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Commercial Bank of Qatar

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FY2018 Annual Report · Commercial Bank of Qatar
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Rising to the  
challenge

Annual Report
2018

A

His Highness
Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani
Emir of the State of Qatar

His Highness
 Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani
Father Emir

1

The tailwinds powering Qatar

Commercial Bank stands united with His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al 
Thani and the people of Qatar in the face of the continued economic blockade.
We are proud to be a Qatari bank, loyal to His Highness the Emir, and we believe the 
economic blockade has made Qatar stronger than ever before. Over the last year, Qatar’s 
economy has grown, new businesses have emerged, and social and cultural life  
is flourishing.
As Qatar’s first private bank with over 40 years of history, we support our country in every 
way we can, acting as one of the many tailwinds powering Qatar. By providing innovative 
banking products and services, financing major projects and small businesses, developing 
human capital as a leading private sector employer and investing in Qatar’s community, 
supporting Qatar’s National Vision 2030 and all-round national development is a common 
thread in everything we do.
After defying expectations by becoming stronger after the blockade, Qatar has set sail 
on a new voyage to success as a bold, confident, and prosperous nation. So too has 
Commercial Bank as a business.
Living up to our belief that ‘everything is possible’ Commercial Bank has continued to work 
together in 2018 as one team to deliver on our five-year strategic plan to build momentum 
for a new phase of sustainable growth. The foundation of our ambition to be the ‘Best Bank 
in Qatar’ and the ‘Qatari Bank of Choice’ are the Five C’s of Commercial Bank:
•  Corporate Earnings Quality
•  Client Experience
•  Creativity and Innovation
•  Culture
•  Compliance
We are living up to each of these Five C’s by taking real action to achieve growth in the 
present and position Commercial Bank well for increasingly strong performance in the 
coming years as we continue our transformation journey.

2

Contents

Business at a glance
Forward looking statements
Financial highlights
Key highlights
Chairman’s message
Board of Directors
Vice Chairman’s message
Group Chief Executive Officer’s message
Management review of operations
Annual Corporate Governance Report 2018
Independent Auditors’ Report
Consolidated Statement of Financial Position
Consolidated Income Statement
Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows
Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements
Supplementary Information

8
10
14
15
18
 20
24
26
30
58
60
65
66
67
68
72
74
167

3

 
About Commercial Bank

Incorporated in 1974 as the first private bank in 
the country, Commercial Bank is today one of 
the leading financial institutions in Qatar with 
a profitable track record since inception. We 
continue to play an important role in driving 
innovation and raising service standards 
in banking across the region through our 
investment in new technology, a clear focus 
on customers and prudent management. Our 
country-wide network includes 29 full service 
branches and 159 ATMs, and we also own and 
operate exclusive ‘Diners Club’ franchise in 
Qatar and Turkey. We are listed on the Qatar 
Exchange and were the first Qatari bank to list its 
Global Depository Receipts on the London Stock 
Exchange. Commercial Bank’s bonds issuance is 
listed on the Irish Stock Exchange and the Swiss 
Exchange (SIX).
Expanding its geographical footprint, 
Commercial Bank is 100% owner of Alternatif 
bank in Turkey and has a strategic partnership 
with the National Bank of Oman (NBO). These 
strategic alliances enable Commercial Bank 
to offer integrated services across the region, 

including cross-border services for corporate 
banking and capital markets; trade services for 
Corporate Banking customers; private banking 
services; and, syndicated loans in all our  
alliance markets.
Our continual investment in technology and 
people, together with our strong capital base, 
provides a solid foundation for further growth. 
Commercial Bank has a robust financial position, 
with total assets of QAR 135.1 billion at 31 
December 2018 and a capital adequacy ratio of 
15.5%. The Bank enjoys strong credit ratings of 
(A3) from Moody’s, (A) from Fitch, and (BBB+) 
from Standard & Poor’s. 
True to our pioneering origins and history of 
success, we are dedicated to supporting Qatar’s 
economic development and social infrastructure 
through Corporate Social Responsibility 
programmes and sponsorship of various events, 
which help to raise Qatar’s profile internationally. 

4

CBQ Finance Limited. A fully owned subsidiary 
incorporated in Bermuda and organised as 
a special purpose entity established to raise 
capital for Commercial Bank by issue of debt 
instruments.
CB Global Trading Limited. A fully owned 
subsidiary incorporated in Cayman Islands, an 
issuing vehicle for Derivatives.
CB Innovation Services LLC. A fully owned 
subsidiary incorporated in Qatar under the Qatar 
Financial Centre Authority providing the Bank 
with Operations management services. 

Associates
National Bank of Oman (S.A.O.G.) An 
associate entity that operates through 60 
conventional branches and 6 Islamic branches 
in Oman, and one branch in each at Egypt, Abu 
Dhabi and Dubai
Massoun Insurance Services L.L.C. A joint 
arrangement entity that provides tailored 
corporate and personal insurance products to 
the Bank’s customers.

Our business segments
Wholesale Banking Provides a range of 
conventional commercial and investment 
banking services and products to large, medium 
and small enterprises, including corporate 
lending, trade finance, syndicated loans, 
deposits, letter of credit and guarantees. 
Retail Banking Provides a full suite of 
conventional retail banking services and products 
to retail customers in Qatar, including current 
and deposit accounts, wealth management, 
mortgage lending, personal and vehicle loans 
and credit card and other card services. 

Subsidiaries
Alternatif Bank A fully owned subsidiary in 
Turkey that operates through a network of 49 
branches.
Commercial Bank Financial Services (L.L.C.) 
A fully owned subsidiary that provides direct 
access to the Qatar Exchange, online trading and 
brokerage services.
Orient 1 Limited A fully owned subsidiary 
incorporated  in Bermuda that owns an exclusive 
‘Diners Club’ franchise in Qatar and Turkey. 
CB Global Limited. A fully owned subsidiary 
incorporated in Cayman Islands, an issuing 
vehicle for Euro Commercial Paper and 
Certificate of Deposit Programme.

5

proud to be qatari 

We are a Qatar-based bank and we are incredibly proud of our 
country. As one of the largest private sector employers Qatar, we 
have a duty to contribute to the development and success  
of the country and it is our honour to do so. Through the services 
we offer to the market and our innovative approach to business, 
Commercial Bank supports economic diversity and sustainability. 
We are also committed to build Qatar’s human capital by investing  
in our people and community.

Business at a Glance

Our voyages 
1974  Commercial Bank is incorporated as Qatar’s first 

private sector bank

1975  The Bank begins operations under a 

management services contract with Chase 
Manhattan Bank

1981   The contract with Chase Manhattan Bank 

officially ends and Commercial Bank is fully 
independent

1987  A new Commercial Bank 1987 head office opens 

on Grand Hamad Street

1990   ATMs are introduced in Qatar by Commercial 

Bank

1991  Commercial Bank acquires the Diners Club 

franchise for Qatar

1992   Point-of-sale machines are introduced in Qatar 

by Commercial Bank

1997  A dedicated Customer Call Centre is established
2005   Commercial Bank forms a strategic alliance with 

National Bank of Oman

2006  Commercial Bank signs an agreement to 

become the title sponsor for the Qatar Masters 
golf tournament

2008  First Qatari bank to list GDRs on the London 

Stock Exchange

8

2009  Commercial Bank Plaza, the new headquarters 
of Commercial Bank, is opened on 13 May 2009 
by H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al-
Thani, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign 
Affairs of Qatar
Incorporates Commercial Bank Investment 
Services (re-branded to become Commercial 
Bank Financial Services)

2011 

2013  Commercial Bank acquires 74.24% shareholding 

in Alternatif Bank in Turkey
2015   Commercial Bank celebrates its 40th 

anniversary milestone as Qatar’s first private 
bank

2016  Commercial Bank signs a debut USD 166 million 

3-year Ninja loan facility – the first Ninja loan 
for a GCC financial institution Commercial Bank 
successfully completes the acquisition of the 
remaining 25% shareholding in Alternatif Bank
2017  Commercial Bank incorporates CB Innovation 

Services LLC, a management operation services 
captive entity that has successfully on-shored 
previously outsourced activities.

2018  Commercial Bank receives ‘Best Bank in Qatar’ 
award from Global Finance, ‘Best Remittance 
Service’ and ‘Best Cash Management Bank’ in 
the Middle East from the Asian Banker.

9

Forward Looking  
Statements

Net Profit
QAR 1,663 million

Earnings  
per Share
QAR 3.52

 Loans and  
Advances
QAR 83.7 bn

Customer  
Deposits
QAR 71.3 bn

Total Assets
QAR 135.1 bn

This document contains certain forward looking 
statements with respect to certain plans and current 
goals and expectations of Commercial Bank and its 
associated companies relating to their future financial 
condition and performance. 
These forward looking statements do not relate only 
to historical or current facts. By their nature forward-
looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because 
they relate to future events and circumstances including 
a number of factors which are beyond Commercial 
Bank’s control. 
As a result, Commercial Bank’s actual future results  
may differ materially from the plans, goals and 
expectations set forth in Commercial Bank’s forward-
looking statements. 

Any forward-looking statements made by or on behalf 
of Commercial Bank are made in the context of the time 
of publication of this report. Commercial Bank does 
not undertake to update forward looking statements to 
reflect any changes in Commercial Bank’s expectations 
with regard to any changes in events, conditions or 
circumstances on which any such statement is based. 
The information, statements and opinions contained 
in this presentation do not constitute a public offer 
under any applicable legislation, or an offer to sell or 
solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or financial 
instruments or any advice, or recommendations with 
respect to such securities or other financial instruments.

NET PROFIT (QAR MILLION)

1,663

10

Investment &  
Dividend Income

Other Income

-1%

2%

6%

Foreign Exchange  
Income

Net Fee 
Income

22%

Net Interest  
Income

71%

Net Operating  
Income

11

Other Liabilities

Due to Banks and  
Financial Institutions

Customers’  
Deposits

4%

10%

53%

Shareholders’ 
Funds

15%

Funding  
Mix

18%

Other Borrowed 
Funds

Retained Earnings

Other Reserves

Risk Reserve

4% 2%

5%

49%

Legal  
Reserve

Share Capital

19%

Shareholders’  
Equity

20%

Tier 1 Note

12

Non-Banking  
Financial Institutions

Contracting

Personal

8%

Industry

8%

Commercial

10%

Other

2%

1%

5%

29%

Services

Loans &  
Advances

12%

25%

Real Estate

Government

Investments in 
Associates

Other Assets

Loans

6% 3%

62%

Liquid Assets

12%

Investments

16%

Total  
Assets

13

Financial Highlights

In QAR million, except per share 
amounts and as stated otherwise

Net interest income

Net operating income

Net profit 

Total assets

Lending to customers

Basic/diluted earnings per share in QAR

Dividends declared per ordinary share 
including bonus shares in QAR

Closing market price per ordinary share 
in QAR (at year end)

Book value per ordinary share in QAR

Long-term debt (at year end) 

Shareholders’ equity (at year end) 

Return on average shareholders’ equity

Return on average assets

Capital adequacy ratio

Full-time employees (at year end)*

2018

2,482

3,509

1,663

135,071

83,702

3.52

2017

2,518

3,529

604

2016

2,341

3,578

501

138,449

130,380

89,122

0.91

77,798

0.78

2015

2,534

3,949

1,434

123,421

76,601

3.92

2014

2,581

3,903

1,940

115,652

72,541

5.93

1.5

1.0

0.5

3.00

4.50

39.39

49.41

24,300

19,999

8.1%

1.2%

15.5%

2,270

28.90

51.94

32.50

59.09

20,908

22,495

21,021

3.0%

0.5%

16.1%

2,251

19,301

2.7%

0.4%

15.2%

2,138

45.90

52.96

20,523

17,299

8.2%

1.2%

13.5%

2,286

68.50

59.60

18,885

17,696

11.3%

1.7%

15.2%

2,374

* Group employees (Commercial Bank, Alternatif Bank and Commercial Bank Innovation Services)

14

Key Highlights

 175.5 %

NET PROFIT OF  
QAR 1,663.2 MILLION,  
UP BY 175.5% 

 5.9 %

OPERATING PROFIT OF  
QAR 2,335 MILLION,  
UP BY 5.9% 

Other key financial highlights 

•  Cost to income ratio of 33.4% reduced  

•  “Best Bank in Qatar” award from Global 

from 37.5%.

