Qatar VC investments surge 81% to record QR214 mn in 2025: QDB

Doha [Qatar], February 2: Qatar Development Bank (QDB) has released the sixth edition of its annual Qatar Venture Capital Report 2025, developed in collaboration with leading regional research platform MAGNiTT. The report provides a comprehensive analysis of Qatar's venture capital and investment landscape, reinforcing transparency and offering reliable, data-driven insights into the sector's performance, key trends, and the role of investment funds in supporting entrepreneurship and private sector-ledeconomic growth.
Commenting on the significance of the report, QDB Chief Executive Officer Abdulrahman bin Hesham Al Sowaidi said the publication represents a major milestone in documenting and showcasing venture capital activity in Qatar. He noted that the report offers investors, partners, and ecosystem stakeholders a precise and detailed view of the sector's evolution, transformations, and future trajectories.
Al Sowaidi highlighted QDB's leading role in enabling the venture capital ecosystem, revealing that total direct and indirect investments, along with commitments made through the bank's investment arm, have reached approximately QR390 million since inception. He expressed pride in the growing role of the private sector, which, together with international investors, accounted for 86 percent of the total venture capital value in the country. He added that sustained private sector engagement and international participation are vital to achieving national targets outlined under the Third National Development Strategy.
Outlining QDB's future vision, the CEO said the Bank aims to further strengthen Qatar's regional and global position as an attractive hub for international investors and venture capital funds.
These efforts will focus on expanding investments within priority economic clusters in line with the Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030. He also underscored the importance of initiatives such as the Startup Qatar Investment Program, launched under the Startup Qatar platform, which seeks to boost investment volumes, enhance private sector participation, and build high-impact partnerships to advance Qatar's investment ecosystem.
MAGNiTT CEO and Founder Philip Bahoshy welcomed the continued collaboration with QDB, noting that the 2025 report highlights the significant progress of Qatar's venture capital ecosystem and its year-on-year development.
He said the report presents Qatar's growing investment appeal to regional and global investors and entrepreneurs, supported by robust data and major ecosystem events hosted in the country, notably Web Summit. He added that QDB has played a central role in advancing venture activitynationwide.
According to the report, Qatar's venture capital investment surged by 81 percent year-on-year in 2025, reaching a record QR214 million, underscoring the country's emergence as a competitive investment hub in the MENA region. Early-stage deals dominated the market, accounting for 61% of total funding. Qatar ranked fourth in the MENA region in both deal count and venture funding value, representing 5% of total regional deals.
Pre-seed and seed rounds comprised 93 percent of total deal count, reflecting the maturity stage of Qatar's ecosystem and its focus on supporting entrepreneurs in transforming innovative ideas into scalable ventures. QDB's investment arm emerged as the largest investor in Qatar by number of deals, participating in 11 of the 33 deals recorded nationwide in 2025.
Sector-wise, FinTech was the most active sector by deal count, representing 33% of total deals in 2025, a 22 percent increase compared to 2024. This growth highlights the success of key initiatives led by the Qatar FinTech Hub (QFTH), a QDB affiliate, aligned with the objectives of the Third Financial Sector Strategic Plan spearheaded by the Qatar Central Bank. Meanwhile, the Transport and Logistics sector recorded the highest funding value, raising QR 80 million-an increase of 716 percent year-on-year-driven by a small number of high-value transactions.
QDB reaffirmed its commitment to developing Qatar's venture capital ecosystem in collaboration with local and regional partners, attracting innovative startups to establish and scale their operations in Qatar, and introducing enabling financial products that increase private sector participation, further positioning the country as a leading hub for entrepreneurship and investment in the region.
Source: Qatar Tribune