By: AGBI

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into Qatar rose in the first quarter of 2026, driven by increased mining and quarrying activity, official data shows.

Inward FDI – capital received from foreign investors – rose 3.3 percent quarter on quarter to QAR172 billion ($47 billion) by the end of March, according to a joint survey by the Qatar Central Bank and the National Planning Council (NPC).

Five main economic sectors accounted for more than 90 percent of inward FDI. Mining and quarrying led with 45 percent, followed by financial and insurance (32 percent), the state-run Qatar News Agency reported, quoting the survey.

“The rise in inward FDI in the first quarter of 2026 is a positive indicator of Qatar’s investment trajectory,” said NPC secretary general Abdulaziz Al Khalifa.

The state-owned NPC is responsible for planning, policy development and implementing national initiatives to support Qatar’s National Vision 2030.

Al Khalifa said Qatar’s priority is to accelerate investment in non-hydrocarbon sectors to help meet the targets of the 2024-2030 development strategy and Vision 2030.

Outward FDI – investments by domestic companies in foreign countries – rose 3.5 percent to QAR222 billion in the first quarter of 2026 from the fourth quarter of 2025.

A third of total outward FDI went into the financial and insurance sector, followed by mining and quarrying.

The survey drew on data from 210 establishments, including privately owned companies and some government-owned companies.

However, international financial transactions conducted by the state or individuals are not included.

Last week, the Arab Monetary Fund said Qatar and Kuwait are expected to suffer the deepest economic fallout among Gulf states from the Iran war.

Growth in Qatar, which controls the world’s third-largest proven gas deposits, is expected to contract by 5.9 percent this year.