Finance Magazine.

•  Provisions on loans and advances to 

customers QAR 927.2 million, down by 
45.4%.

•  “Best Retail Bank in Qatar” award for a second 

year in a row from The Asian Banker.

•  “Best Remittance Service for the Middle East” 

•  Total assets of QAR 135.1 billion, down  

award from The Asian Banker. 

by 2.4%. 

•  Customer loans and advances of QAR 83.7 

billion, down by 6.1%.

15

international voyages 

Commercial Bank is truly international. Our geographical footprint 
extends far beyond Qatar through our regional alliance of banks. 
Turkey and Oman are key markets for Commercial Bank and we are 
present in these markets through our Turkish subsidiary, Alternatif 
Bank and associate, National Bank of Oman. Because these 
countries are strategic trading partners of Qatar, Commercial Bank 
Group is well positioned to capitalize on the increasing investment 
flows between these countries.  

Chairman’s Message

Sheikh Abdulla Bin Ali Bin Jabor Al Thani
Chairman

I am pleased to present Commercial Bank’s Annual 
Report for the year ended 31 December 2018 on behalf 
of the Board of Directors.
In 2018 Qatar returned to “business as usual” on 
its transformation journey towards a sustainable, 
knowledge-based economy. The initial effects of the 
blockade imposed in 2017 are now fully behind us and 
the economy has not only maintained the status quo 
but emerged from a challenging position to become 
stronger and more diversified this year.

Qatar has strong economic fundamentals, which are 
recognised by the major rating agencies and international 
investors. Fitch, Moody’s and S&P all upwardly revised 
their outlook on Qatar to “stable” from “negative” in 
2018, and affirmed Qatar’s sovereign credit ratings at 
AA-, Aa3 and AA-/A-1 respectively. The Qatar Stock 
Exchange was the best performer in the region in 2018 
and confidence in the future of Qatar’s economy was 
evident when Qatar raised a $12 billion sovereign bond in 
April in the international financial markets that was heavily 
oversubscribed, with orders exceeding $52 billion.

18

Qatar’s resilient, well-diversified economy is backed by 
large sovereign reserves and prudent macroeconomic 
management. The IMF predicts Qatar’s GDP to grow by 
2.7% in 2018, well ahead of the 1.3% forecast for the 
Middle East region. Lower output in the hydrocarbon 
sector has meant that a large proportion of this growth in 
2018 has come from the private sector, demonstrating 
Qatar’s success in promoting economic diversification. 
2018 has been noteworthy for Qatar’s rapid progress 
in delivering self-sufficiency projects, especially 
in food products and manufacturing, with Qatar’s 
private sector and stable business environment that is 
supportive of foreign investments playing a major role 
in facilitating these projects. Private sector growth is 
expected to increase in 2019 driven by construction, 
agriculture, manufacturing, transportation and logistics. 
Construction remains a key private sector growth driver, 
supported by continued funding for major infrastructure 
projects relating to the 2022 World Cup and delivering 
the Qatar National Vision 2030.
Strict fiscal discipline has helped Qatar achieve a budget 
surplus in the first half of 2018, and prospects for 
hydrocarbon sector growth in 2019 look the best in several 
years. Longer term, Qatar’s competitive strengths in LNG 
set us apart from our regional neighbours and the lifting 
of the moratorium on the development of the North 
Field will cement Qatar’s position as the world’s largest 
LNG exporter for many years to come.
Looking abroad, there is much uncertainty about the 
future of the global economy. Markets ended the year in 
turmoil, the US Treasury yield curve inverted for the first 
time in more than a decade, and increasing economic 
and geopolitical rivalry between the US and China 
suggests that global growth achieved since the end of 
the financial crisis has peaked.
2019 is likely to see US economic growth weaken in 
line with the rest of the world. China’s economy slowed 
in 2018 and stimulus provided by the authorities 
won’t increase growth until later in 2019. Other major 
advanced economies are also slowing, with both the 
Eurozone and Japan set for sluggish growth next year. 
In emerging economies, higher US interest rates and 
a stronger dollar push up borrowing costs and curb 
investments, while slower US and Chinese growth will 
impact negatively on exports in 2019.
Thanks to the coordinated efforts of many ministries, 
organisations and companies, all under the leadership of 
His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, 
the economic outlook for Qatar in 2019 is stronger. 2018 
was a better year for Qatar than the year before, and 

so too at Commercial Bank. We have a clear vision to 
improve the Bank’s performance based on our five-year 
strategic plan initiated in 2016. Within that plan, our 
key areas of focus have been taking provisions for our 
legacy loan book, reducing our cost to income ratio, and 
continuing to build the Bank’s 43 year-old franchise in 
terms of new technology and innovation.
This plan is working, with actions taken under our 
five-year strategic plan delivering good results and 
evident in the Bank’s strong bottom line performance in 
2018. Commercial Bank, its subsidiaries and associates 
announced its financial results for the full year ended 
31 December 2018, and the Board of Directors have 
recommended, for approval at the Annual General 
Assembly on 20 March 2019, a cash dividend payout of 
QAR 1.5 per share.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to 
express our thankfulness and gratitude for the visionary 
leadership of His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin 
Hamad Al Thani. Under the leadership of His Highness, 
Qatar is well positioned to continue on its remarkable 
growth trajectory and Commercial Bank is fully 
aligned with, and contributes towards, Qatar’s national 
development objectives.
I also want to convey our appreciation for the guidance 
and support we have received from His Excellency the 
Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, His Excellency 
the Minister of Finance, His Excellency the Minister 
of Commerce and Industry and His Excellency the 
Governor of Qatar Central Bank.
I would like to thank the Board of Directors for their 
continued guidance and all our employees for their 
collective efforts towards making 2018 a successful year 
for Commercial Bank, recognising that this success 
could not have been achieved without the loyalty of our 
customers and the continued support of our shareholders.
2019 will be the third year of our five-year strategic plan. 
We have made good progress in reshaping our business 
and next year we will continue on our transformation 
journey towards delivering long-term sustainable 
growth for our shareholders while contributing towards 
Qatar’s national success story.

Abdulla Bin Ali Bin Jabor Al Thani
Chairman

19

Board of Directors

20

1

4

7

2

5

8

3

6

9

1. 

Sheikh Abdulla Bin Ali bin Jabor Al Thani
Chairman

2.  Mr. Hussain Ibrahim Alfardan

Vice Chairman

3.  HE Mr. Abdul Rahman Bin Hamad Al Attiyah

Member

4.  Mr. Omar Hussain Alfardan

Managing Director

5.  Sheikh Jabor Bin Ali bin Jabor Al Thani

Member

6.  Sheikh Faisal Bin Fahad bin Jassim Al Thani

Member

7.  Mr. Mohd Ismail Mandani Al Emadi

Member

8.  Qatar Insurance Company 

Member
(Represented by HE Mr. Khalaf Ahmed Al Mannai)

9.  HE Mr. Saleh Abdulla Mohamed Al Ibrahim Al Mannai

Member

21

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
investing in our crew 

At Commercial Bank, we know that our people are our most 
important asset. That is why we invest so much in their career 
development, health, and wellbeing. Through our successful 
National Development Programme, we have helped hundreds 
of young, Qatari nationals to learn the skills that are needed to 
develop successful careers. We also support people outside of 
the Commercial Bank family through our community-focused 
corporate social responsibility programme.  

Vice Chairman’s  
Message

Mr. Hussain Ibrahim Alfardan
Vice Chairman

Qatar continued to transform its economy in 2018 for a 
more sustainable future, implementing a raft of reforms 
designed to strengthen the economy, increase self-
sufficiency and promote growth. By aligning itself with 
the economic objectives of the nation and providing 
a strong, stable and innovative financial institution to 

support Qatar’s economy, Commercial Bank is pleased 
to continue to be a part of Qatar’s growth story. 2018 is 
the second full year of our five-year strategic plan and 
the benefits of the continuing execution of this plan 
are evident in our positive financial results for the year 
ended 31 December 2018.

24

The Bank delivered a consolidated operating profit 
of QAR 2.34 billion and a net profit of QAR 1.66 billion, 
representing a 5.9% and a 175.5% increase over the 
same period last year, respectively. 
Under our five-year strategic plan, we took the prudent 
decision to take provisions for our legacy loan book. 
This provisioning process is coming to an end, with 
net provisions for loans and advances decreasing by 
45.4% in 2018 to QAR 927 million. Significant provisions 
have been taken since 2016, and income previously 
associated with these provisions have been substituted 
with high quality sources due to our strategic intent to 
de-risk and re-shape our balance sheet. As part of this 
re-shape, the Domestic Bank’s exposure to the real 
estate sector decreased from 29.2% in 2017 to 28.7% 
in 2018.
In further support of long-term sustainable growth, 
we are building new fee income that is not purely 
lending based due to our strategic focus on transaction 
banking and growth in fee-based products and services 
such as remittances, cash management and wealth 
management. Non-interest income increased by 1.5% 
to QAR 1.03 billion.
We successfully decreased our operating expenses 
by 11.5% year on year, in line with our strategy to drive 
operational efficiencies across the business through 
investment in digitization and automation, eliminate 
waste, and reduce staff costs while avoiding large 
scale redundancies. Consequently, the Bank reported 
a substantial fall in the cost to income ratio of 33.4%, 
down from 37.5% in 2017.
Due to the repayment of government loans across 
banks in Qatar in April 2018 after the State’s sovereign 
bond issue, an increase in interest rates, and a 
depreciation in the Turkish Lira, loans and advances to 
customers decreased by 6.1% in 2018 at a Group level, 
with consolidated net interest income down 1.4% to QAR 
2.48 billion for the year 2018. Despite a 4.4% decrease 
in loans and advances, net interest income increased 
by 4.0% at the Domestic level through a combination 
of asset pricing and a strong focus on cost of funding. A 
conscious decision to dispose of deposits bearing high 
interest rates resulted in customer deposits decreasing 
in the Domestic Bank by 7.7% to QAR 62.4 billion. 

