IslamicFinance.de

According to the chief economic adviser of the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC), Islamic finance will need to play a pivotal role in meeting the increasing demand for funds by the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Dr Haitham al-Salama said oil prices are not likely to exceed $100 in the near future and are forecast to stay around the $55-$65 per barrel. Also, a spike in the shale oil production is expected, which will push the prices down. He added that this puts further emphasis on the economic diversification efforts of oil producing countries, particularly in the GCC. Qatar has already taken various measures to diversify the economy, which includes lowering the subsidies and cost optimisation apart from prioritising planned spending. Finance Minister HE Ali Sherif al-Emadi had recently said Qatar would be spending another QR46bn in 2017 to upgrade its infrastructure in the run up to 2022 FIFA World Cup.