Mubasher: The number of new companies established in Qatar hiked 13.4% to 15,000 in 2017, from 12,910 a year earlier, Qatar Chamber’s (QC) chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassem Al Thani said in a statement on Sunday.

The number of foreign companies that have forayed into the world’s biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) increased to 32 companies last year compared to 27 the prior year, the statement added.

 Al Thani noted that the diplomatic dispute with four Arab countries had no impact on investment environment of the world's richest country per capita, as the number of companies launched after the rift reached 7,335 companies.