QNB flies flag for Qatar’s growth

QNB became the Middle East’s biggest bank last year and is now stepping up acquisitions abroad. Can it follow Qatar’s corporate champions and transform into an emerging market-focused bank worthy of the state’s newfound financial power?

Change planes in Doha and you cannot miss the three letters covering the side of the bus transferring you to the terminal: QNB.

Qatar National Bank until recently kept a lower profile than Qatar’s other state-backed corporate flagships, such as Qatar Telecom (Qtel) or Qatar Airways. But that has begun to change: in January, Paris football club PSG said it would carry QNB’s logo – the bank’s first big sports sponsorship deal outside Qatar.

Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) indirectly bought a stake in PSG last year.

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