The Qatar Investment Authority announced the launch of a permanent market-making program on the Qatar Stock Exchange, worth one billion riyals.

A statement issued by the Qatar Stock Exchange today said that the Qatar Investment Authority is committed to allocating an amount of up to one billion Qatari riyals to establish a permanent market-making program to support the continued momentum in the market and contribute to the growth of the Qatari economy.

The statement indicated that the program extends over the next five years and will cover 90% of the market capitalization listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange, in addition to providing incentives for trading in the form of discounting trading costs for authorized market makers.

In January, the Qatari stock exchange welcomed the initial public offering of shares of Mizah Information Technology Services Company, which was the first offering on the stock exchange in nearly three years under new regulations that allowed companies to set a price range to test investor appetite and set prices.