QATAR INVESTMENT AUTHORITY PLANS INCREASED

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 DOHA 000603

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/24/2018
TAGS: EINV EFIN ECON QA
SUBJECT: QATAR INVESTMENT AUTHORITY PLANS INCREASED
INVESTMENT IN U.S.

REF: A. DOHA 518

B. DOHA 521

C. DOHA 525

Classified By: Classified By: Amb. Joseph LeBaron, reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).

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(C) KEY POINTS
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-- The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is planning to
increase its investments in the United States, particularly
in the financial and real estate sectors, according to a QIA
investment analyst speaking privately.

-- Also, the spate of joint ventures recently launched
between the QIA and other sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) is
designed to accomplish several goals: to better access
investment opportunities in certain countries, to minimize
competition for the same assets, and to benefit from one
another's sectoral expertise.

-- Separately, an economist said local Qatari banks are
benefiting from QIA's increasing influence in global
financial markets.

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(C) COMMENTS
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-- The QIA analyst's insights about the fund's U.S.
investment plans track closely with what we have heard from
other QIA contacts.

-- Also, his explanation for the creation of joint ventures
by SWF's is credible.

-- However, with far more project proposals coming to QIA
than their small staff can handle, it is likely that some of
the joint ventures will remain in name only for some time.

END KEY POINTS AND COMMENTS.


1. (C) Faisal Abbas (protect),an investment analyst in the
office of QIA CEO (and Qatar's Foreign Minister and Prime
Minister) Hamad Bin Jassim Al Thani (HBJ),told Econoff
August 20 that the QIA remains highly interested in
investments in the United States. He explained that the fund
is looking at "several major deals" on the east coast,
including in U.S. financial firms and in the housing/real
estate market. Abbas said the QIA is generally not
interested in infrastructure investments as "they don't
provide the right kind of returns." He also noted that
despite press commentary to the contrary, the QIA remains
"dollar heavy." (Note: This does not extend to QIA-owned
investment vehicles which concentrate on the developing
world, described in reftels). Abbas did note, however, that
the QIA just opened a small office in India, expanding its
thus-far limited official overseas presence.


2. (C) In a separate meeting on August 11, Alfardan Group
Vice President for Business Development Basel Shammout told
Econoff that he is always seeing the QIA-affiliated Delta
representatives in the United States and joked that Alfardan
and QIA are probably looking at many of the same
opportunities, bidding each other up. (Note: The Alfardan
Group is a Qatar-based luxury goods, real estate, and
automotive company which is expanding rapidly in the region,
with ambitions for entering the U.S. market. Alfardan's
chairman, Hussein Alfardan is believed to be a major
investment partner of HBJ.)


3. (C) The QIA's Abbas also gave some insight on recent press
reporting of multiple billion-dollar joint ventures being
established between the QIA and other countries. He
explained that most of the ventures are just starting to
receive capital and management, and are often intended to
help with market access issues in certain countries.
Further, they are often designed by the QIA and its partners
to minimize competition between sovereign wealth funds (SWFs)
interested in similar assets, and take advantage of other
countries' expertise in certain sectors. For example, a
joint fund with Abu Dhabi will invest in oil and gas, a USD 1
billion fund with Dubai will focus on financial services, and
a new fund with Indonesia will concentrate on consumer growth
industries.


4. (C) Abbas echoed assessments by several other contacts
that HBJ is the main investment broker within the QIA, noting
that the Chairman (the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim) is
informed of major decisions but does not actively manage or
interfere in the fund. He also noted that the QIA manages
funds for other parts of the Qatari government, specifically
citing the Qatar Foundation's (QF) endowment. (Note: QF is a
quasi-governmental educational, social, and cultural
organization, seeded by billions of dollars in GOQ money and
run by the Amir's consort Sheikha Mozah).


5. (C) Separately, Roy Thomas, senior economist at Qatar
National Bank (QNB),told Econoff August 7 that the QIA's
capital and ability to leverage financing is lifting Qatar's
financial sector as a whole. Several local banks share
leadership with the QIA board, and their record profits in
recent months are usually attributable to joint ventures with
the QIA. As a result, Thomas remarked that local banks are
"increasingly resembling investment vehicles." He cited
Masraf Al-Rayan, a local bank whose board is chaired by QIA
Managing Director Dr. Hussein al-Abdulla, which turned a USD
1 billion profit last year, largely from investment tie-ups
with the QIA.

LeBaron