Qatar has two regulatory perimeters: the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), an onshore financial centre in Doha with its own common-law style rules and regulator (QFCRA), and the domestic market supervised by Qatar Central Bank (QCB). The QFC hosts wholesale banks, asset managers and advisers, and since 2024 a tokenisation framework that expressly excludes cryptocurrencies and stablecoins. QCB licenses domestic banks and, since 2021, non-bank payment service providers and e-money issuers.
Risk flagStandard
FATFNot listed
EU AML high-risk listNot listed
EU tax listNot listed
Licence regimes7
CurrencyQAR
S&P ratingAA
Not on the FATF grey or black lists after the June 2026 plenary (17 to 19 June 2026), not on the EU high-risk list (consolidated text of 29 January 2026) and not in Annex I of the EU tax list (Council update of 17 February 2026). Checked 7 October 2026.
Government and politics
Government
Absolute monarchy (emirate)
Amir
Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani · since June 2013
Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani
Governing parties
No political parties in government
Last election
Constitutional referendum (ended elections to the Shura Council), 5 November 2024
Legislature
Shura Council (unicameral, advisory; at least 45 members, all appointed by the Amir since the 2024 constitutional amendments)
Legal system
Civil law system with Islamic (sharia) law in family and personal matters; the QFC has its own common law based civil and commercial court
Economy and finance
Population
3m (2025)
GDP
USD 221.2bn (2025)
GDP per person
USD 69,680 (2025)
Currency
Qatari riyal (QAR), pegged to USD at 3.64 per dollar
Central bank
Qatar Central Bank
Credit rating
S&P AA (stable) · Moody's Aa2 (stable) · Fitch AA (negative) (as of September 2026)
Qatar's economy rests on liquefied natural gas from the North Field and the Qatar Investment Authority's large reserves, while the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) offers an onshore business platform with its own common law based court and an independent regulator, the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority (QFCRA).
Bank
QFC authorisation for banking business (deposit-taker)
Minimum capitalUSD 9.6m
TimelineNot published
AuthorityQFC Regulatory Authority
Base capital requirement QR 35 million for a deposit-taker; firms must hold the higher of base capital and the risk-based capital requirement
Law
QFC Law (Law No. 7 of 2005), Financial Services Regulations Schedule 3; Banking Business Prudential Rules 2014 (BANK), rule 3.2.4
Passporting
No passport. QFC firms serve clients in or from the QFC under QFC rules.
Key requirements
Deposit-taking and lending with or for retail customers resident in Qatar is currently prohibited as a matter of QFC Authority policy
Capital at least equal to the higher of base capital and risk-based capital requirement
Basel-style prudential rules including capital conservation buffer, liquidity and market risk under BANK
QFC authorisation as an INMA firm (investment management, advisory, arranging, custody, agency dealing)
Minimum capitalUSD 247k
TimelineNot published
AuthorityQFC Regulatory Authority
Paid-up share capital by activity: QR 900,000 for advising, arranging deals, arranging custody, arranging financing or scheme administration; QR 1.8 million for agency dealing, managing investments, custody or operating a collective investment fund; QR 35 million for custody of a collective investment fund. The highest applicable amount applies.
Law
Investment Management and Advisory Rules 2014 (INMA), rules 1.1.4 and 3.3.3
Passporting
No passport.
Key requirements
Net liquid assets of at least 25 per cent of annual operating expenditure (INMA 3.3.4)
Professional indemnity insurance (INMA Chapter 4)
Client money and custody rules where relevant
Separate regime for wholesale advisory firms (INMA Chapter 9C)
QCB payment service provider licence, Category I (e-money issuance and merchant acquisition)
Minimum capitalUSD 549k
TimelineGovernor decides within 60 days after all licensing conditions are fulfilled
AuthorityQatar Central Bank
QR 2 million (small, under 500,000 transactions a month), QR 5 million (medium, 500,000 to 1 million) or QR 10 million (large, over 1 million), or 2 per cent of average outstanding e-money and merchant transactions over the preceding 90 days if higher
Law
QCB Payment Services Regulation 2021 (in force 15 September 2021), issued under Articles 71 to 73 of Law No. 13 of 2012
Fees
Application fee QR 10,000. Annual licence fee QR 10,000 (capital requirement up to QR 2.5 million), QR 20,000 (above 2.5 million up to 5 million), QR 50,000 (above 5 million).
Passporting
No passport.
Key requirements
Qatari limited liability or shareholding company; large category must be a shareholding company
Customer funds held in an escrow account with a QCB-licensed bank
All transactions in Qatar carried out in Qatari riyal
Information security, outsourcing, agent and AML/CFT requirements
Qatar Financial Centre Authority (QFCA) · websiteVirtual asset service providers (VASPs)
Qatar Central Bank (QCB) · websitebanks, Payment service providers, E-money institutions
The QFCRA states there is no banking-specific restriction on dealing in particular currencies in the QFC (including the Qatari riyal); the riyal is the national currency, and US dollar use in the QFC was not confirmed from an official source in this check. QCB-licensed payment service providers must carry out all transactions in Qatar in Qatari riyal. Virtual assets: on 26 December 2019 the QFCRA issued an alert limiting services relating to virtual assets that act as a substitute for currency, and on 2 September 2024 it confirmed those assets are excluded tokens under the QFC Digital Assets Regulations 2024, so crypto exchange, custody or brokerage for cryptocurrencies and stablecoins is not available in the QFC. QCB's own position on virtual assets onshore was not verified from an official page in this check. The QFCRA rulebook lists no separate e-money or payment services rulebook; payment and e-money licensing in Qatar is through QCB. Onshore securities firms are regulated by the Qatar Financial Markets Authority and are not covered here. Not verified: QCB minimum capital for banks, QFC application and annual fees, and any official licensing timelines for QFC firms. Gaming is not covered. The BANK rulebook was further amended in 2025 (BANK and IBANK Amendments Rules 2025); the current online rule 3.2.4 still shows QR 35 million and QR 7 million.
General information
About Qatar
Natural Earth boundaries. Map is indicative.
Status
Sovereign state
Capital
Doha
Area
11,586 km²
Official languages
Arabic
Time zone
UTC+03:00
Main exports
liquefied natural gas
crude petroleum
refined petroleum
plastics
fertilizers
Main export partners
China
India
South Korea
Japan
Pakistan
Sources for the country information(12)
Country information checked 9 October 2026. Licensing data updated 7 October 2026. Information only, not legal advice; requirements change. Regulatory notice.