Deposits and liquidity continue to be well-managed 
despite the blockade, supported by our successful 
fundraisings this year, including a $500 million bond 
under our European Medium Term Note Programme, 
a CHF 435 million Swiss Franc bond and a $750 million 
syndicated senior unsecured term loan facility.
During 2018 we implemented IFRS 9 in line with best 
governance standards and a conservative approach, 
resulting in a one-time IFRS 9 charge of just over QAR 
1.5 billion. This impacted our CET1 capital, reducing to 
10.5% as at 31 December 2018 and our future focus is 
to increase this back to a minimum range of 11.0 to 11.5% 
through profit generation and retention. 
Our subsidiary Alternatif Bank reported an increase 
in net profit to QAR 90.6 million for the year, up 85% 
compared with last year. Our investment in Turkey is set 
to grow in the long-term and Alternatif Bank has the 
right strategy and management team on the ground to 
manage Turkey’s current macroeconomic challenges 
and proactively seek opportunities with the right risk 
profile for growth.
Our associate bank in Oman, National Bank of Oman 
(NBO), reported a net profit of OMR 51 million for 2018, 
16% higher than the previous year. We continue to 
classify United Arab Bank (UAB) as an Asset Held for Sale 
and we remain focused on improving the performance 
of the entity as per our corporate strategy.
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to 
convey our sincere gratitude for the visionary and 
gracious leadership of His Highness the Emir,  
His Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of the 
Interior, His Excellency the Minister of Finance, His 
Excellency the Minister of Commerce and Industry and 
His Excellency the Governor of the Qatar Central Bank 
for their wisdom, guidance and support, which we 
continue to greatly appreciate.

Hussain Ibrahim Alfardan
Vice Chairman

25

Group Chief Executive 
Officer’s Message

Mr. Joseph Abraham
Group Chief Executive Officer

2018 marks the second full year of our five-year 
strategic plan designed to reshape our business, 
build sustainable earnings, diversify risk and achieve 
growth. We are on track to deliver this plan and  2018 
was a transformational year during which the market 
recognised the value of our strategy and its  
disciplined execution.

The foundation of our strategic plan with the vision 
of being the “Best Bank in Qatar” are the Five Cs of 
Commercial Bank: Corporate earnings quality; Client 
experience; Creativity and innovation; Culture; and 
Compliance, together with a focus on best in class 
transaction banking. We have made continued progress 
against each of these Five C’s in 2018.

26

Commercial Bank is Qatar’s oldest and leading private 
sector bank with a solid franchise based on over 42 
years of innovation and customer service. To build on 
our past and position Commercial Bank for a sustainable 
future, we continue to invest in innovation, new 
technology, new products, new premises and our staff 
development and capability enhancement.
We continue to reshape and diversify our loan book, 
with the strategic intent of decreasing our concentration 
in real estate and increasing our share of high quality 
government and public sector loans. The provisioning 
process for our legacy loan book has started to tail off 
as we have provisioned the majority of legacy exposures 
and we continue to de-risk legacy assets with significant 
single name concentrations. We have successfully 
reduced our costs by 11.5% this year by targeting waste 
and inefficiency, and moved our cost to income ratio 
down from 37.5% to 33.4% closer in line with the market. 
For the best client experience, we launched new digital 
products and services in 2018 such as contactless cards, 
a redesigned mobile app, and expanded our award-
winning digital remittance service to two additional 
countries, as well as opening a new state-of-the-art 
branch in Doha Festival City. Our “One Bank” culture 
emphasizes strong collaboration across the Bank’s 
different departments for the benefit of our clients and 
we have invested in a new gym and staff club for our 
employees. In line with our objective to be a market 
leader for compliance and good governance, we have 
further strengthened our risk culture and are the first 
company in Qatar to introduce mandatory deferred 
executive remuneration with provisions for malus and 
clawback in line with international best practice.
Our strategic focus on transaction banking is gaining 
momentum and contributing to revenues while keeping 
operating costs flat. Key to our competitive advantage 
in transaction banking is our wholly owned subsidiary 
based in the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) called 
Commercial Bank Innovation Services (CBIS), which is 
deploying the latest world-class technologies, enabling 
the Bank to quickly deliver innovative new products, 
apply new processes to our banking operations, and 
improve creativity. Previously our technology and 
operations were outsourced to India but we have 
achieved something unique by bringing this function 
back in-house in Qatar, creating over 300 onshore jobs 
in support of the country’s vision of making the QFC and 
Qatar a world class location for establishing companies.  
The result of all these actions taken under our strategic 
plan is that I am pleased to report a positive business 

performance for 2018. The market has also recognised 
that Commercial Bank is doing the right thing under our 
strategic plan, with recognition coming in the form of 
a greater than 50% rise in our share price and award 
wins such as the “Best Bank in Qatar 2018” from Global 
Finance magazine, “Best Remittance Bank in the Middle 
East 2018”, and “Best Retail Bank in Qatar 2018” for the 
second year in a row from The Asian Banker.
Our Turkish subsidiary Alternatif Bank and alliance  
bank National Bank of Oman (NBO) continue to be a 
key part of our strategy and we remain confident in 
their potential to contribute additional value to the 
Commercial Bank Group.
The Turkish economy and currency have gone through 
some volatility in 2018 but we remain committed long-
term investors in Alternatif Bank, injecting a further 
$50 million of capital into the business in 2018 and 
purchasing new head office in Istanbul. Turkey remains 
one of Qatar’s most important partners for trade and 
investments and we continue to integrate and align 
our business with Alternatif Bank in terms of business 
strategy, risk protocols, and our cross-border offerings 
to take advantage of the increasing two-way investment 
flows between Qatar and Turkey.
NBO has a strong capital position and continues to 
deliver solid results, while our stake in United Arab 
Bank (UAB) continues to be an Asset Held for Sale. 
Our strategy for UAB is to focus on transforming its 
performance to ensure its share price more closely 
reflects the true value of UAB.
Our achievements in 2018 demonstrate that Commercial 
Bank has the right strategy in place and the right team to 
implement it. We will continue to invest in 2019, with a long 
list of new technological initiatives, new digital products 
to meet the needs of our clients, and new branches 
aligned to our client footprint all planned for launch. We 
have demonstrated that “everything is possible” in 2018, 
and I am confident with the support and guidance of our 
Board and the capability and engagement of our staff 
working together as “One Bank”, we will continue to build 
our business and grow sustainably in 2019.

Joseph Abraham
Group Chief Executive Officer

27

our pioneering culture 

We are strongest when we work together to achieve a shared  
vision, which is to be the best bank in Qatar. At Commercial Bank, we 
have worked hard to foster a pioneering culture where “Everything is 
possible” and our “One Bank, One Team” culture is based on values of 
respect, collaboration and teamwork. We are incredibly proud  
of this culture and believe that it is one of the most important  
factors behind the Bank’s success in 2018.

Management Review  
of Operations

Financial Results
In 2018, Commercial Bank delivered a net profit of QAR 
1,663 million, an increase of 175.5% compared to the 
QAR 604 million achieved in 2017. 
Loans and advances to customers reduced by 6.1% to 
QAR 83.7 billion at 31 December 2018, compared with 
QAR 89.1 billion in 2017. The reduction was mainly due to 
the reduction in government temporary overdraft and the 
translation of the Turkish Lira into the reporting currency.
Our deposits decreased by 8.1% to QAR 71.3 billion, as 
we let go expensive deposits. 
Investment securities increased by 12.6% to QAR 22.1 
billion as at 31 December 2018 compared with QAR 19.6 
billion at the end of December 2017. The increase is 
mainly in Government bonds. 

Financial Results (QAR million)
Net interest income
Non-interest income
Net operating income
Operating expenses
Provisions for impairment losses
Share of results of associates
Income tax expense
Net profit for the year

Operating Expenses (QAR million)
Staff costs
General and administrative expenses
Depreciation and amortisation
Total operating expenses

2018
2,482
1,026
3,508
(1,173)
(836)
171
(7)
1,663

2018
676
313
184
1,173

2017
2,518
1,011
3,529
(1,325)
(1,743)
148
(5)
604

2017
713
404
208
1,325

Rehan Khan 
EGM, Chief Financial Officer 

Net Operating Income
Commercial Bank’s net operating income decreased 
by 0.6% to QAR 3,508 million for the year ended 31 
December 2018, down from QAR 3,529 million achieved 
in 2017. Net operating income for the Bank in Qatar 
increased by 0.2% to QAR 2,996 million compared to 
the same period in 2017.
Net interest income for the year ended 31 December 
2018 was 1.4% lower than in 2017 to QAR 2,482 million, 
Net interest margin remained at 2.2% as margins have 
been managed through active loan book re-pricing and 
diversifying liquidity sources to minimize the increasing 
cost of funding.
Non-interest income increased by 1.5% to QAR 1,026 
million for the year ended 31 December 2018 compared 
with QAR 1,011 million in 2017. The overall increase in 
non-interest income was due to higher income from 
fee-based income mainly on credit and transaction 
banking and foreign exchange gains.

30

Operating Expenses
Total operating expenses were tightly managed and 
decreased by 11.5% to QAR 1,173 million for the year ended 
31 December 2018 compared with QAR 1,325 million in 
2017. The decrease in operating expenses was mainly 
due to lower staff costs and administrative expenses.
Provisions for Impairment Losses
Provisions for loans and advances reduced by 45.4% 
to QAR 927 million for the year ended 31 December 
2018, compared to QAR 1,697 million provided in 2017. 
The non-performing loan ratio decreased to 5.6% 
in December 2018 compared to 5.7% in 2017, the 
coverage ratio has reduced to 78.9% as at December 
2018 compared to 81.0% in December 2017.
The Bank sets aside a risk reserve against its lending as 
part of shareholders’ equity. At 31 December 2018, the 
risk reserve was QAR 886 million.
Impairment provisions on the Bank’s investment portfolio 
decreased to QAR 0.4 million for the year ended 31 
December 2018 compared with QAR 46 million in 2017.
Total Assets and Funding
Commercial Bank’s balance sheet declined by 2.4% in 
2018, with total assets at QAR 135.1 billion compared to 
QAR 138.4 billion in 2017. 
Balance sheet decline was driven by QAR 5.4 billion 
decline in loans and advances and this was partially offset 
by the increase of QAR 2.5 billion in investment securities.
Customer deposits reduced by 8.1% to QAR 71.3 billion 
at 31 December 2018, compared with QAR 77.6 billion in 
2017, as we let go expensive deposits. 

Capital
Commercial Bank’s capital position remains strong, 
however capital adequacy ratio reduced to 15.5% as 
at 31 December 2018 compared to 16.1% at the end 
of 2017, due to the impact of the one-time IFRS 9 
adjustment. The capital adequacy ratio is above the 
Qatar Central Bank’s required minimum level of 14.0 %. 

Subsidiaries
Alternatif Bank
Alternatif Bank delivered a net profit of TL 116.6 million 
for the year ended 31 December 2018, with total assets 
of TL 25.5 billion and lending of TL 17.3 billion. 
Alternatif Bank provides its customers in the corporate, 
commercial and retail banking segments with high value 
products, services and solutions. Alternatif Bank has 49 
branches widely distributed around Turkey. 
In 2018, Alternatif Bank continued to work closely with 
its counterparts in Commercial Bank to implement best 
international practice and continue to realise synergies.  
Commercial Bank Financial Services
Commercial Bank Financial Services (CBFS)  is a fully 
owned subsidiary of Commercial Bank. CBFS provides 
direct access to the Qatar Exchange and offers seamless 
online trading capabilities for individuals, institutions, 
corporate and foreign counterparties. In addition to 
its electronic trading platform, CBFS is also licensed 
by Qatar Financial Markets Authority to act as Liquidity 
Provider for certain securities at Qatar Stock Exchange. 
In 2018, CBFS delivered a net profit of QAR 11.5 million. 

