Doha, 18 April 2012 - Qatar National Bank (QNB) Group, the leading financial institution in the State of Qatar, will be the Platinum Sponsor of the thirteenth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD XIII) which is being held in Qatar from 21-26 April 2012.

This is the first time a UNCTAD conference is being held in the Middle East region and Qatar will welcome a large number of global leaders representing United Nations member states during the course of the summit.  The summit is expected to be one of the most important in recent times, considering the long tail of the global financial and economic crisis. 

The theme of UNCTAD XIII is "Development-centred globalization: Towards inclusive and sustainable growth and development" and QNB's participation in this global summit is an extension of its growing role in regional and international banking and financial services, as well as a commitment to provide positive support to the communities in which it operates.

QNB Group is a leading supporter of economic events in Qatar and internationally and participates in many key economic summits throughout the year, including the acclaimed 20th World Petroleum Congress which was in Doha last year (2011) for the first time in the Middle East. In 2012 QNB Group has been the Gold Sponsor of the Third Annual CFA Institute Middle East Investment Conference, as well as the Diamond Sponsor of the ICC Banking Commission Meeting in Doha. Both events were held in March this year.

QNB's support of major economic summits goes beyond financial sponsorship. The Bank actively participates in such summits to help generate more awareness of the financial sector and opportunities for collaborative growth, as well as build relationships and bridges between Qatar and the world.

As part of the Group's unique performance, the Bank was recently named one of the World's 50 Safest Banks and one of the Safest Banks in the Middle East, according to the latest update published by Global Finance in April 2012. QNB also became the number 1 brand in the MENA region, and moved up to the 114th place amongst the world's top 500 banking brands as compared to place 189 in 2011.

The Group offers customers and clients with access to 24 countries in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and Asia, where its network, subsidiaries and affiliate companies employ over 7,000 staff operating from 335 branches and offices that are supported by an ATM network that exceeds 650 machines.

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