Qatar First Bank LLC (Public) (“QFB” or “Bank”) announced its financial results for the six months’ period ending 30th June 2022, reporting a net profit attributable to shareholders of QAR 42 million, which is a growth of 2.6% from the QAR 40.9 million reported in the same period of the last year.

The Bank continued to deliver a resilient performance despite the challenging global macroeconomic environment. The first half of 2022 witnessed a significant growth in recurring streams of revenue versus the same period previous year. The Dividend income increased by 180% from QAR 3.9 million in H1 2021 to QAR 11.1 million in the first half of this year and the income from Sukuk portfolio increased from QAR 5.8 million to QAR 10.2 million. In line with the Bank’s focus on fee generation from its Asset Under Management (AUM), the fee income increased to QAR 33.5 million in first six months of the year showing a commendable growth compared to QAR 6.6 million in the same period of the last year.  The revenue achieved in first half of the year is in line with the Bank’s strategy.

The Bank’s expenses are in line with the overall strategy with a clear focus on internal controls and growth of business. Furthermore, total Assets for the period ended 30th June 2022 stood at QAR 4.5 billion, registering a growth of 39%, compared to QAR 3.2 billion for the year ending 31st Dec 2021. The half yearly results continued to support the Bank’s strategy to achieve sustainable growth. 

Sheikh Faisal bin Thani Al-Thani, QFB’s Chairman commented: “We are pleased with our financial performance, demonstrating our resilience against the challenges faced by the global economy. QFB continued to deliver a strong second quarter making it the seventh consecutive quarter of profitability, thanks to a solid business model and long-term strategy, which proves that we are on the right path to reach our 2022 objectives and build a stable revenue stream. We are committed to cementing our Bank’s position as a regional player in the Shari’a-compliant banking industry and a key investment partner for investors for unique and lucrative opportunities from across the globe.”

 Mr. Abdulrahman Totonji, QFB’s CEO added: “Alhamdulillah, QFB has maintained a steady profit growth during the first half of 2022 while continuing to expand our presence in the US real estate market with a more diversified investment portfolio. We are expanding to other geographies and working towards introducing new products to diversify our portfolio and the portfolio of our clients. I would like to thank all our employees who have been working so hard to contribute to our half year performance while this would have not been possible as well without the continuous support of our Board of Directors and shareholders.”

During this period, QFB increased its total share capital by QAR 379 million as part of the approved “Rights Issue” process. The bank will complete the process in Q3-2022. Furthermore, during the second quarter of 2022, QFB successfully acquired the Gateway Plaza building in the US adding to the Bank’s investment portfolio which continues to provide stable cash flows. Moreover, QFB successfully exited Jefferson Square, its real estate investment in the US returning capital with profit to investors generating more than 8% IRR.

Additionally, QFB announced that it will finance a Qatari consortium of investors to participate in the acquisition of a 10.8% stake in Ennismore, the largest and fastest-growing lifestyle hospitality company, by providing 20 million Euro in Shari’a-compliant financing. This move comes as part of the Bank’s efforts to tap into different markets further diversifying its portfolio. The Bank’s successful exits and acquisitions in different business lines continue to contribute and boost its bottom line.

 Qatar First Bank LLC (Public) is the first independent Shari’a-compliant Bank authorized by the QFC Regulatory Authority (QFCRA) and a listed entity on the Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE: QFBQ).