Being the governor of a central bank comes with challenges at the best of times, but when your country has been politically and economically blockaded by four of its neighbours – over accusations of fostering terrorism, something that Qatar denies – the stakes are even higher. Sheikh Abdulla Bin Saoud Al-Thani, the governor of Qatar’s central bank, has had to contend with this reality, after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut ties with the country in June 2017.
“I think the economy has performed remarkably,” he says. “The banking sector has remained resilient, supported by sufficient capital buffers and low loan delinquency ratios.”
