Mr. Rashid bin Ali Al-Mansoori, CEO of Qatar Stock Exchange, stressed the importance of disclosure and transparency in the financial market and considered them a vital necessity on which investors build their investment decisions.  Al-Mansoori depicted transparency and adequate disclosure as a key element in the success of any financial market to gain the confidence of both individuals and institutional investors.

 

During the meeting organized by Qatar Stock Exchange with the participation of representatives from the Qatar Financial Markets Authority (QFMA) and the Qatar Central Securities Depository (QCSD), and the presence of representatives from some listed companies; Mr. Al-Mansoori said in the opening speech that the companies listed on QSE have made great strides in the implementation of international standards in terms of disclosure and transparency and the development of dedicated Investor Relations (IR) departments and websites, noting that such measures have great impact on the companies'  success in gaining investors' confidence and ensure healthy, transparent and fair trading environment.

 

Mr. Al-Mansoori thanked the QFMA and the QCSD for their participation in the meeting, highlighting the support of Qatar Stock Exchange to the companies in their efforts to develop the services provided to investors.

“QSE intends to introduce new tools to assist the listed companies in unifying the disclosure format and procedures. QSE also launched the Investor Relations Excellence Program which aims at encouraging the listed companies to communicate with all stakeholders and adopt the international best practices in this regard,” Al-Mansoori pointed out.

 

"What matters to investors primarily are transparency, efficient disclosure process and access to information. Our consultative meetings with local and international brokers, funds and investment firms have assured the significance of access to executive management and the availability of information on the company’s plans, liquidity and dividends, are important factors on which investment decisions are based," Mr. Al-Mansoori stated.

 

Mr. Nasser Al-Abdulghani, QSE's Operations Director, also briefed the participants on the best disclosure practices and stated that the aim of the meeting is to promote cooperation and coordination between communication officers of the listed companies and the representatives of QFMA, QCSD, and QSE for the best interest of investors. The best way to reach this objective is through exchanging views and listening to suggestions from the participants in order to overcome the difficulties encountered in the application of the best disclosure practices in the market," Al-Abdulghani added.

 

The meeting was addressed by Dr. Khalid Shams Al-Abdulqader, Dean of the College of Business and Economics at Qatar University, who gave a presentation about the importance of quality, accurate and timely disclosures, and stressed that the Qatar Stock Exchange has gained confidence for being a stable and developed market and for its role in supporting the disclosure practices and promoting the market efficiency and investor confidence.

 

The QFMA and QCSD representatives responded to some queries from the communication officers representing the participating listed companies and listened to their recommendations and suggestions to promote the disclosure practices and strengthen cooperation among listed companies, the QFMA, the QCSD, and the QSE for the best interest of investors.  The meeting was concluded with some recommendations that are in the interest of investors, the financial market and the national economy.