Applications now open: Four winning schools will receive a fully equipped ASUS tech lab for…
Centennial Celebration Showcases the Landmark’s Rich History, Cultural Significance, and the Beauty of the Columbia…
Trade is still making the world go around, and India is a part of it.…
 have accelerated its standing as a competitive regional business hub, according to data from the Invest Qatar Annual Report 2025. </p><p>The report outlines significant gains across several international benchmarks. Qatar secured first place globally in General Infrastructure under the 2025 Global Innovation Index, while placing fourth in ICT Development according to the 2025 ITU ICT Development Index. </p><p>The country also made progress in human capital and expatriate integration, ranking 6th in Expat Essentials under the 2025 InterNations Expat Insider survey and 7th for Talent Attraction in the INSEAD Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2025. Quality of life indicators placed Qatar 9th globally in the Numbeo Quality of Life Index 2025. </p><p>The Minister of Commerce and Industry His Excellency Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal al-Thani, who is also Invest Qatar chairman, highlighted in the annual report the structural measures implemented to improve the investment ecosystem. </p><p>“Throughout the year, Qatar advanced several strategic initiatives and projects that further enhanced the business and investment ecosystem, reinforcing the country’s competitiveness and appeal to investors worldwide,” Sheikh Faisal stated. </p><p>He also said, “Among the most notable developments was the launch of Invest Qatar’s $1bn incentive programme at the Qatar Economic Forum 2025. Structured around four tailored packages, the programme is designed to attract high-Impact investments aligned with Qatar’s economic diversification priorities.” </p><p>“In 2025, Qatar ranked among the top 10 countries globally for the first time in the International Institute for Management Development’s Global Competitiveness Report. The country also strengthened its global investment standing by ranking 12th worldwide in fDi Intelligence’s Greenfield FDI Performance Index 2025, climbing an impressive 21 places,” Sheikh Faisal added. </p><p>A series of administrative streamlined measures backed these institutional moves. Company registration timelines were cut to two days, while commercial setups were enabled using only a passport for eligible investors, stated the report. </p><p>Labour and setup costs were revised as well, the report stated, citing that the Ministry of Labour standardised recruitment fees, the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) reduced application fees by 90%, and the General Tax Authority (GTA) introduced full penalty exemptions. </p><p>The report highlighted that new visa categories were launched for investors, entrepreneurs, property owners, and skilled professionals in technology, arts, and sports, alongside the launch of the ‘Qooqul’ platform to boost graduate employment. </p><p>Invest Qatar CEO Sheikh Ali bin Alwaleed al-Thani pointed to the agency’s expanding international footprint as a key factor in connecting foreign businesses to domestic opportunities. </p><p>“Central to this progress was the significant expansion of Invest Qatar’s global footprint. During the year, we established dedicated representatives in London, New York, Paris, Mumbai and Istanbul, providing investors across key markets with direct access to on-the-ground insights, tailored support and real-time engagement with Qatar’s investment ecosystem,” Sheikh Ali said in the report. </p><p>Sheikh Ali reported that the agency hosted over 1,450 investor and stakeholder meetings and organised more than 150 fact-finding trips over the course of the year. </p><p>“Invest Qatar hosted the inaugural Qatar Pavilion at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, showcasing Qatar’s dynamic business landscape to a global audience. We also convened the FDI Leaders Network Autumn Meeting in Qatar, bringing together CEOs and heads of international Investment Promotion Agencies to exchange insights and best practices,” Sheikh Ali also noted. </p><p>Digital tools were updated in parallel in 2025, according to Sheikh Ali, who added that the Invest Qatar Gateway was revamped with a secure document vault and direct integrations for banking and telecommunications services to simplify setup procedures. </p><p>He said new international partners joined the ecosystem during 2025, including imec, WHOOP, Level Infinite, Quantinuum, Yuno, Ardian, Silian Partners, and Das Intellitech, expanding local market capabilities. </p><p>Invest Qatar also expanded institutional ties with foreign investment boards, signing agreements with Invest India, ProColombia, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Startup Portugal, and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency, Sheikh Ali also said. </p><p>On the domestic front, he said the agency collaborated with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Qatar Development Bank (QDB), and the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation (QRDI) Council to launch the ‘Scale Now’ programme, designed to help local Qatari tech firms expand under Digital Agenda 2030. </p><p>Citing annual report figures, Sheikh Ali added that these combined measures supported 373 new foreign direct investment projects during the year, representing $3.4bn in capital expenditure and creating 15,051 jobs.</p>__%20%20%20%20<p>Related%20Story</p>_%20%20%20%20_%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20_%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20_%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20_%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20_%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20__%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20<img%20loading=?resize=615,410&ssl=1 "Qatar’s NDS3 reforms, infrastructure push drive major global business ranking gains")
