Qatar announces targeted business support measures

The package, announced by the Qatar Ministry of Commerce and Industry on 28 April, which includes a number of financial relief measures, is designed to maintain market stability and strengthen investor confidence in the current uncertain economic climate.

• Read more: what the Middle East conflict means for your business

Sheikh Faisal bin Thani Al Thani, minister of commerce and industry, confirmed that Invest Qatar would continue to offer up to 40% relief on eligible local expenses via the National Incentives Programme, which has already supported QAR 2.8 billion (£5.7 billion) in investment projects to date and created over 900 jobs. He added that Invest Qatar continues to provide advisory support for investors through weekly seminars and a 24/7 hotline.

The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) and Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZ) have also activated rent waivers, payment deferrals and lease extensions for affected tenants.

The QFC has also introduced targeted, time-bound flexibility to ease compliance burdens. This includes extensions for filing audited financial statements and case-by-case adjustments to tax filing timelines, allowing businesses to focus their efforts on core operations.

Commenting on the latest measures, Sheikh Faisal bin Thani Al Thani said in a statement: “Qatar’s commitment to its business community is unwavering. As regional conditions continue to evolve, we remain fully focused on acting decisively to support companies operating in our market, safeguard business continuity and reinforce confidence.”

Doha-based Pamela McDonald of Pinsent Masons, said the measures “reflect a considered and pragmatic response from Qatar's authorities”, providing “meaningful breathing room” as the country and the region more broadly faced a “genuinely challenging set of circumstances.”

McDonald said the QFC's decision to introduce flexibility on compliance timelines signalled the authorities’ recognition of the ongoing and “very real operational pressures” facing businesses, as well as the proactive and practical steps it was taking to help ease this burden.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates that Qatar's economy could shrink by 8.6% this year as a result of the conflict. These additional support measures are expected to help Qatar rebound in 2027 to become one of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries fastest-growing economies.

From a real estate and transactional perspective, McDonald said the measures highlighted the government’s sustained commitment to the National Incentives Programme. “This also sends a strong signal to international investors that Qatar remains open for business and continues to offer a stable and attractive environment for long-term investment,” she said.

This latest package follows a number of other steps being taken both in Qatar and the wider Middle East region to help maintain business continuity amid the ongoing conflict. In late March, the Central Bank of the UAE (CBUAE) approved a package of measures which enabled UAE banks to access up to 30% of their own case reserves and obtain short-term loans.

Earlier this month Qatar’s Central Bank (QCB) introduced a series of precautionary support measures to help support the country’s financial system. Around the same time Kuwait’s Central Bank (CBK) announced a package of regulatory and liquidity measures to help insulate local banks from potential market disruption as a result of the conflict.

Dubai’s government has also launched its own stimulus package to support business continuity and ease short-time cost pressures facing its tourism and hospitality sectors. In a related move, Dubai’s government also recently brought in enhanced customer support requirements for SMEs facing financial difficulty in the country.

Dubai-based financing expert Seya Rahnema of Pinsent Masons said the latest measures in Qatar underscored the country’s “focus on maintaining liquidity, continuity and market confidence at a time of heightened regional uncertainty” and said the package would undoubtedly help businesses prioritise core operations while remaining aligned with regulatory expectations. “Set against wider central bank and government interventions across the region, this package reinforces Qatar’s intent to provide a stable and supportive operating environment for both local and international market participants,” he added.