Finance QIA looks at investments in Australia and Asia By Pramod Kumar September 20, 2024, 5:02 AM Noushad Thekkayil via Reuters Connect QIA is exploring investment opportunities, including carve-outs among conglomerates and take-private deals in Japan Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) is looking at expanding into Australia, South Korea and Southeast Asia as part of its growth strategy, a senior fund official has said. The sovereign fund is starting to hire locally in Australia and South Korea, Abdulla Ali Al-Kuwari, head of Asia Pacific at QIA Advisory, told a panel at the Milken Institute Asia Summit 2024 in Singapore. “We started Japan with the team maybe three years ago, now we are doubling it. It is a market to focus for us,” he said. QIA is also exploring investment opportunities, including carve-outs among conglomerates and take-private deals in Japan, while focusing mainly on the technology sector in India. Home is where the heart is for GCC wealth funds QIA will support London’s Canary Wharf says CEO Qatar announces revamp of sovereign wealth fund “Technology is the biggest sector of our focus, and one country that stands out is India,” Al-Kuwari said. QIA is a long-term capital provider and is investing for future generations of Qatar, focussing on pre-initial public offering, private and listed companies, he said. In June the sovereign fund announced plans to expand its portfolio in the US and Asia – particularly China and India – and aims to take advantage of more “investor-friendly” deal terms, said Mohammed al Hardan, head of QIA’s technology, media and telecom investments Established in 2005, QIA’s domestic holdings include stakes in Qatar National Bank – the Middle East and Africa’s biggest bank by assets – and former telecom monopoly Ooredoo.