Morgan Stanley (MS.N) has hired fund manager Abdulrahman Al-Abdulla as head of its business in Qatar, as the Wall Street bank continues its expansion in the region and tries to tap into a predicted rise in deal volumes in the wealthy Gulf state.

A spokesperson for Morgan Stanley confirmed the appointment of the executive, who will report to the bank’s co-head of Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Abdulaziz Alajaji and will look at its offerings in Qatar including banking, capital markets and trading.

Al-Abdulla joins Morgan Stanley from UBS-owned (UBSG.S) asset management firm Aventicum Capital, where he was a portfolio manager working on equities and fixed income in the MENA region.

One of the world’s largest LNG exporters, Qatar is one of several Gulf countries trying to diversify their economies away from energy while attracting foreign investment, making the region increasingly attractive for Western banks on the hunt for more business.

Morgan Stanley has had an office in Qatar since 2006. It also has offices in Dubai, Riyadh and this year it opened one in Abu Dhabi.