Foreign Exchange 
Income

Investment &  
Dividend Income

Other Income

-1%

2%

6%

71%

Net Interest 
Income

Retained 
Earnings

Other Reserves

Risk Reserve

4% 2%

5%

49%

Legal  
Reserve

Net Fee 
Income

22%

Net Operating  
Income

Share 
Capital

19%

Shareholder’s  
Equity

20%

Tier 1 Note

31

Management Review  
of Operations continued

Orient 1 Limited
A fully owned subsidiary incorporated in Bermuda owns 
exclusive ‘Diners Club’ franchise in Qatar and Turkey.
CB Global Limited
 A fully owned subsidiary incorporated in Cayman 
Islands, an issuing vehicle for Euro Commercial Paper 
and Certificate of Deposit Programme.
CBQ Finance Limited
A fully owned subsidiary incorporated in Bermuda 
and organised as a special purpose entity established 
to raise capital for Commercial Bank by issue of debt 
instruments.
CB Global Trading Limited 
A fully owned subsidiary incorporated in Cayman Islands, 
an intermediary vehicle for Derivatives.
CB Innovation Services LLC.
A fully owned subsidiary incorporated in Qatar under the 
Qatar Financial Centre Authority providing the Bank with 
operations management services. 

Associates 
National Bank of Oman
National Bank of Oman (NBO) achieved net profit of OMR 
50.6 million, compared with OMR 44 million in 2017. 
Operating income was marginally down by 2.3% to OMR 
129 million from OMR 132.1 million in 2017. 
During 2018 NBO continued to increase its customer 
lending by 5.9% to OMR 2.8 billion and customers’ 
deposits are maintained at OMR 2.5 billion.
Massoun Insurance Services L.L.C.
Massoun Insurance Services is a Qatari incorporated 
joint venture company between Commercial Bank and 
Qatar Insurance Company. The company provides a 
range of insurance products which have been tailored 
to meet the specific needs of the Bank’s retail and 
corporate customers. 

Commercial Bank opens new Alternatif Bank head office in Istanbul

32

•  Focus on Transaction Banking;
•  Diversify revenue streams;
•  Working closely with Alliance banks.
Growing the government and public sector  
balance sheet
Growth in the public sector balance sheet during 2018 
was approximately 8%. While public sector growth 
numbers for the market are not separately available, 
the growth of this sector in Commercial Bank book is 
estimated to be faster than the market growth. We have 
identified new public sector customers to focus on, 
targeting cash management. We aim to see significant 
growth in this sector – approximately 10% in 2019.
Re-shaping Wholesale Banking’s balance sheet
The composition of the balance sheet was re-shaped 
in two key areas to reflect stresses in the market and to 
ensure a quality mix of assets, which are:
•  Growth of government and public sector lending from 
17% of Wholesale Banking’s portfolio YTD Sep 2017 to 
21.5% in YTD Sep 2018;

•  Rationalisation of real estate exposure with a 

reduction from 31% of Wholesale Banking’s portfolio 
YTD Sep 2017 to 29.3% YTD Sep 2018.

Growth of government and public sector lending 
and rationalisation of real estate exposure remains 
a strategic aim, with a five-year target of 21% and 
25% composition of the Wholesale Banking book 
respectively.
De-risking selected exposures
As part of prudent risk management, Wholesale Banking 
identified certain clients where exposure will either be 
partially or fully reduced to ensure Commercial Bank does 
not have very large exposure towards any one client. In 
2018, the total amount of intentionally de-risked assets 
was more than QAR 0.7 billion, with an additional target 
of over QAR 1.5 billion by 2019, for an optimized balance 
sheet containing high-quality customers and assets.
Growth and strong lending pipeline
Wholesale Banking’s asset book grew by approximately 
20% in 2017, outperforming the market growth of 
around 9%. Wholesale Banking’s focus in 2018 was to 
grow its assets book with the right risk profile and the 
right quality, in conjunction with the strategic aims of re-
shaping and de-risking to maintain growth and ensure 
a sustainable revenue stream in the future. The lending 
pipeline originating from the public sector represents 
over 50% of the total lending pipeline.

33

Raju Buddhiraju 
EGM, Wholesale Banking

Wholesale Banking
Commercial Bank’s Wholesale Banking department 
offers a comprehensive range of financial services to 
corporate businesses in Qatar, international companies 
trading or implementing projects in Qatar, and corporate 
relationships across the Bank’s strategic markets 
in Turkey, the GCC and other target geographies 
with high growth potential. These services include 
commercial banking, treasury, investment banking, cash 
management, trade, transaction banking, corporate 
finance and advisory services across different industries.
Wholesale Banking comprises Domestic Corporate 
Banking and Transaction Banking, and has strong and 
longstanding banking relationships with leading Qatari 
businesses, nurtured over the years through excellent 
customer service, tailored financial solutions, and the 
application of innovative technologies.
Business performance
In 2018, Wholesale Banking’s business represented 
most of the Bank’s total loan book and generated almost 
half of the Bank’s total revenues. 
In line with the Bank’s five-year strategic plan, Wholesale 
Banking proactively initiated several new measures,  
such as:
•  Grow the balance sheet in line with the market, 

primarily within the government and public sector;
•  Strategically re-shape the composition of the balance 

sheet to reflect the market;

•  Proactively de-risk the balance sheet for sustainable 

growth;

•  Build a strong pipeline of the right customers, with the 

right risk profile and the right quality of assets;

Management Review  
of Operations continued

Cross-selling
Diversification of the revenue, primarily an increase of 
the fee income that is not lending-based, is one of the 
major strategic aims of Wholesale Banking. Fee income 
increased in 2017 to approximately 20% of Wholesale 
Banking’s total operating income, resulting in part from 
cross-selling innovative new services to customers across 
Domestic, Corporate Banking, and Transaction Banking.
Working with Alliance banks
Wholesale Banking contributes to the efforts of 
enhancing synergies with our Alliance banks, Alternatif 
Bank and National Bank of Oman, through cross-selling 
activities, supporting Turkish companies as well as Qatari 
business in Oman.
Domestic Corporate Banking
Domestic Corporate Banking provides a comprehensive 
range of cross-product banking solutions to corporate 
clients operating in Qatar. This unit services client 
relationships across the following sectors: large 
corporates, mid-market corporates, contracting, ultra-
high net worth, government and the public sector.
Domestic Corporate Banking was active in arranging 
large financings in the domestic syndicated and club 
loan markets, and was associated with the following 
successful transactions in 2018: 
•  Lending towards an iconic government hotel geared 

towards the 2022 World Cup;

•  Key arterial highways connecting stadiums being built 

for the 2022 World Cup;

•  Supporting air conditioning in Lusail;
•  Supporting warehousing and logistics in Manatec.
In 2018, Domestic Corporate Banking continued to focus 
on organic growth of operations by delivering the best 
client experience and service quality through innovative 
banking solutions with state-of-the-art technologies. 
This includes introducing host-to-host connectivity and 
providing a direct link with our customers to enhance the 
client experience.
Wholesale Banking continues to work very closely with 
Retail Banking through the successful Banking at Work 

34

unit, where a key strategic focus has been to enhance 
the total relationship value for each customer across all 
business portfolios. 
Transaction Banking
Commercial Bank is the market leader for Transaction 
Banking in Qatar, covering a range of services in areas of 
Cash Management and Trade Finance. In 2018, several 
new service and digital technology initiatives were 
implemented to improve the client experience:
•  Remote Cheque Deposit solution for corporate 

customers for faster and easy collection of cheques; 
•  Corporate Mobile App with rich features to conduct all 

payments and inquiries of bank accounts;

•  CB Smart Trade solution that provides real-time 

notifications and alerts on all trade finance requests 
submitted to the Bank;

•  Conducting workshops for customers focusing on 

trade best practices and encouraging adoption of the 
Bank’s online channels;

•  A structured trade solution for a leading automobile 
dealer that assisted automobile imports in Qatar on 
an extended credit period; 

•  60 Seconds Remittance service for corporate 
customers through Corporate Internet Banking;

•  A Corporate Premium Service Counter at Commercial 

Bank’s dedicated corporate branches.

Transaction Banking concluded several notable deals 
in 2018 including cash management mandates for two 
large mobile phone operators, host-to-host services 
for Milaha, and customised cash management solutions 
for large public sector and private sector corporates. 
Recognising its continued focus on enhancing products 
and services for corporate customers and leading role 
in cash management, Commercial Bank was awarded 
the “Best Cash Management Bank in Qatar” and “Best 
Transaction Bank in Qatar” at the Asian Banker Middle 
East and Africa Transaction Banking Awards 2018, 
adding to the “Best Cash Management Bank” award 
received in 2016 and 2017.

and products platform to capitalise on the increasing 
strategic investment and trade-related activity between 
Qatar and Turkey. Trade loans to financial institutions and 
relationships with large, diversified corporate groups in 
Turkey have been a key driver for the Commercial Bank 
Group with a focus in strengthening Alternatif Bank’s 
business franchise in the country. Commercial Bank 
continues to work closely with its Alliance bank partners 
to develop a network of Group-wide lending and cross-
selling opportunities, in addition to implementing a 
coordinated Group financial institutions strategy for its 
correspondent banking and corporate business.
Diversifying funding
The International Banking department also plays a 
key role in supporting the Bank’s funding needs by 
leveraging its global relationships and supporting 
the Treasury Department in diversifying the Bank’s 
funding. This is achieved by arranging bilateral and 
syndicated loans for the Bank and expanding treasury 
and corporate deposit relationships with regional and 
Asian sovereign wealth funds, asset managers, and 
other non-bank financial institutions. The International 
Banking department played a leading role in the 
successful arrangement of a three-year USD 750 million 
syndicated Senior Unsecured Term Loan Facility, closed 
in December 2018. The syndication was launched at an 
initial value of USD 750 million. The transaction received 
strong interest from the market and closed significantly 
oversubscribed at a value of USD 975 million.
Supporting business initiatives
Supporting major business initiatives that are relevant 
to the Qatari banking sector remains a key pillar of 
the International Banking business. In 2018, the Bank 
sponsored and participated in several major banking 
industry events and conferences. These included: 
•  The Annual Meetings of the International Monetary 
Fund (IMF) and the Institute of International Finance 
(IIF), where Commercial Bank was joined by its 
subsidiary, Alternatif Bank, and Alliance bank partner, 
National Bank of Oman; 

•  SIBOS in Sydney, Australia, a major industry event for 
banks and financial institutions around the world.
Commercial Bank continues to support its financing and 
services network with global trade and development 
institutions such as the ICC Banking Commission, SWIFT, 
the Institute of International Finance, the International 
Finance Corporation, IMF, Arab Trade Finance Program, 
ISDA and other development institutions.

