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In light of the changes taking place in major world economies and the many challenges facing emerging economies, we aspired to discuss the most important opportunities and challenges facing the finance and investment sector and the prospects of Qatari market benefiting from these opportunities. To discuss this, we interviewed Mr. Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Suwaidi, Chairman and Managing Director of Investment House. Given the many economic changes taking place around the world, has your investment strategy changed? The investment environment in global economy has encountered many challenges and influential factors on countries’ economies; forcing several investment companies to adjust their investment strategies in line with the global variables, such as waves of monetary tightening policies, growing interest rates, geopolitical factors, rising energy prices, and basic commodities expenses.These variables have led Investment House to continue its conservative investment policy and target sectors that are expected to benefit from these factors. The Company has continued to focus its investments for the benefit of its clients in the maritime sector, which has benefited greatly during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond. Recently, there has been a witnessed change in China’s approach to the pandemic, as it has abandoned its zero-COVID policy, this is expected to support the maritime transport sector worldwide and increase demand for basic commodities and materials. Investment House has also continued to strengthen its partnerships with major real-estate firms to seize advantage of low valuations of some properties in the United States and across Europe. Additionally, the Company has conducted an early review of its investments to avoid significant impact emanating from financial market factors, which have recently witnessed a decline at both local and global levels. Has the rise of bank deposits affected your core activity in investing for clients? Certainly, the increase in interest rates on bank deposits and the fact that customers compare investment opportunities with deposits in banks has put pressure on most global markets such as stock markets, bonds, and Islamic bonds, and not solely the work of investment companies and structured investments. Nevertheless, what helped us absorb the shock of tightening in monetary policies by international central banks and gave the Company adequate maneuvering margin compared to the investment opportunities available in the market, is that our investment product pricing policy is transparent and fair, and we continue to cooperate effectively with our strategic partners for the benefit of our clients. In addition, Investment House has given its clients attractive investment ratios compared to the sectors in which the company operates in accordance with its investment policies, even prior to the monetary policies tightening waves and the rising interest rates. In light of the rise in energy prices and Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, how do you see the reflection of this on the local economy and investment prospects in the State of Qatar? The year 2022 has been an exceptional year for the Qatari economy due to a large number of factors that contributed to accomplishing significant positive figures. Wherein, the Qatari economy has achieved excellent growth rates in both the oil and non-oil sectors, great levels of the State’s public finance and recorded historical surplus, amounting to 89 billion Qatari riyals during the year 2022. This was reflected in the confirmation of the strong Qatari credit rating by international rating agencies, which relies on robust macroeconomic pillars that benefited greatly from the rise in energy prices and the hosting of the World Cup. We at Investment House seek to take advantage of the investment opportunities and attractive investment environment, particularly with Qatar ranking as one of the world’s leading FDI destinations. In fact, the foreign cash flows to the Qatari Stock Exchange reached a record level in 2022 at 15.9 billion Qatari riyals. This is a sign of the attractiveness of the Qatari investment environment, which was boosted by many attractive investment laws, as well as the presence of multiple promising sectors such as fintech, software, and cybersecurity. What sectors are you targeting in the near future? Considering what we have mentioned, there are many promising sectors in which investment can be directed in the future in line with Qatar National Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy in all fields. One of the most important sectors is tourism and hospitality, which the State of Qatar seeks to make up 12% of its GDP by the year 2030. Therefore, we at Investment House seek to develop our investment strategy parallel with the State’s directions and targeted sectors to develop and diversify the Qatari economy, including fintech and cybersecurity, which have both witnessed significant advancement during the past period and are expected to reach a growth rate of 12% during 2026. This shall contribute to strengthening the financial sector, one of the most important pillars of strength of the Qatari economy. Hereafter, the State of Qatar, early enacted legislative laws to protect information and data, which resulted in establishing the National Cybersecurity Agency in Qatar under the declaration of Decision No. 1 for the year 2021. You mentioned that financial technology sector, is one of the sectors targeted by the company, especially the advancement it has been going through in Qatar recently. In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges facing the Fintech sector in Qatar? Cybersecurity, data protection and electronic fraud are among the biggest challenges facing the Fintech sector in Qatar. Commenting on this subject, the Company has recently received inquiries from individuals about suspicious calls aimed for electronic fraud through marketing investment services in investment portfolios using telephone. From this stance, we confirm that Investment House Company does not market any investment services or products via the telephone or internet and does not offer trading platforms through social media networks. We therefore reaffirm once again that Investment House provides its services only through clientele visits to the Company’s offices. What are your most important tips for those interested in investing? I advise clients and anyone interested in investing to deal with local investment companies and banks licensed by local regulatory agencies which regulate the work of investment within the State of Qatar. I also emphasize the importance to verify the necessary licenses and to personally visit investment companies and banks on-site. In addition, investors should take the necessary due diligence measures to ensure the reliability of those entities with which they aim to invest their money, and whether those entities have the required licenses to manage assets and invest for the benefit of others. It is also crucial to read the terms and conditions of each investment, and understand the level of potential risk and the nature of investment opportunities offered.

