bin Fahad bin Ghorab Al Marri, said: “I look at QFB’s achievements with pride. In spite of the economic and political turmoil in the region, we have managed to maintain a sound financial position since our inception. Today we build on our success as we launch a new dimension in Shari’ah compliant private banking. A private bank that will uphold the highest levels of integrity and capitalize on the growing demand for Islamic finance to offer Qatar’s private clients with world class financial solutions to preserve and grow their wealth in a unique and exclusive environment. We have and will always remain committed to deliver excellence to our clients in all aspects of business,”

Islamic finance which has proven its resilience against economic headwinds is on a constant growth path. According to a recent report by ratings agency Standard & Poors, Islamic finance assets worldwide currently exceed $2 trillion, following a decade of 10-15% growth on average. Current projections indicate that this will grow to $3 trillion by 2019.

Ziad Makkawi, CEO of QFB commented: “QFB is evolving its business model from merely focusing on maximizing returns for its own portfolio to a more outward client focused institution making its expertise and deep knowledge in the financial markets available to private, corporate and institutional clients. We will continue on building on our strong track record in the alternative investment space and open these opportunities to our clients to support the growth and diversification of their wealth.”

Ziad continued: “The wealth market of the region has been witnessing considerable growth over the past five years. It is estimated the number of wealthy households in the region is between 1.5 to 1.6 million with a total investable assets of around $2.2 trillion. This represents a long term opportunity and we are here to tap into this market.”

According to a study undertaken by Strategy& formally known as Booz & Company over the past five years, the GCC market has doubled its total private wealth from $1.1 trillion to $2.2 trillion growing at an annual rate of 17.5% driven by favourable microeconomics and socio-demographic factors.