Qatar Emir's visit to India may boost gulf nation's investments

Qatar Emir’s visit to India may boost gulf nation’s investments

Posted by author February 17, 2025 World

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New Delhi: Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani’s India visit (Monday-Tuesday) after a decade may lead to bigger investments from the Qatari sovereign fund that is keen on further exploring the large and growing Indian market.

The visit could lead to additional LNG purchase by India from Qatar and a trade deal with Qatar may also be on table, it is learnt. Qatar is India’s largest supplier of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), providing over 48% of India’s global LNG imports. Qatar’s Energy Minister, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, had visited India earlier this month for India Energy Week. During his visit, Al-Kaabi emphasised Qatar’s commitment to supporting India’s energy requirements.

In February 2024, Petronet LNG signed a long-term deal with QatarEnergy for supply of 7.5 m tonnes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per annum starting 2028 until 2048.

In February 2022, Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) announced financial support of $1.5 billion to investment firm Bodhi Tree, which will invest in media and consumer technology opportunities in Southeast Asia, with particular focus on India, according to the Indian government country brief on India-Qatar ties.

In August 2023, INQ Holding, a wholly-owned subsidiary of QIA, invested $1 billion in Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd., and also bought a 2.7% stake in Adani Green Energy for $474 m, according to the brief.