35

Fahad Badar  
EGM, International Banking

International Banking 
International Banking at Commercial Bank is responsible 
for providing correspondent banking services, 
corporate cross-border loans and other Wholesale 
Banking products to financial institutions, large 
corporates, sovereigns, non-bank financial institutions, 
and high to ultra-high net worth family offices based 
outside of Qatar. In 2018, the Bank’s international 
corporate lending strategy focused mostly on transport, 
industry and services sectors with strong Qatari angles. 
The corporate lending business maintained its strategic 
drive towards diversification, targeting landmark 
opportunities both on direct balance sheet transactions 
and cross-selling activities such as FX and derivatives. 
Commercial Bank’s cross-border business strategy 
remains cautious and focused on portfolio diversification 
and revenues from trade finance flows and banks, and 
strategic relationships with large corporates in the 
EMEA region, Turkey, and selectively across the North 
American, Asia Pacific and Sub-Saharan African markets. 
The lower risk and mostly short-term trade finance 
book saw reasonable activity in 2018 as credit demand 
picked up for strategic commodities across markets 
linked to Qatar. Another key pillar of our strategy was 
to collaborate more closely on correspondent banking 
services, credit products and other cross-border 
business activities of Commercial Bank with our Alliance 
bank partners to benefit from synergistic growth across 
the Commercial Bank Group.
Interests in Turkey
Turkey remains a key market for Commercial Bank 
following the acquisition of Alternatif Bank in 2013. 
The International Banking department is providing 
complementary support through its balance sheet 

Management Review  
of Operations continued

2019 priorities 
Moving forward, our strategic priorities in 2019 and 
beyond will be to manage and expand the business 
along the following lines:
•  Focus on opportunistic growth in the network 
countries of our Alliance banks, with a view to 
strengthening the client proposition and create 
synergies in these markets;

•  Diversify into Asia and Africa as trade and investment 
flows pick up and also grow into developed markets 
like the US, UK and select OECD countries for portfolio 
diversification and risk management purposes;
•  Enhance the value proposition by developing 

structured finance, distribution, trade, and treasury 
capabilities, which will lead to increased cross-selling 
and improve International Banking’s portfolio returns;

•  Maintain a well-diversified portfolio with no large 

concentrations in line with regulatory and the Bank’s 
governance standards, focusing on tangible collateral 
and security support for risk mitigation to withstand 
credit event downturns;

•  Support the Commercial Bank Group’s funding 

initiatives and balance sheet growth by leveraging 
Commercial Bank’s international corporate network.

Retail and Enterprise Banking 
Commercial Bank’s Retail Banking manages the banking 
and financial needs of individuals and businesses 
through small and medium-sized enterprise (SMEs). We 
provide a full range of products and services including 
transactional accounts, deposits, loans, credit cards, 
insurance, and wealth management solutions, that all 
help our customers to realise their financial goals and 
ambitions.
The Retail and Enterprise Banking teams remain focused 
on developing innovative products and services to meet 
customers’ many and changing needs. We are active in 
driving the Bank’s five-year strategic plan, guided by its 
core values that we call our Five Cs, which are:

36

Amit Sah
EGM, Consumer Banking

•  Corporate earnings quality: we aim to drive revenue 
growth across a set of diversified products and 
customers, whilst maintaining high quality credit, 
together with an efficient and cost-effective delivery 
structure;

•  Client experience: our goal is to be the bank of choice 

for our clients by providing the best service and 
customer experience;

•  Creativity and innovation: we are embarking on a 
digital transformation journey and we will continue 
to be pioneers of this change in the market by 
introducing best-in-class products and services.  
Our capability and dominance in transactional  
banking is achieved through continuous development 
and improvement;

•  Culture: our focus is on a “One Bank, One Team” 

culture, based on values of respect, collaboration, 
and teamwork. We use all our resources collectively 
to achieve the best outcome for our customers and 
stakeholders;

•  Compliance: this is core to our business, the ability to 
be robust and manage with good governance is vital 
when building and sustaining a market-leading Bank.

Awards
In 2018, Retail Banking further grew its customer 
base through improved banking products and the 
introduction of innovative services to meet the needs of 
our customers.
Whilst we continually seek and value feedback from our 
customers, it is equally rewarding when industry experts 
recognise our performance with awards. We won the 
following three awards in 2018:
•  “Best Bank in Qatar” by Global Finance Magazine;
•  “Best Retail Bank in Qatar” by The Asian Banker;
•  “Best Remittance Service for the Middle East” by The 

Asian Banker.

Business performance 
Retail Banking remains an important contributor to the 
overall success of Commercial Bank, built on a strong 
franchise of customer service and innovation. Despite 
tough market conditions, Retail Banking delivered a 
strong performance in 2018. 
The Retail and Enterprise balance sheet remained 
healthy with lending to customers adjusted to QAR 19.3 
billion and deposits growing marginally to QAR 21.6 
billion. With increased focus on automation, control of 
direct costs, improved fee income revenue streams, 
and effective net interest margin management, Retail 
Banking improved its contribution to the Bank’s revenues 
by maintaining healthy margins and operating income. 

Commercial Bank receives The Best Retail Bank in Qatar award

Commercial Bank & QFC form strategic partnership

Commercial Bank’s 2018 awards

37

This is to certify thatCommercial Bank of Qatarwas awardedBest Bank - Qatarin the Global FinanceWorld’s Best Bank Awards 2018Management Review  
of Operations continued

The growth in our operating income in 2018 over 2017 is 
testament to improved business management. 
Our innovative and intelligent product positioning and 
ongoing customer campaigns have helped Retail Banking 
maintain consistency in performance through 2018. 
We take great pride in delivering a quality service to all 
our customers, with our Private Banking and Sadara 
Banking services leading with exceptional standards.
Branch and ATM networks 
Continuing our branch strategy to align our presence 
with emerging geographic and economic zones in Qatar, 
we opened our branch at Al Ruwais, which expanded our 
reach to serve customers and support the international 
trade hub in Northern Qatar. We proudly maintain one 
of the largest branch networks amongst all the banks in 
the country and as we reshape our physical model, you 
will see the efforts in 2018 working with national partners 
such as Qatar Rail, start to emerge with a new breed of 
branches in 2019. 
For greater convenience for our SME and corporate 
customers, we have dedicated Corporate Cash Centres 
and Corporate Branches at five different locations, 
working extended hours.
Our branch network is supplemented by over 180 ATMs 
that are strategically located around Qatar to ensure 
optimum usage of the network by customers. 

Commercial Bank Doha Festival City branch opening

38

More than 60% of our ATM machines offer both cash 
withdrawal and cash deposit facilities. Customers 
can also conveniently do bill payments, transfers and 
generate or change PINs for their cards through our 
ATM network. 
Internet and Mobile Banking 
Our leadership in Digital Banking grew even further 
with our unrelenting focus on our Internet Banking and 
Mobile Banking services. The new look mobile app came 
with more features, intuitive navigation supported by 
voice commands and biometric recognition using face 
and fingerprint. The ability to personalise and remember 
favourite transactions made the app both easy to use 
whilst being safe, secure and convenient. 
The introduction of 60 Seconds Remittance service 
to India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Nepal 
allows customers from these countries to send money 
home almost instantly. These services have resulted in 
a significant increase in transaction volumes and over 
95% of Retail Customer remittances are now processed 
seamlessly through our digital channels.
For the first time in the history of Commercial Bank, online 
international remittances reached almost 1.5 million 
transactions in 2018. In recognition of this outstanding 
service, Commercial Bank was named “Best Remittance 
Service for the Middle East” by the Asian Banker.
‘PayCard’ customers benefitted from being able to use 
a Nepalese language version if required, to cater to this 
nationality being the largest ‘PayCard’ customer base, 
the first in the Middle East, offering convenient banking 
with easy remittance facilities. This helped reduce our 
customers’ reliance on exchange houses for sending 
money back their home country. 
Our dedicated Enterprise Mobile Banking App witnessed 
a fivefold increase in mobile transaction volumes. The 
Mobile App offers corporate and business customers a 
convenient banking experience with features including 
complex, rule-based signatory approvals for payments 
and transfers. 

Commercial Bank customer wins hotel stay on Maldives private island

These innovative features that make our customers’ 
journeys easier were part of the reason that Commercial 
Bank’s Mobile Banking App consistently featured as the 
#1 Financial App in Qatar, by both Apple and Android 
App stores. 
Cards 
Commercial Bank’s Cards and Payments business 
continued its market leading journey in 2018 by 
launching innovative, new, award winning products 
through the year. The limited edition range, a High Net 
Worth Card offer, by select invitation only, is the flagship 
portfolio for the cards business. It led with strong 
double-digit growth and contributed 21% of the Card 
Business spends portfolio. 
The limited edition customers of Commercial Bank have 
one of the highest spends per card, across the Middle 
East, as per statistics shared by the card schemes. 
Overall the cards business had a strong growth in spend 
and balances in 2018. In line with changing trends and 
consumer behavior, Commercial Bank has also focused 
on increasing online spending, which resulted in the 
Bank registering huge growth in this area and winning 
an award from Visa for being the “Highest growing Bank 
in E-com spends” in 2017 and the same has continued 
in 2018.
Commercial Bank was one of the first banks in Qatar 
to launch the comprehensive Contactless payment 
ecosystem comprising Contactless Credit Cards, Debit 
Cards and POS terminals in Q1 2018. The Bank has 

achieved market dominating numbers of issuance 
of over 200,000 for Contactless Cards, rollout of 
over 6000 POS terminals and processing more than 
500,000 Contactless POS transactions in 2018. 
We launched a fully integrated ECR payment system with 
one of the largest retailers in the Middle East region. 
The innovation resulted in a great customer experience 
by reducing the transaction time and by eliminating 
the chances of manual errors. The integrated payment 
solution was received very well by our customers and 
the Bank is working with other key merchant partners to 
expand the reach and scope of this enhanced offering. 
In line with the government’s vison for WPS customers 
and the need for the Bank’s own Corporate & SME 
customers, Commercial Bank has created a low cost 
but efficient payroll card (PayCard) business model and 
is the market leader with an estimated 60%+ market 
share in the low salaried WPS segment.
The pace of innovation and technological change in 
the payments industry is very high, and Commercial 
Bank is staying at the forefront of this change. Following 
Contactless Credit Cards, Debit Cards and Acquiring, 
the Bank will continue to launch new products in 2019, 
including a mobile wallet, which will allow customers to 
use their mobile phones to make payments.

39

Management Review  
of Operations continued

Commercial Bank customer wins QAR 1 million in Save and Win campaign

Wealth management
We have been building our wealth management 
capabilities with a focus on investing in and upskilling our 
people. Over the course of the year, 28 individuals from 
various retail businesses have obtained the International 
Certificate in Wealth and Investment Management 
(ICWIM) from the Chartered Institute for Securities and 
Investment (CISI). This is one of the leading professional 
body for securities, investment, wealth and financial 
planning, and is widely recognised in the region as the 
foundation for offering wealth services.
With an expanding product range, improved technology 
and systems, we are aware that our high net worth 
clients need access to a world class wealth management 
service and that is what we have been growing in a 
discreet and professional manner.
CB Save & Win
Retail Banking concluded a year-long campaign in 
October 2018, called CB Save & Win that was aimed at 
changing the behavior of our customers to save more 
money, and rewarding them for banking with us, with 
cash prize draws. 
Since its launch in 2017, Commercial Bank has awarded a 
total of 365 cash prizes to customers totaling  
QAR 3.2 million. All customers who maintained a 

minimum average balance of QAR 10,000 or more in 
their Current or Savings account were automatically 
entered into monthly, quarterly and annual prize draws. 
Many of our Sadara Wealth customers took part and 
enjoyed the monthly prize draws. We will continue to 
create and lead the market with innovative ideas to help 
our customers.
Life in Qatar 
Commercial Bank dominates the market for new arrivals 
into Qatar with our innovative offer for expatriates, “Life 
in Qatar.” This service continued to move from strength 
to strength in 2018.
We improved the “instant service”, which allows 
customers to have their bank account details and debit 
card ready as soon as they sign up, the minute they 
land in Qatar, thus helping them settle quickly and their 
employers to arrange salary payments efficiently.
Tailored specifically for people moving to Qatar, it 
provides ease and convenience for those relocating and 
has already helped over 90,000 customers from over 
144 different countries worldwide. 
The “Life in Qatar” website now has a new look and 
provides a better user experience. It is filled with useful 
information for those relocating and continues to attract 
visitors daily.  

