Qatar is establishing a dedicated investment division within its sovereign wealth fund to manage and expand domestic investments, signalling a greater focus on supporting the country’s private sector and developing national companies.
Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani announced the creation of Doha Investment, a new division of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), during a special edition of the Qatar Economic Forum in New York on Sunday.
The division will manage QIA’s domestic portfolio and initially oversee 45 state-owned enterprises, representing around one-third of the sovereign wealth fund’s total assets, according to Sheikh Faisal bin Thani Al Thani, Qatar’s Minister of Commerce and Industry and incoming managing director and vice-chairman of Doha Investment.
“We aim to expand the role of the private sector in driving Qatar’s economic growth,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
Doha Investment will support established Qatari companies, help emerging businesses scale, deepen domestic capital markets and attract international capital and expertise, according to the prime minister.
Building Qatar’s Domestic Base
Sheikh Faisal described the new division as a consolidation of existing domestic investment activity rather than an entirely new initiative, saying the move had been under consideration for more than a decade.
QIA, established in 2005, has historically focused heavily on international investments as Qatar sought to deploy its energy wealth globally. QIA AUM are estimated at approximately $580B (Global SWF) although QIA does not publish comprehensive details of its holdings.
Domestic Portfolio
The sovereign wealth fund has also developed a significant domestic portfolio, including stakes and ownership interests linked to Qatar Airways, Qatar National Bank, Ooredoo, Qatari Diar and Katara Hospitality.
The new division is intended to build on that domestic footprint. Its mandate includes strengthening existing national champions, developing new companies, supporting privatisation and increasing private-sector participation in the economy.
Hydrocarbon Diversification
The move comes as Qatar continues efforts to reduce its reliance on hydrocarbons.
Non-hydrocarbon activity has become an increasingly important contributor to economic output, with Qatar’s non-hydrocarbon economy growing 4.8 percent in 2025, compared with 2.9 percent overall real GDP growth, according to data cited from the Qatar Central Bank and National Planning Council.
For Qatar, Doha Investment therefore places domestic capital deployment more explicitly within the country’s broader economic diversification strategy, connecting the QIA’s financial resources with the development of private companies, domestic capital markets and new national champions.
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