Qatar Business

Doha, Qatar: Demonstrating sustained momentum, Qatar’s land transport sector achieved a strong and positive performance in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026 with continued growth across key services and regulatory activities. In a post on its X platform yesterday, the Ministry of Transport (MoT) has reported a total of 3,049 land transport transactions completed by the Land Transport Affairs during the first quarter of this year, reflecting steady activity across licensing, planning, and public transport services. This shows a rise of 7.5 percent when compared to the first quarter of last year which witnessed 2,835 land transport transactions. According to newly released figures, land transport licensing accounted for the largest share, with 1,004 transactions, underscoring continued demand for regulatory approvals and permits in the sector. Meanwhile, land transport planning transactions reached 821, highlighting ongoing infrastructure development and urban mobility planning efforts. Road-related services made up 675 transactions, covering areas such as safety measures and defect detection, while public transport affairs recorded 549 transactions, including bus services and stop relocations. The Ministry attributed the volume of activity to a broad portfolio of services aimed at improving mobility and safety across the country. These include railway safety oversight, road defect monitoring, building permit requests, and traffic impact studies. Additional services cover directional signage, bus operations, and approvals for land transport network planning. It also noted continued support for private-sector transport activities, including preliminary approvals for limousine and car rental businesses, as well as wider land transport operations. The figures reflect Qatar’s ongoing efforts to enhance transportation infrastructure and streamline services, aligning with national development goals and increasing demand for efficient mobility solutions. Qatar’s land transport sector showed remarkable growth from February 28 to March 28 with MoT executing 529 transactions. The Ministry’s Land Transport Affairs continues providing its services with highest quality to meet beneficiaries’ expectations and ensure business continuity and sustainability. Over the past decade, Qatar has invested significantly in its transport infrastructure. The country has continued its efforts to develop a state-of-the-art transport network in line with the goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030.

GCC Business

Muscat: The economy of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states grew in the third quarter of 2025, reflecting its sustained ability to balance the role of the oil sector while enhancing the contribution of non-oil activities to gross domestic product (GDP). In its recent report, the GCC Statistical Center (GCC-Stat) said that GCC countries' nominal GDP reached about $595 billion in the third quarter of 2025, marking annual growth of 2.2 percent compared with the same period in 2024. It added that the GDP at constant prices reached $474 billion during the third quarter of 2025, registering an annual increase of 5.2 percent compared to the third quarter of 2024. This reflects a real improvement in Gulf economic activity. The center also showed that all GCC economies achieved positive growth rates in real output during the same period, which reinforces the image of economic stability at the regional level. Oil and gas extraction activities remained the largest contributor, accounting for 22.0 percent of total nominal GDP in the third quarter of 2025, non-oil sectors made notable and impactful contributions. Manufacturing accounted for 12.4 percent, followed by wholesale and retail trade at 9.7 percent, construction at 8.4 percent, public administration and defense at 7.5 percent, financial and insurance activities at 7.0 percent, and real estate activities at 5.8 percent, while other activities collectively represented 27.3 percent.

Qatar Business

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Transport announced that its Land Transport Affairs conducted approximately 3,049 transactions in the first quarter of 2026. In an infographic shared on its social media platform, the Ministry stated that 1,004 transactions were related to land transport licensing, while 821 were related to land transport planning. It further added that 645 transaction were related to road affairs, and 549 were on public transport affairs. These services included railway safety, bus stop relocations, bus services, road defects detection, directional signs, building permit requests, traffic impact studies and approval of land transport network planning cases. Its services also included issuing preliminary approvals for limousine business activities, land transport activities and car rental business activities.