40

Enterprise banking
Commercial Bank remains committed to the 
development of the SME sector in line with the Qatar 
National Vision 2030. Our SME strategy in 2018 has 
been to dominate Transaction Banking, drive digitization 
and build strong transaction revenues while moving 
away from assets-based lending.
Digital initiatives in 2018 such as Remote Cheque 
Deposit, modernising our Corporate Mobile Banking 
App and Corporate Trade Portal with end-to-end supply 
chain finance, has enhanced the customer experience 
and lead to increased customer engagement.
Over two-thirds of the total SME base banking with 
Commercial Bank is now digitally active. The digital 
channels have given SMEs better control over cash flows 
and provided flexibility to securely transact from the 
comfort of their offices.

Treasury and Investments 
The Commercial Bank’s Treasury and Investments 
Department is responsible for asset-liability 
management, capital and financial market investments, 
trading, and treasury sales. The department manages 
the overall funding and liquidity requirements of the 
Bank. This includes management of operational and 
strategic liquidity requirements, as well as accessing the 
international debt capital markets for funding needs. 
Departmental functions 
Proactive management allows the Bank to manage its 
funding base in a cost-efficient manner while ensuring 
its balance sheet is managed in accordance with the 
expectations of rating agencies, regulators, the Board of 
Directors and shareholders. The department’s treasury 
function has been instrumental in maintaining a stable 
cost of funding, managing the duration of the Bank’s 
liabilities in a volatile interest rate environment, seeking 
diversification of funding channels, and maintaining key 
liquidity ratios and related business regulatory ratios well 
above the minimum required by the Qatar Central Bank.
The department’s investments function is engaged in 
managing the Bank’s investments in capital markets 
to achieve superior and stable returns. It continued 
to provide strong revenue generation in 2018 whilst 

Parvez Khan
EGM, Treasury and Investments

ensuring a liquidity buffer for the Bank by focusing 
on liquid and diversified investments. It’s goal in 2019 
is to maintain returns momentum in a challenging 
geopolitical and monetary policy environment. The 
investment emphasis remains on active portfolio 
management to optimise returns and ensure effective 
risk management by flexible asset allocation, hedging, 
and duration management.
Treasury Sales
The Treasury Sales unit provides a full suite of products 
to the Bank’s customers, supporting their needs 
with regards to managing and hedging their foreign 
exchange, interest rate exposures and other asset 
classes. Commercial Bank Treasury and Investments 
department continues to grow its footprint as a leading 
market-maker in the regional rates, fixed income, 
treasury securities and FX markets, and in providing 
market access to corporates and institutions. In 
2018, Commercial Bank Treasury and Investments 
expanded its capacity to support client needs by adding 
digital execution capabilities and risk management 
solutions, both domestically as well as cross-border, 
demonstrating its ability to provide seamless client 
solutions across multiple geographies. 

41

Management Review  
of Operations continued

Commercial Bank Financial Services
Commercial Bank Financial Services (L.L.C.) (CBFS), 
a wholly owned subsidiary of The Commercial Bank 
(P.S.Q.C.), provides customers with a secure platform  
for trading on Qatar Stock Exchange Listed stocks, 
Bonds and T–bills. CBFS is a licensed brokerage 
company and is regulated by the Qatar Financial Markets 
Authority (QFMA). 
CBFS provides its customers with the best investment 
product options and services available in Qatar while 
building up on its rich heritage from Commercial Bank, 
based on understanding of customer needs.
CBFS has a robust online trading platform and 
has introduced a mobile trading application for its 
customers in order to have online presence and provide 
convenient trading options through secure mobile 
channels for its customers. 
CBFS has also upgraded its e-trading system which is 
used by our Retail customers to trade online. The latest 
version provides real time market feeds, richer user 
interface and additional functionalities. Encouraging 
customers with online trading option is in line with the 
Bank’s strategy of providing best digital experience. 
CBFS caters to a range of clients with varying risk 
appetites and investment needs. Our large and 
diversified customer base include retail, High Net Worth 
Individuals and Corporate entities (both Domestic and 
International). Since inception in 2011, CBFS has made 
significant progress and continues to build its position as 
one of the leading brokerage houses in Qatar.

Risk Management
Managing risk is a fundamental part of Commercial 
Bank’s day-to-day business activities. As part of the 
overall corporate governance framework, the Board 
of Directors is responsible for overseeing a strong risk 
governance framework, including a strong risk culture, 
a well-developed risk appetite—articulated through 
the Bank’s Risk Appetite Statement – and well-defined 
responsibilities for risk management and control 
functions. The keystone of the Bank’s risk governance 
framework are the three lines of defense, namely:  
1.  The first line of defense is the frontline units, business 
units, or functions that create risk. These groups 
are the Bank’s primary risk-takers, responsible 
for implementing effective internal controls and 
maintaining processes for identifying, assessing, 
controlling, and mitigating the risks associated with 
their activities, consistent with the Bank’s Risk Appetite 
Statement and risk limits.

2. The second line of defense is independent risk 
management, which oversees risk-taking and 
assesses risks independent of the frontline 
units, business units or functions that create risk. 
Independent risk management complements 
the frontline units’ risk-taking activities through its 
monitoring and reporting responsibilities, including 
compliance with the Bank’s risk appetite, and is 
responsible for identifying, measuring, monitoring, 
and controlling aggregate and emerging risks 
enterprise-wide.

3. The third line of defense is internal audit, which 

provides independent assurance to the Board on the 
effectiveness of governance, risk management, and 
internal controls.

Accurate, reliable and timely information is vital to 
support business decisions regarding risk matters at all 
levels at the Bank. 

42

The Operational Risk Management (ORM) Department 
supports the achievement of Commercial Bank’s 
financial and business goals. ORM manages operational 
risk using industry standard operational risk tools. The 
primary objectives of the ORM Department are: 
•  Maintenance of an effective internal control 
environment and system of internal control;

•  Demonstration of effective governance, including a 

consistent approach to operational risk management 
across the Bank;

•  Transparency, escalation and resolution of risk and 

control incidents and issues.

Market Risk 
Market Risk, the potential loss in value or earnings 
arising from changes in market factors is managed 
by the Bank’s Market Risk Department with full  
oversight by the Asset and Liability Committee (ALCO), 
which provides specific guidelines for market 
risk management. 
Commercial Bank uses value-at-risk (VaR) as one of the 
measures for Market Risk. VaR measures potential loss 
using historically observed market volatility. Stressed 
VaR is used at the Bank to measure the potential for 
economic loss from extreme market events.
For assessing interest rate risk, metrics include 
earnings-at-risk (EaR), change in yield (PV01) and 
economic value of equity (EVE). 
The results of these measures are reported to the ALCO 
and the Management Risk Committee on a regular basis.
Liquidity and Funding Management 
Commercial Bank follows a balanced liquidity 
management strategy through the combined use of 
liquid asset holdings and borrowed liquidity to meet its 
liquidity needs. The Bank’s funding policies provide that: 
•  Liquidity requirements be measured using several 

approaches including sources and uses, structure of 
funds and liquidity indicators; 

•  An appropriate level of assets is retained in highly 

liquid form; 

•  The level of liquid assets complies with stressed 

scenario assumptions to provide for the risk of the 
Bank’s committed but undrawn lending obligations; 

•  Establishment of credit lines.

43

Paul Gossiaux 
EGM, Chief Risk Officer

During 2018, Commercial Bank continued to enhance its 
Asset Liability Management capability by incorporating 
prepayment and behavioral modelling to sensitize 
expected cash flows. The Bank also implemented IFRS 9 
during the year and is fully compliant with Qatar Central 
Bank requirements.  
There were also significant improvements made to 
Operational Risk and Fraud Management capabilities in 
line with the overall digitization strategy of the Bank. In 
2019, Commercial Bank will continue to employ clear risk 
management objectives and well-established strategies 
through core risk management processes.
Credit Risk 
Commercial Bank has clearly defined credit policies for 
the approval and management of credit risk. Formal 
credit standards apply to all credit risks decisions, 
with specific portfolio standards applying to all major 
lending areas. These incorporate obligor quality, income 
capacity, repayment sources, acceptable terms and 
security, and loan documentation tests. 
The Bank assesses the integrity and ability of debtors 
or counterparties to meet their contracted financial 
obligations for repayment. Collateral security such 
as real estate, charge over income or assets, and 
financial securities is generally taken for business credit, 
except for government, major banks and corporate 
counterparties that are externally risk-rated and of 
strong financial standing.
Operational Risk 
Operational risk is the risk of loss resulting from 
inadequate or failed internal processes, people and 
systems, or from external events. It includes legal risk 
but excludes strategic and reputational risk. 

Management Review  
of Operations continued

In summary, the governance framework, policies and 
administrative procedures and practices relating to 
risk management in Commercial Bank align well with 
global best practice, the recommendations of the Basel 
Committee and the guidelines of Qatar Central Bank.

Marketing
The Marketing Department of Commercial Bank 
establishes and promotes the Bank’s reputation and 
brand identity to stakeholders and customers through 
effective communication using both traditional and 
digital media channels. 
Marketing works closely with the Bank’s main business 
units and support functions to develop integrated 
marketing campaigns targeting different customer 
segments with diverse products and services based 
on ongoing research, consumer insight and return on 
investment analysis. Marketing also runs the Bank’s 
sponsorships and key events, as well as its Corporate 
Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes.
Commercial Bank is proud of its leading position as a 
digital bank. Through exemplary thought leadership 
in digital marketing – alongside our proactive 
approach to digital media, introduction of first-to-
market technologies, quality content offering, and 
customer engagement on and through social media  – 
Commercial Bank continues to dominate Qatar’s digital 
banking spaces.

Board Risk-related Committees 
The two Board Committees that have primary 
responsibility and oversight for risk are: 
1.  The Board Risk Committee (BRC), which is responsible 
for all aspects of enterprise wide risk management 
including, but not limited to, credit risk, market risk, 
liquidity risk and operational risk. The BRC reviews 
policy on all risk issues and maintains oversight of all 
Bank risks. 

2. The Board Executive Committee (BEC) is responsible 
for evaluating and granting credit facilities within 
authorised limits as per Qatar Central Bank and Board 
guidelines. The BEC also reviews strategy on recovery 
of special asset relationships, reviews and approves all 
credit proposals (other than off-the-shelf products) 
relating to political figures and persons in ministerial 
posts and within the risk delegation of authority.

