The Impact of the Blockade on the Industrial and Financial Sectors in Qatar

Abstract

Today Qatar’s business community faces an unprecedented air, land and sea blockade. The economy has performed remarkably well despite these challenges, but more information is needed on how the blockade has impacted Qatar’s business community and how firms have navigated these challenges. Such information may inform policymakers on how they can help firms succeed. To this end, Qatar University’s Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI) and the College of Business and Economics teamed up with the Qatar Finance and Business Academy to conduct a survey of industrial and financial companies in Qatar. In this survey, 115 industrial companies and 14 financial companies were asked about the initial and ongoing effects of the blockade on their operations, as well as how they view the future. The goal of this survey was to obtain firmlevel assessments of Qatar’s business environment, labor markets, trade and logistics, as well as finance and investment conditions during this challenging time.