Investment House and Inovalis closed their ninth transaction globally and the first US transaction of 2022 on behalf of the Global Wakala Trust Program. The Program has been actively managed by Inovalis since 2019 with nearly USD 120M under management. Investment House is the sole distributor of the Shariah-compliant Program in Qatar. This latest transaction comprises a real estate portfolio of high-quality assets focused on community canters in affluent neighbourhoods with long leases in various locations in the US. The first asset is in Phoenix Arizona ideally situated along Peoria Avenue, a major east/west highway that connects Central Phoenix to Surprise. Over recent years, the area has become a highly sought-after submarket for retailers. The second asset is in Carmel, Indianapolis’s most affluent suburb, and is located within Hamilton County, one of the top ten most affluent counties in the US. Carmel’s Meridian Street Corridor is home to the second largest concentration of office workers in the State of Indiana.

• The third asset is in Palm City Florida and consists of four exceptionally well-positioned buildings at a busy intersection that dominates the trade area marketplace. Florida is one of the largest export states in the U.S. and is a major gateway for merchandise trade.

“After successfully investing in European Real Estate markets through the Global Wakala Trust Program, we have extended our offering to US assets. The portfolio was acquired at a price that can generate attractive returns for our investors and as such we continue to position Investment House as the preferred Shariah-compliant investment solution provider in Qatar. Our geographical footprint expansion and our pursuit of attractive risk-adjusted returns will continue throughout the year’’. Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Suwaidi, Chairman and Managing Director of Investment House. “Inovalis international footprint offers deal-making capabilities to our Middle Eastern institutional partners at a global scale while maintaining strong local know how through teams, operations, experience, and expertise in each country we invest in”. Khalil Hankach, Managing Director of Inovalis. “Although Europe remains our preferred playground, we are also selectively opportunistic in other developed markets. We focus on off-market real estate investment opportunities with attractive risk-return profiles”. Allen Merhej, Managing Director of Inovalis in the GCC.

The regulatory authorities for ships in the State of Liberia, the world’s second-largest Flag State Register, commended the performance of the Investment House Fund’s fleet of ships and maritime cargo vessels. The regulatory authorities sent a letter of commendation to the technical director of the Investment House Fund’s fleet, appreciating the fleet’s commitment to the safety of ships, crew, environment, and port regulations. No violations, detentions, or fines were recorded on any of the Fund’s ships for two consecutive years, marking a significant achievement in the shipping and maritime sector. It is worth noting that the fund owns a fleet of 10 ships on behalf of its clients, and this fleet has witnessed a significant increase in value since its acquisition. The Fund’s ships have transported about 7 million tons of goods worldwide, of which food products accounted for the largest share at an estimated rate of 60%. It is also noteworthy that the Commercial Director of the Investment House Fund for Ships and Maritime Cargo has been elected as a member of the Baltic Exchange, a leading global source for independent maritime market data. Mr. Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Suwaidi, Chairman & Managing Director of the Investment House, stated that this significant increase in the value of the funds is attributed to the quality of the owned ships and the growing demand for them, especially since they are dedicated to shipping vital goods and materials, which are less susceptible to external and economic factors. Mr. Al Suwaidi explained that Investment House’s strategy involves studying and analyzing all products before establishing a new investment fund or acquiring one. The company’s twenty years of experience have enabled it to understand the market cycle, its requirements, and how to manage global economic crises. He elaborated on the performance of the company’s products and solutions during the Corona pandemic, where 9% of annual profits were distributed even at the peak of the crisis. Mr. Al Suwaidi added that the company is currently studying the launch of new products that suit the diverse needs of individuals and institutions

Investment House (distributor) and Inovalis (issuer & manager) announced the completion of the seventh investment wakala and concluded the first acquisition in the beginning of the year 2022 in Germany. Investment House and Inovalis, where the latter has more than 15 years of investment experience in Germany, have demonstrated their ability through this investment to meet the requirements of investors by identifying investment opportunities combined with mitigated risks: high-quality real estate properties, credit-worthy tenants, long-term leases, and dynamic economic environment with positive aspirations. The property is built to meet the highest standards and is strategically located in Wolfsburg, the hometown to Volkswagen, near its plant and headquarters. It was completed in early 2021 and comprises two buildings totaling 9,400 sqm lettable space and 179 parking spaces. The estate essentially includes offices, test laboratory, and cold storage. It is worth mentioning that the property has been fully let for nine years to two well-known suppliers from the automotive industry, iinovis and Cariad. Whereas iinovis is an internationally active engineering service provider, while Cariad is Volkswagen’s growing 100% subsidiary specializing in automotive software and technology. Mr. Khalil Hankash – Managing Director of Inovalis stated that “With this new acquisition, Inovalis pursues investments for one of our Middle Eastern clients, Investment House, and we hope to complete in 2022 the creation of a real estate Shariah compliant pan-European fund with this investor. This new acquisition also confirms the ability of Advenis Germany, present in Germany since 2007, to source off-market quality assets within a dynamic environment.” In his turn, Mr. Mohammed bin Ahmed Al-Suwaidi, Chairman and Managing Director of Investment House, said, “We are continuing our growth strategy, with the aim to remain as the preferred Shariah-compliant investment solutions provider in Doha. In 2022 we will enhance our capabilities in raising and deploying new investments by launching a European Real Estate Fund with our partner Inovalis’’.