In addition, specific risk-focused management 
committees (Risk Management, Asset and Liability and 
Special Assets Management) convene, at a minimum, 
on a quarterly basis and more frequently on a needs 
basis. The Board of Directors or their sub-committees 
are regularly updated on any potential risk that the Bank 
may face. 
Risk Management continues to be very well positioned 
to manage risk resulting from the increasing 
sophistication, scope and diversity of the Bank’s 
business and operations. Risk Management has 
dedicated teams, underlining Commercial Bank’s 
commitment to a strong risk governance and 
management framework. In 2019, the Bank will continue 
to enhance its internal controls and improve various 
processes in all areas of risk management. The Bank 
follows the provisions of the Basel III framework as per 
the directive of Qatar Central Bank. 

44

Demonstrating national pride 
Commercial Bank’s successes and achievements this 
year contributed to a national awareness about how 
the continuing blockade has, throughout Qatar, made 
us more resilient and determined to achieve results, in 
alignment with the country’s key strategic messages and 
fulfilment of the Qatar National Vision 2030. The Bank’s 
pride in enhancing its national identity and high values of 
participation in all social and cultural events stems out of 
its loyalty to and solidarity with the wise leadership of our 
government under His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim 
bin Hamad Al Thani.
Commercial Bank’s sponsorship of National Day is a key 
part of its aims to establish positive cooperation and 
play an effective role in the interest of all segments of 
Qatari society by sponsoring major activities in various 
important fields. We were honored with a prestigious 
award as Gold Sponsor of Qatar National Day 2018 
celebrations, presented by HE the Minister of Culture 
and Sports, Dr Salah bin Ghanem bin Nasser Al Ali, 
following the success of our celebratory events.
Supporting Qatar’s economy 
Commercial Bank is committed to helping support 
the development of Qatar’s economy and future 
sustainability in line with the goals of the economic pillar 
of the Qatar National Vision 2030. 
To promote excellence within the country’s financial 
sector, the Bank took the role of Lead Sponsor of the 
Euromoney Qatar Conference 2018, held under the 
patronage of HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa 
Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior. Group 
CEO Joseph Abraham and COO Leonie Lethbridge 
spoke at this major industry event, which focused on 
Qatar’s post-blockade strategy, and on how the financial 
services sector can work together to drive Qatar’s 
private sector and economic growth forward into 2019. 
As part of its remit to support international trading 
relations, the Bank participated in the inaugural Qatar–
Germany Business and Investment Forum, during which 
high-level government officials and executives from 
both countries discussed business and investment 
opportunities to expand the long-term Qatari-German 
economic partnership, supported by Qatari investments 
into Germany. 
In support for increasing two-way trade between Qatar 
and Turkey, and to increase support for robust strategic 

Hussein M Ali Al-Abdulla  
EGM, Chief Marketing Officer

collaboration between the countries, Commercial 
Bank held its annual Analyst Day in Istanbul, where 
senior management presented details of its strategy, 
key successes over the past year and plans for future 
growth. On the sidelines of the Analyst Day, Commercial 
Bank opened the new head office of its subsidiary 
Alternatif Bank at the Vadistanbul Bulvar complex in 
Istanbul, Turkey. 
A high-level delegation of National Bank of Oman (NBO) 
Board Members and senior management was hosted at 
Commercial Bank Plaza for their first board meeting in 
Doha as part of a tradition of dialogue and collaboration 
between NBO and Commercial Bank. During this time, 
the Bank welcomed an NBO delegation to an event 
attended by Qatari businessmen, including the Bank’s 
VIP clients, thus enhancing economic relations and 
investment opportunities between Qatari and Omani 
companies. Commercial Bank has a strategic alliance 
with NBO as Oman’s second largest bank and holds a 
34.9% stake. 
Commercial Bank has also helped home-grown 
companies to flourish. In the Qatar National Vision 2030, 
SMEs play a vital role in creating a strong and diversified 
private sector. That is why in 2018 the Bank launched 
an initiative to assist Qatari entrepreneurs by providing 
them with a display space at Commercial Bank Plaza 
to communicate to a wider audience and bring them 
closer to new and potential customers. The initiative 
also served to promote locally made Qatari products, 
which is very important given Qatar’s strategic priority of 
self-sufficiency. 

45

Management Review  
of Operations continued

Commercial Bank Lead Sponsor of Euromoney Conference

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Since its inception over forty years ago, Commercial 
Bank has been committed to supporting Qatar’s national 
development by giving back to the wider community 
through a comprehensive range of meaningful 
corporate social responsibility programmes formulated 
and implemented by the Bank’s Marketing Department.
As part of the Bank’s humanitarian and social initiatives, 
Commercial Bank engaged in a range of initiatives 
during the holy month of Ramadan that focused on 
community engagement and social inclusiveness, 
including distributing water and dates to members 
of the public before Iftar every Saturday in different 
locations around the city, distributing food supplies for 
needy families direct to their homes, and giving Iftar 

boxes to taxi drivers. The Bank also launched a social 
media initiative – #CastYourKindness – to encourage 
philanthropy and community experiences by having 
others share their favorite videos of social events taking 
place in Ramadan.
As part of its Qatar National Day 2018 celebrations, 
Commercial Bank created and distributed a limited 
edition set of National Day souvenirs for children 
in schools, hospitals and the Qatar Society for 
Rehabilitation of People with Special Needs. This activity 
was designed to ensure that all children in Qatar can take 
part in National Day celebrations. 

46

Commercial Bank supports World Diabetes Day

Commercial Bank community activities during Ramadan

Health and fitness
At Commercial Bank, our people are our greatest asset, 
and we are committed to investing in their wellbeing. 
Improving the nation’s health is also one of the most 
important parts of the human development pillar of the 
Qatar National Vision 2030, and we promote sports and 
wellness activities for our staff not just during National 
Sports Day but throughout the year, advertising the 
message that sport and physical exercise perform a 
vital function for the community, promoting active and 
healthy lifestyles and cultivating values of dedication, 
teamwork, competition and good sportsmanship. 
In 2018 Commercial Bank helped the nation celebrate 
National Sport Day with a mix of physical activities, staff 
wellness and a community outreach programme, which 
included the distribution of special gifts to the Qatar 
Society for Rehabilitation of Special Needs, independent 
schools, the children’s floor at Hamad Hospital and at Al 
Wakrah Hospital.
The opening of Commercial Bank’s new on-site gym, 
CB House of Fitness, marked an important moment 

in the development of the Bank’s employee wellness 
programme, promoting a healthy workforce all year 
round. CB House of Fitness is a fully equipped mixed 
gym, with a ladies-only area, open from early to late 
every workday with high-quality facilities and dedicated, 
professional staff also offering fitness classes like Yoga, 
Zumba, Aerobics and Reformer Pilates.
Our continued title sponsorship of the Commercial Bank 
Qatar Masters not only reinforces the Bank’s support 
for sporting activities but also its pursuit of excellence. 
Commercial Bank remains committed to enhancing 
Qatar’s sporting reputation by bringing the best 
international competitors to Qatar annually for a golf 
tournament that attracts a global audience.
To celebrate the 2018 World Cup in Russia, staff from 
across the Bank’s different departments enjoyed the 
thrilling final stages of the tournament in two specially 
created fan zones at Commercial Bank Plaza and our Al 
Wakrah branch. In addition, Commercial Bank engaged 
with football fans using their social media channels to 
create awareness and spread the excitement. 

Commercial Bank awarding the winner of Commercial Bank Qatar Masters 2018

47

Management Review  
of Operations continued

In further efforts to enhance awareness of key health 
issues in Qatar, the Bank marked Breast Cancer 
Awareness Month by organizing an awareness day in 
collaboration with Qatar Cancer Society during which a 
range of awareness-raising activities were launched for 
its employees and members of the public. 
Likewise, to promote employee health and wellness on 
World Diabetes Day, Commercial Bank, in partnership 
with a medical team from the Qatar Diabetes Association 
(QDA), offered one-to-one diabetes assessments 
to all its employees at a risk-assessment station at 
Commercial Bank Plaza to help them identify and 
prevent type two diabetes, one of the most common 
non-communicable diseases in Qatar. 
Qatari youth
Commercial Bank takes pride in being a Qatari bank 
and supporting all four pillars of the Qatar National 
Vision 2030 through our activities, with a focus on 
strengthening the economy through our services and 
investing in Qatar’s human talent as one of the largest 
private sector employers in the country. 
The Bank’s National Development Programme invests 
heavily in the skills and training of young Qataris 
and we look forward to continuing to support Qatar 
on its journey towards sustainable development 
and prosperity, for the benefit of current and future 
generations.

The Bank remains committed to a policy of attracting, 
recruiting, training and developing Qatari nationals and 
fostering home-grown ideas and talents. Commercial 
Bank’s policy on Qatarization is to offer excellent 
opportunities to young nationals embarking on a 
banking career and to continually explore the market to 
select and to provide exciting career opportunities for 
experienced nationals. 
Commercial Bank’s National Development Team 
participated at the Education City Career Fair in  
February 2018 to recruit Qatari nationals as the next 
generation of highly skilled banking leaders. The 
Bank’s new National Talent Development Programmes 
were rolled out during mid-2018 to ensure our future 
leaders receive the very best training and enhanced 
professional development.
Commercial Bank also participated in the second Qatar 
Student Forum, organised by the Embassy of the State 
of Qatar in Washington, DC, and held in Los Angeles, 
California. Senior human capital and talent development 
staff from the Bank spoke about the opportunities 
available to graduates, giving Qatari students based 
in the United States an opportunity to network with 
Commercial Bank as a prestigious Qatar-based 
employer offering excellent career prospects.

Commercial Bank honours Young Bankers

48

•  A newly-supportive National Talent Committee (NTC) 
that oversees creative initiatives and endorses various 
programs that development and encourage nationals.

Enhanced development for Commercial Bank 
Qatari Nationals
We believe the best way to learn is to apply ourselves 
creatively at work. We expect around 70% of learning 
and professional development to happen in the 
workplace and on the job, which is why our new 
National Development Programmes focuses on stretch 
assignments and learning-by-doing.
In 2018, we identified high-potential Qatari talent and 
supported them to take on new roles, challenging 
short-term assignments, and high-profile projects. 
This programme has been very successful, and we look 
forward to expanding the intake in 2019.
Enhanced career experiences
In 2018, through the newly reintroduced mentorship 
program, we paired young Qataris with senior managers 
from a different business unit, which has helped to both 
supporting business challenges and unlocking human 
potential. We have also introduced an ongoing feedback 
initiative to Qatari nationals, at 30, 60, and 90 days 
intervals, to further support and accelerate integration 
and affiliation to the Bank.
In 2019, we look forward to attracting more young 
Qataris who share our entrepreneurial vision. Through 
our new National Recruitment Programme, we will 
purposely seek out young Qatari nationals who are 
ambitious, innovative and driven to shape the future of 
banking and financial services sector in Qatar.
Learning and development
We invest to make Commercial Bank a great place 
for learning. We target our development resources 
toward our people who are skilled at sharing knowledge 
and training others through leader-led training. This 
strengthens our creativity and innovation culture.
We have also introduced a new study support initiative 
for staff working towards full or part time study programs, 
focuses on Qatari nationals and endorsed by the NTC.

