Doha, 29th, April, 2014 – As part of its commitment to provide innovative products that support the SME Sector and to address mandates of the Qatar National Vision 2030, QNB, The World’s Strongest Bank, held its first successful Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Open Day at Al Sharq Village & Spa Hotel earlier this week.
The event was well attended and was supported by the bank’s partners; Qatar Chamber of Commerce, The Ministry of Energy and Industry, The Ministry of Information and Communication Technology, Qatar Development Bank, Enterprise Qatar, Bedaya, Mannai, Qatar Building Company, Qatar Insurance Company and Qatar Life and Medical.
The QNB theme over the two days was to promote the “One-Stop Shop” approach in helping commercial & industrial SME’s of various stages, to start up their new businesses or expand existing ones, and give them easy access to finance.
During this event, QNB’s Relationship Managers took the opportunity to update entrepreneurs about a range of available QNB and Partners services and products, and respond to all their enquiries. The convenience of this approach attracted many SME’s to participate and as a result, a number of projects that were under consideration are now being fast tracked in terms of support and financing.
Overall, SME’s are optimistic of their short and long term prospects due to the economic expansion that is driven by many Government initiatives. Qatar’s National Vision 2030 is expected to help thousands of SME’s expand their operations or start up new ventures. Within this framework, QNB took the opportunity to address the issues put forward by SME’s at The Open Day and helped by providing solutions to entrepreneurial enquiries received.
Last year QNB launched “SME - Business Banking”, an innovative platform studded with detailed business oriented solutions that will enable all current and future business owners to expand or start a business by granting them easy, convenient and quick access to finance their small to medium businesses.
QNB provides numerous funded and unfunded products that are specially tailored to meet every SME's needs irrespective of their sector. In addition, QNB’s Business Program has lined-up a slew of products and business offerings that includes, but are not limited to term and call deposits, term loans, equipment finance, trade services, vehicle loans, Corporate Credit Cards, specific Project Financing and IT support (Internet banking) to ensure that their customer’s business is always ahead of competition. QNB is one of the leading QDB partners on Al Dameen programme and working closely with EQ on new initiatives to support the SME sector in Qatar. QNB has partnered with leading equipment suppliers to provide their customers access to the latest technology at a competitive financing cost. QNB will also ensure a quick turnaround time for their loan application details to allow them to proceed with their specific requirements.
Commenting on the success of The SME Open Day Event, Hamad Al-Jamali (Acting AGM, SME’s) said:
“The event was undertaken to inform the market that QNB can offer a lot more than the typical banking products. Working with our Government and Private Sector partners, we understand both the needs of SME’s and their importance as drivers of the economy.
Our One Stop Shop Service to entrepreneurs allows a business to develop an idea, obtain a feasibility study, get access to finance and in the case of sector eligibility – collateral support. In addition, a business can benefit from direct access to premium equipment suppliers and specialized insurance products.
QNB is very pleased with the support and attendance generated by The Open Day and will continue to do all it can to promote the vibrant and growing SME Sector”.
At your convenience, QNB has dedicated SMEs relationship manager teams and corporate branches located in Ein Khaled, Wakra, Industrial City, Al Khor, Mesaieed Industrial City, Doha Industrial City and the Head Office.