Earnings gain came despite Iran war disruptions to shipping and trade

Qatar National Bank Group reported Thursday a net profit of 4.65 billion Qatari riyals ($1.28 billion) for the three months through September, up about 4.9% from the same period a year earlier. The bank, Qatar’s largest, reported the result as the regional economy continues to absorb the effects of a war that began in late February.

Group chief executive Abdulla Mubarak Al-Khalifa told Dow Jones Newswires that Qatar National Bank is looking to finance investment in digital infrastructure, real estate, and businesses expanding across its markets. The bank has been seeking to grow its international banking franchise and capture more cross-border trade and investment flows, he said.

“Our focus is on turning those financing opportunities into durable earnings, choosing where we commit capital with the same discipline we apply to growing the business,” Al-Khalifa said.

The results came as the war between the U.S. and Iran, which began in late February, continues to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The disruption has rippled into trade flows and business activity across the wider Middle East. Al-Khalifa described the changing economic landscape as presenting further financing opportunities for the bank.

The International Monetary Fund said last week that Gulf authorities had helped contain the economic fallout through measures to support businesses, maintain bank liquidity, and reroute trade flows. However, the fund warned that weaker business confidence, reduced trade, and higher prices were weighing on non-oil activity, and that prolonged disruptions could make economic diversification and investment more difficult.

For the first nine months of the year, Qatar National Bank reported net profit of 13.3 billion Qatari riyals, up 4% from the same period in 2025. Loans and advances increased 6% from a year earlier to 1.061 trillion riyals, the bank said.

Qatar National Bank’s credit ratings remain among the highest in Qatar. Moody’s rates the bank Aa2, while S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings both assign it A+.