Qatar Holding set to boost investment portfolio in the Far East

 Qatar Holding, the direct investment arm of the Qatar Investment Authority, will soon open an office in China as it seeks to boost its growing investment portfolio in the Far East, its chief executive says.
It hopes the office will open up more opportunities in China as it hunts down similar investments to those it has in Credit Suisse, Barclays and Volkswagen/Porsche.
“Asia is a growth market for us – we are really serious about finding the right opportunity there,” Ahmad Al Sayed told the Financial Times in his first interview since becoming CEO in October last year.
Qatar Holding and its parent, the QIA, have made some investments in China and across Asia, especially Malaysia and Indonesia, but the fund hopes that, like its office in India, an on-the-ground presence will boost activity. Qatar Holding makes direct investments in private and public companies on behalf of the QIA, which analysts estimate controls more than $70bn in assets. Allocations to global funds are handled by another arm of the QIA.
As Qatar doubles its natural gas exports over the next year, the fast-growing country’s coffers are set to swell further. Doha is also looking to seal long-term gas supply contracts to China, where demand for natural gas has held up better than in recession-hit western markets.
Qatar Holding says it will not turn its back on European markets, the QIA’s traditional stalking ground, as most recently demonstrated by its investment in Canary Wharf-owner Songbird Estates.
“We are also investing in Europe, the US and Asia – they have already taken and they continue to hold our close attention,” he says. “But Latin America and other emerging markets also are on our agenda.”