18 February 2025, Doha – Qatar: Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), a leading onshore financial and business centre in the region, successfully hosted an Asset Management Workshop in collaboration with the international law firm K&L Gates. The event convened industry experts, financial professionals, and legal specialists to explore the complexities and opportunities arising from various market forces, providing attendees with valuable insights, practical updates, and forecasts to help them navigate the rapidly changing asset management sector.

The workshop featured engaging discourse through panel discussions and fireside chats, covering key topics such as local and global asset management trends, regional market integration, evolving regulatory frameworks and establishing fund with the QFC.

Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaidah, Chief Executive Officer, QFC, highlighted the critical role of regulatory foresight and strategic collaboration in shaping the future of asset management, emphasising that financial hubs like Qatar must remain agile and proactive amidst an evolving global legal and regulatory landscapes. He stated, “It was a pleasure collaborating with K&L Gates to host this Asset Management Workshop. Facilitating these discussions reflects the QFC’s commitment to advancing Qatar’s financial ecosystem and reinforcing the country’s position as a hub for innovation, regulatory excellence, and sustainable investment strategies.”

The workshop discussed in detail the process of establishing a fund and regulated fund manager in the QFC, explaining which funds and strategies are considered permitted. A panel on global legal and regulatory trends, featuring experts from the QFC and K&L Gates, shed light on the impact of developments, such as the U.S.’s new administration, recent advancements in the EU, and emerging regional regulatory initiatives, including Qatar’s regulations on digital assets and tokenisation, on the domestic business landscape. The state of the asset management industry in the GCC was also explored, highlighting the benefits the GCC region could get from following a regional fund market like the ones that were adopted internationally.

Commenting on the workshop, Amjad Hussain, Senior Partner at K&L Gates, said: “It was a great opportunity to collaborate with the QFC and engage with industry leaders on the future of asset management. By sharing practical insights on fund establishment and regulatory trends, we aimed to support Qatar’s vision of becoming a global financial hub and foster meaningful conversations that drive growth.”