Doha: Venture capital investment in Qatar reached a record QAR 214 million, representing an 81 percent year-on-year increase, according to the annual venture capital report for the year 2025, issued by Qatar Development Bank (QDB), in cooperation with the MAGNiTT research platform. QDB said in a statement on Sunday that the report demonstrated the growing role of Qatar as an attractive investment hub in the MENA region, pointing out that venture capital activity was concentrated in early-stage deals, which accounted for 61 percent of total funding.
According to Qatar News Agency, Chief Executive Officer of QDB, Abdulrahman bin Hesham Al Sowaidi, highlighted that the annual report is a key milestone for showcasing essential data related to investment and venture capital in Qatar. It also provides investors, partners, and stakeholders across Qatar's entrepreneurship ecosystem with a detailed view of the sector's transformations and trajectories. Al Sowaidi emphasized QDB's continued role in the Qatari venture capital landscape, noting that total direct and indirect investments, alongside investment commitments through the bank's investment arm, have reached approximately QAR 390 million since its inception.
Al Sowaidi expressed pride in the private sector's progress, with its participation, together with international investors, accounting for 86 percent of the total venture capital value in the country. These efforts, coupled with sustained engagement from the private sector and international funds, aim to safeguard achievements required to reach national sector targets under the Third National Development Strategy.
Regarding future initiatives, Al Sowaidi stated that efforts will continue to enhance Qatar's position as a hub for international investors and funds. This includes expanding venture capital investment within priority economic clusters in line with the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030. Initiatives such as the Startup Qatar Investment Program under the Startup Qatar platform aim to increase investment volumes and reinforce private sector participation through high-impact partnerships.
In turn, CEO and Founder of MAGNiTT, Philip Bahoshy, expressed satisfaction in publishing the 2025 report in collaboration with QDB. The report highlights progress in Qatar's venture capital ecosystem and showcases its year-on-year development to regional and global investors and entrepreneurs through data and major ecosystem events hosted in Qatar, such as Web Summit. Qatar Development Bank's role in advancing the ecosystem is evident, having supported venture activity nationwide.
QDB noted that the report also placed Qatar fourth in MENA in 2025 for deal count and venture funding value, accounting for 5 percent of total regional deals. Pre-seed and seed rounds made up 93 percent of total deal count, supporting entrepreneurs in turning innovative ideas into real ventures.
QDB's investment arm emerged as the largest investor in Qatar by number of deals, participating in 11 out of 33 nationwide in 2025. The report also identified FinTech as Qatar's most active sector by deal count, accounting for 33 percent of the total number of deals for 2025, a 22 percent increase over 2024. This growth underscores initiatives within the sector, notably those by the Qatar FinTech Hub, a QDB affiliate, aligning with the objectives of the Third Financial Sector Strategic Plan. Transport and Logistics emerged as the most funded sector, raising QAR 80 million, up 716 percent year-on-year, driven by high-value transactions.
QDB reaffirms its commitment to developing the venture capital sector with partners in Qatar and the region, attracting innovative startups to localize operations, and developing products that enable increased private sector participation in venture capital.