Qatar's F1 Bid "Is Like Buying The Restaurant If It Won't Give You A Table."

Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund is bidding for a controlling stake in Formula One auto racing after getting the red light to host a race according to a senior sports manager who has likened the move to a guest buying a restaurant when it refuses to give him a table.

Exclusive: Qatar's secretive sovereign fund to restructure, say sources

DUBAI (Reuters) - Qatar Investment Authority, one of the world's most aggressive sovereign wealth funds, will set asset allocation targets for the first time and restructure internal decision-making, sources say, in response to a drop in oil prices that has crimped available funds as competition for assets grows.

Many top sovereign funds fail on governance, transparency - report

LONDON, Oct 28 (Reuters) - A majority of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds lack transparency and adequate governance, with those in the Gulf region scoring particularly low, according to a report published by political risk group GeoEconomica.

Qatar fund commits $2 bln investment to Russia - RDIF CEO

ST PETERSBURG, Russia, May 23 (Reuters) - Qatar's sovereign wealth fund the Qatar Investment Authority is allocating $2 billion to Russia via joint investments with state-backed private equity fund the Russian Direct Investment Fund, Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of Russia's fund said on Friday.

Singapore Inc. State Firms Are Most Acquisitive: Southeast Asia

GIC Pte and Temasek Holdings Pte, Singapore’s state-owned investment firms, are set to lead global sovereign investors in acquisitions for a second year after emerging as the most active in 2013.

Qatar fund in talks to invest $200 million in Indian property - source

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the sovereign wealth fund of the gas-rich Gulf emirate, is in talks to invest $200 million in residential property in India, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

Gulf wealth funds raising private equity investments: Study

DUBAI: Sovereign wealth funds in the Gulf Arab region are raising their allocations to private equity investments at a faster rate than other types of investment, US fund manager Invesco says in a new study.

Egypt to apply gains tax in QNB bid for NSGB

CAIRO (Reuters) - Shareholders and investment funds that make capital gains from Qatar National Bank's (QNB) bid for Cairo-based National Societe Generale Bank (NSGB) will face a 10 percent tax, Egypt's tax authority said on Tuesday.

Credit Suisse Said to Start Venture With Qatar

Credit Suisse Group AG (CSGN) and a unit of Qatar Investment Authority, the Persian Gulf emirate’s sovereign-wealth fund, plan to start an asset-management joint venture, three people with knowledge of the matter said.

Credit Suisse trims Dubai investment banking, ships jobs to Qatar

DUBAI (Reuters) - Credit Suisse is trimming its investment banking team in Dubai and relocating some jobs to neighboring Qatar, three sources said, as part of efforts to cut costs and focus on richer markets.

Barclays dragged into new probe after Libor blow

LONDON (Reuters) - Barclays Plc revealed a new regulatory probe and more U.S. lawsuits on Friday, making it harder for the British lender to rebuild its reputation damaged by the central role it played in the interest rate-rigging scandal shaking banks.

Morgan Stanley may sell commodity stake to Qatar - CNBC

REUTERS - Morgan Stanley (NYS:MS - News) is in advanced talks over selling a stake in its multibillion-dollar commodities trading division to Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, CNBC reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Qatar iron man faces off with Glencore

DUBAI (Reuters) - Ahmad al-Sayed, the Qatari investment manager holding the fate of Glencore's $26 billion takeover of Xstrata in his hands, is known as an aggressive negotiator who relishes the big deal.

Qatari Sovereign Fund Seen As Buyer Of Dexia Luxembourg Bank

BRUSSELS (Dow Jones)--The Qatar Investment Authority, the nation's sovereign wealth fund, is the leader of a consortium of investors that is set to buy Dexia SA's (DEXB.BT) Luxembourg retail banking subsidiary, a person familiar with the discussions said Thursday.

The sale is part of a plan to break up Dexia set in motion after Moody's Investors Service this week warned that the bank's heavy dependence on wholesale funding threatened its stability.

Sovereign wealth: Spending stays close to home

Gulf governments will be spending more money on the home front this year, as they try to placate their populations with job creation and infrastructure projects.
Depending on the oil price, that may mean less investment overseas or a more focused approach to foreign investment, analysts say.

It is difficult to generalise about sovereign wealth funds in the region. The Qatar Investment Authority spends quite differently from the one in Abu Dhabi, while Saudi Arabia invests the majority of its sovereign funds through its central bank.

Qatar's sovereign wealth fund is looking recruit 100 roles globally

With the fee pot shrinking, many investment bankers in London will have come to the conclusion that moving to the Middle East isn't a great career move. However, if you still have aspirations to move to the region, you might want to look towards the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA).

According to various financial headhunters in the Gulf, the QIA has embarked on a relatively aggressive recruitment spree for 2011, and is looking to haul in around 100 people this year.