 has announced the graduation of 10 technology companies from the third cohort of the Scale Now programme.</p><p> </p><p>Simultaneously, the MCIT launched the programme’s fourth cohort with the participation of 12 new companies, reaffirming its commitment to accelerating the growth of promising technology ventures and further strengthening Qatar’s position as a regional hub for innovation and digital entrepreneurship.</p><p> </p><p>The graduating companies have developed innovative solutions across a range of strategic sectors, including industrial technologies, health technologies, media technologies, agricultural technologies, e-commerce, enterprise technologies, and logistics.</p><p> </p><p>The diversity reflects the strength of Qatar’s technology entrepreneurship ecosystem and the programme’s role in supporting companies that develop innovative solutions to address the evolving needs of local and international markets.</p><p> </p><p>The graduating cohort in the Industrial Technologies sector includes Syook, which operates as a no-code Industrial IoT and AI platform enabling real-time asset tracking, safety, and compliance. Alongside it, Digital Petroleum provides patented AI sensor technology designed to enable instant digitalisation of industrial plants.</p><p> </p><p>Within HealthTech, Medica serves as a healthcare fintech platform automating insurance and revenue cycle management for hospitals and clinics, while Eshfaa functions as a digital healthcare and medical tourism platform coordinating care for local and international patients.</p><p> </p><p>In MediaTech & Publishing, Aligator offers an AI media intelligence platform that monitors and improves organisational reputation in Arabic and English.</p><p> </p><p>Complementing this, Rawi is an Arabic audio platform producing audiobooks, educational programmes, documentaries, edutainment, and podcasts.</p><p> </p><p>In Agritech, Growa delivers data-driven farming solutions through IoT, AI, GNSS, and agronomic expertise. Meanwhile, in e-commerce, Genio provides a cashless payment and nutrition-tracking system enabling parents to monitor their children’s spending and food consumption at school.</p><p> </p><p>For Enterprise Tech, Byanat acts as an AI observability platform analysing telecom and data centre infrastructure performance and recommending optimisations.</p><p> </p><p>In Logistics, WareOne operates as an asset-light logistics orchestrator delivering on-demand, tailored supply chain solutions across the value chain.</p><p> </p><p>Across its first three cohorts, the Scale Now programme has delivered tangible results that reflect its impact in supporting the growth of high-potential technology companies. Participating companies have collectively secured investments secured approximately $13.8mn in funding, closed 388 B2B deals, and achieved an average 32% revenue growth.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, entrepreneurs participating in the programme have benefited from 569 hours of dedicated advisory support, while the programme achieved an overall participant satisfaction rate of 89%, underscoring the quality of the experience and value delivered to participating companies.</p><p> </p><p>Faraj Abdulla, director of Digital Economy Department at MCIT, said: “The graduation of the third cohort of the Scale Now programme reflects the tangible outcomes the programme has achieved in supporting high-potential technology companies and enabling them to grow, expand, and access new markets.”</p><p> </p><p>Ali al-Mawlawi, director of Business Development Department at MCIT, said: “This initiative reflects our commitment to empowering startups, fostering innovation, and advancing the Digital Agenda 2030, further reinforcing Qatar’s position as a leading hub for the digital economy.”</p><p> </p><p>The third cohort concluded with WareOne successfully expanding its operations into Saudi Arabia. Sheikh Khalifa al-Thani, founder and CEO of WareOne, said: “When we joined the Scale Now programme, our goal was to better understand the local market. However, the programme delivered far more than we expected.”</p><p> </p><p>Alongside the graduation of the third cohort, the MCIT also announced the launch of the fourth cohort of the Scale Now programme, welcoming 12 new technology companies.</p><p> </p>__%20%20%20%20<p>Related%20Story</p>_%20%20%20%20_%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20_%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20_%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20_%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20_%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20__%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20<img%20loading=?resize=420,280&ssl=1 "MCIT celebrates graduation of 10 firms of Scale Now programme")
