Qatar boasts one of the highest Internet penetration rates in the world, at 99 percent.  According to DataReportal, 97.8 percent of population are active social media users which is among the highest in the world. Before Covid-19, it was estimated that only about 14 percent of the population made online purchases; however, this has increased significantly since March 2020, but no reliable statistics are available at this date. Fitch Solutions estimates that the e-commerce market in Qatar was worth close to $1.5 billion in 2019 and it only has grown since then. In Qatar small and medium enterprises accept credit cards, which are widely used in Qatar.

As Qatar continues to move towards a cashless economy, the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) launched the “Qatar Mobile Payment System” (QMPS) in 2020 enabling the use of electronic wallets to further develop the country’s electronic payment environment and access to a high-level national payment system. Qatar Central Bank also issued unified specifications and standards for the QR code that enables users to make payments by scanning the response code (QR Code) through mobile phones at points of sale and public transportation.  On September 30, 2021, QCB issued the Payment Services Regulation to license and regulate payment service providers (PSPs) in Qatar. Accelerated by the COVID-19 lockdown and given the country’s high smartphone penetration rate at 144 percent in 2021, per the World Bank, banks have also revised their products and services for an increasingly mobile customer base. Currently, most banks in Qatar offer mobile banking services.

In March 2023, the Qatar Central Bank (QCB) launched the National Fintech Strategy, to integrate digital innovations like blockchain, Islamic banking, insurance technology, and education technology.  Cryptocurrencies remain banned under the new strategy.  The QCB aims, through the new strategy, to serve as a regulator and an enabler to accommodate emerging fintech models. The central bank started introducing a licensing regime for all new and existing fintech services operating in the country, including Payment Services Providers (PSPs), “buy now pay later” (BNPL) and insurance price comparison websites. The National Strategy and several other related documents remain unavailable in sufficient details leading to opacity and bureaucratic challenge.

Enacted in 2010, the country’s Electronic Commerce and Transactions Law provides legislation in areas such as e-signatures, e-documents, and authentication. Qatar Central Bank is primarily responsible for regulating electronic banking activities and electronic financial transactions. The Government of Qatar encourages greater use of modern technology in government transactions and service delivery.  Qatar continues to implement its e-Government 2020 strategy (affirmed by the government in 2023 under the Qatar National Vision 2030), which aims to enhance people’s everyday lives through technology.  This includes providing Government services electronically to individuals and businesses, as well as enhancing administrative efficiency and increasing government openness.  Several government services and transactions are now possible through the Internet and the goal of putting 100% of key government services online.  The private sector, however, has taken slow steps in developing its B2B and B2C portals. Given the government’s interest in enhancing this service throughout Qatar, as well as the necessity for alternatives to in-person shopping that Covid-19 presented, e-commerce should flourish. View information on eCommerce guidelines.

U.S. Export Assistance Centers across the United States offer U.S. companies a Website Globalization Review (WGR) gap analysis to provide a technical and strategic assessment of a businesses’ e-commerce sales channel efforts. This is one component of the digital strategy counseling available to Commercial Service clients. The WGR gap analysis also evaluates a business’ website from an international marketing and sales perspective.  Learn more about the WGR gap analysis and digital strategy development.