Qatar Investment Authority: More than half of assets invested in private and public equity

The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) has more than half of its assets invested in private equity and listed shares as it seeks higher returns, its chief executive Mansoor Al-Mahmoud disclosed during an International Institute of Finance event on Wednesday, Reuters reported.

According to the report, the QIA’s risk appetite is larger than some of its peers, as a long-term sovereign fund without short-term liabilities to meet.

The wealth fund, with assets estimated by the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute at about $295 billion, has between 50 per cent and 55 per cent of asset allocation focused on private and public equity, Mahmoud explained.

“Our approach is always to be a long-term investor, this gives us an advantage. Companies are looking for investors with long-term horizons,” added Mahmoud.

READ: Qatar invests €25bn in Germany

The Qatar fund remains one of the largest investors in real estate and partially owns the Canary Wharf Group, which in July unveiled plans for a vast mixed-use development, including business space, in London’s financial district.

Last July, the QIA took an undisclosed stake in the German clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company CureVac as part of a $126 million financing round, the latest high-profile investor to come on board ahead of a potential stock market listing.

Aside from medical investment, the QIA is investing the surplus revenues of the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas.