Qatar Central Bank has issued treasury bills (T-bills) with maturities of 7, 28, 91, 182, 273, and 343 days, totaling QAR1.7 billion ($466.9 million). In a recent announcement on X, the Qatar Central Bank detailed the distribution of these bills as follows: QAR500 million for 7 days (new issue), with an interest rate of 4.610 percent; QAR250 million for a duration of 28 days (addition to an existing issue) at a rate of 4.584 percent; QAR250 million for 91 days (addition to an existing issue) with a rate of 4.541 percent; QAR250 million for 182 days (addition to an existing issue) at 4.486 percent; QAR250 million for 273 days (addition to an existing issue) with a return of 4.472 percent; and QAR200 million for 343 days (addition to an existing issue) yielding a return of 4.480 percent. The total bids received for Qatar Central Bank treasury bills amounted to QAR6 billion, QNA reported.
Read more: Qatar Central Bank releases $1.23 billion in T-bills, attracts $3.58 billion in bids
Launch of Primary Dealer Framework
Earlier this month, Qatar Central Bank initiated the first phase of its Primary Dealer framework in partnership with Bloomberg, representing a significant milestone in the advancement of the nation’s capital markets. This initiative is further in line with the central bank’s Third Financial Sector Strategy, aimed at modernizing market infrastructure to enhance efficiency, transparency, and participation in financial markets.
Increase in international reserves
Qatar Central Bank’s international reserves and foreign currency liquidity experienced a rise of 4.36 percent in October 2024, reaching QAR254.166 billion ($69.31 billion), compared to QAR243.534 billion during the same period in 2023. Moreover, recent data from the central bank indicated that official reserves increased by approximately QAR10.438 billion year-on-year by the end of October 2024, bringing the total to QAR195.158 billion. This increase has been attributed to a rise in the holdings of foreign bonds and treasury bills, which grew by about QAR2.280 billion to QAR138.478 billion in October 2024.