Jassim Al Thani  
Chief Human Capital Officer 

Human Capital
In 2018, Commercial Bank continued to invest in its 
entrepreneurial culture. Initiatives included:
•  Reinvigorating our performance management system 
and put more focus on people, conversations and 
development;

•  Setting new, challenging performance standards for 

our leaders and teams;

•  A restructure of the Human Capital team and 

introduction of HC Communications and Culture 
to engage and communicate proactively with 
employees;

•  Introduction of the Chamber of Innovation, where 

employees are encouraged to propose ideas and get 
immediate business endorsement to apply;
•  Attracting and recruiting the right talent that will 

contribute further into delivering on the Bank’s five-
year strategic plan;

•  Partnering with Ministry of Labour to source national 
talent and provide them with career opportunities 
within the Bank Nationalisation;

•  A restructure concept to all nationalization themes, 

from a new sponsorship program where we enhance 
the experiences of internships, to developing 
our internal talents and launching our new talent 
development program;

49

Management Review  
of Operations continued

Performance and rewards 
The Board of Directors regularly reviews compensation 
and benefits to ensure we pay fairly and competitively, 
reward high performers, and linking incentive payments 
to the overall performance of the Bank.  
The Board of Directors also focuses on risk 
management by considering.
•  The split between salary and incentives;
•  The balance between profit, risk and the time horizons 

associated with those risks.

We disclose our remuneration policies and practices in 
our financial reports. 
Human Capital operations
In 2018, we undertook a comprehensive review of our 
policies, procedures, and operating model.   
We simplified our policies and processes and 
implemented SuccessFactors – a cloud-based  
human resource information system that increases 
operational efficiency and support managers with 
effective people process.

Commercial Bank at the Second Qatar Students Conference 
and Forum in the United States

50

Talent resourcing and management
Through a structured process, Commercial Bank has 
successfully attracted skilled and competent employees 
across various strategic business units. These 
employees have been able to contribute significantly 
and successfully towards the Bank’s strategic goals. 
Our recruitment strategy focuses on global competencies, 
diversity, strong academic qualifications, and leadership 
capabilities of the future with a strong emphasis on 
technology. We aim to transfer knowledge to our national 
talent pool, equipping them with the capabilities required 
to become the leaders to take the Bank into the future.
As we continue to build on our strategies, our focus 
remains to attract Qatari nationals across all levels in the 
bank with the focus on senior leadership roles.

Operations
The future of banking is increasingly digital and 
Commercial Bank is a pioneer of this change in Qatar. 
Commercial Bank is investing in innovation and bringing 
creative, globally leading solutions to the market to 
provide the best client experience. 
Commercial Bank is facilitating and experiencing a  
rapid digitization among our customer base.  Digital 
banking has the advantage of speed and convenience, 
allowing customers to bank at a time and place that suits 
them for the best client experience. In 2018,  
Commercial Bank grew its active digital users by 21,000 
(14%), with the number of digital transactions rising by 
12.9 million (84%).
Commercial Bank’s digital transformation also applies 
to our internal activities, and we have embedded digital 
throughout our organisation for greater efficiencies and 
cost reduction. 
In 2018, robotic processing capability and technology 
was leveraged to enable fast, reliable processing of 
highly complex tasks, with reduced risk. 

Expansion of digital customer services
Innovation has always been at the heart of Commercial 
Bank. This commitment to innovation continues today, 
with Commercial Bank launching several ‘first-to-market’ 
digital innovations in 2018, including an expanded 60 
Seconds Remittance service to Nepal and Pakistan, 
expanding the service initiated in 2017 to India, Sri 
Lanka, and the Philippines. The milestone of enabling 
more than one million 60 Seconds Remittances was 
surpassed in 2018. Client-centric advancements in 
technology include the ‘Tap and Pay’ Credit Cards for 
quick and easy purchases, the Corporate & SME Mobile 
Banking App that offers convenient tailored services, 
and a Remote Cheque Deposit solution that allows 
customers to process cheques digitally for clearing. 
In another digital first, Commercial Bank introduced the 
CB Smart tracker for Corporate Banking clients. This 
online portal allows customers to view the progress of 
their trade finance requests and eliminate the need to 
visit or call the Bank during the process. For customers 
who prefer to use paper-based instructions, the Bank 
provides dynamic SmartForms, a sophisticated solution 
that performs necessary validation of customer data to 
trigger real-time payments.        
The importance of our branch network
While digital technology is of a critical importance to 
Commercial Bank and we fully embrace the global trend 
towards cashless transactions, our branch network 
continues to be the favoured banking channel for many 
of our customers. Branches remain integral to how 
Commercial Bank delivers its services in recognition of 
some customers’ preferences for personal and face-
to-face interactions with our Relationship Managers. 
Commercial Bank continues to invest in our branch 
network and in 2018 we opened two new, state-of-the-
art branches at the popular Doha Festival City and at Al 
Ruwais, with full personal banking and ATM services. 
Transaction Banking
The future of banking will be determined by banks who 
can capture an increasing share of transaction flows 
and do so cost-effectively. Transaction Banking is an 
essential part of our strategic future and is a key element 
of Commercial Bank’s vision to be the “Best Bank in 
Qatar”. In 2018, several global banks again recognised 
Commercial Bank as best in class for our seamless 
payments services, which enabled real-time processing 
particularly in US dollar and Euro transactions. 

Leonie Ruth Lethbridge  
EGM, Chief Operating Officer

Relative to other banks in Qatar, Commercial Bank 
handled many transactions in 2018, for example:
•  Commercial Bank branches and digital channels jointly 
handled an estimated 30 million transactions in 2018;
•  Commercial Bank is among the top three providers of 

ATM and Branch services; 

•  Commercial Bank is the market leader in acquiring, 
with 56% of all point of sale terminals (excluding 
Government) in Qatar; 

•  Over 600,000 monthly salaries are initiated through 
the government’s Wages Protection System with 
Commercial Bank, of which 96% is initiated by the 
customer online.

Commercial Bank Innovation Services
Transaction Banking presents an opportunity to create 
diversified, sustainable earnings, supporting fee income, 
low cost deposits and the benefits of economies of 
scale. To fully capitalise on this opportunity, we invested 
substantially in Commercial Bank Innovation Services 
(CBIS), which provides a major capability uplift towards 
realising our goal of dominating Transaction Banking in 
Qatar.
Using innovative technologies, CBIS is scalable to 
handle greater volumes of transactions at lower cost. As 
Commercial Bank grows to process a greater number of 
transactions, the incremental cost of these transactions 
are kept at virtually zero through innovation and the 
benefits of economies of scale.

51

Management Review  
Management Review  
of Operations continued
of Operations continued

SME Mobile Banking Transactions 

6658

6086

6032

5761

7403

6933

6507

8139

8175

7658

5622

4899

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Internet vs. Mobile Banking Transaction

83%

70%

56%

44%

50% 50%

57%

43%

30%

17%

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Internet

Mobile

52

Digital vs. Branch Transactions
(millions)

28.3

15.4

9.7

5.32

5.63

6.29

1.6

1.67

1.69

1.69

1.84

1.97

2013

2014

2015

Digital

2016

2017

2018

Branch

Digital vs. Branch Transactions

2013

2014

2015

2016
Customer

2017

2018

Branch

2019
Digital

2020

2021

Thousands
400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

Millions
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0

53

Management Review  
Management Review  
of Operations continued
of Operations continued

66K

44K

2014

44K

29K

2013

Active Digital Users

147K

155K

126K

90K

75K

67K

99K

57K

88K

50K

2016

2015
Active Users

2017
Mobile Users

2018

2020

Biometric Registered Customers

63K

65K

59K

74K

69K

43K

28K

6K

Q1 2017

Q2 2017

Q3 2017 Q4 2017

Q1 2018 Q2 2018

Q3 2018 Q4 2018

54

CBIS marked the end of a Commercial Bank’s previous 
outsourcing model to a global, top three business 
process outsourcing firm, where operational costs were 
proportional to transaction volumes. Under this old 
model, costs increased two and a half times since 2011 
and were projected to increase by a factor of four by 
2020. 2018 marked the very successful consolidation of 
the CBIS model, which successfully serviced increased 
transaction volumes at 50% of the projected cost of the 
previous outsourced approach.
CBIS is a scale-agnostic model and a wholly owned 
subsidiary of Commercial Bank, operating under the 
regime of the Qatar Financial Centre. By bringing 
operational services back on-shore through our own in-
house entity, CBIS facilitates the implementation of new 
technologies and new ways of thinking such as robotics, 
to revamp our end-to-end operating model. By having 
direct control over our own processes, Commercial 
Bank can now fully exploit these latest technologies and 
digitization as a driver of innovation, future growth, and 
improved customer experience.

Acknowledgement
Commercial Bank’s successful business performance in 
2018 has only been possible through the dedication and 
hard work of our valued employees and the leadership 
team. We are also extremely grateful for the ongoing 
support and guidance provided by the Chairman, Vice 
Chairman and Managing Director and Members of the 
Board. Under their leadership, we have continued to 
achieve growth and have maintained our reputation of 
being one of Qatar’s oldest and most successful banks 
for more than four decades.
In conclusion, we would like to express our sincere 
gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad 
Al Thani, Emir of the State of Qatar, for his visionary 
leadership of Qatar. We would also like to thank His 
Excellency the Prime Minister and Minister of the 
Interior Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al Thani, 

His Excellency the Minister of Finance, Mr. Ali Shareef 
Al Emadi, the Qatar Central Bank and the Ministry of 
Economy and Commerce for their continued guidance 
and support of the Bank throughout this past year. 
The Qatar Central Bank, under the leadership of His 
Excellency the Governor Sheikh Abdullah Bin Saud Al 
Thani, has shown prudence with clear and consistent 
leadership of the banking industry enabling Qatar’s 
financial market to grow despite a challenging operating 
environment. We are very proud of our success over the 
years and are optimistic about what the future will bring 
for Commercial Bank and for Qatar.

Responsibility Statement
To the best of our knowledge, financial statements 
prepared in accordance with International Financial 
Reporting Standards provide a true and fair view 
of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit 
of The Commercial Bank (P.S.Q.C.). We confirm that 
the management review, together with the notes 
to the financial statements, includes a fair review of 
development and performance of the business and the 
position of the Group together with a description of the 
principal risks and opportunities associated with the 
expected development of the Group.
20 March 2019
For and on behalf of the Board of Directors:

Mr. Hussain Ibrahim Alfardan  
Vice Chairman 

Mr. Joseph Abraham  
Group Chief Executive Officer

55

our growing fleet 

We are a growing business with an expanding local and 
international footprint. In 2016, we launched our Five-Year 
Strategic Plan focused on five Cs: corporate earnings quality, client 
experience, creativity and innovation, culture, and compliance. The 
execution of this plan has showed positive results since launch. We 
have reshaped our loan book and improved asset quality, reduced 
our costs, and grown our international portfolio. This work has led 
to year-on-year increases in our net and operating profit in 2018, 
which we hope to continue in 2019.

Annual Corporate  
Governance Report 2018

Effective governance is, at its core, simply about doing 
the right things for stakeholders. It is enabled by 
having the right checks and balances throughout the 
organization to ensure that the right things are always 
done. It comprises the processes and structures which 
affect the way an organization is directed, managed 
and monitored and its activities are reported, including: 
the elements of internal control, ethics, various risk 
functions, policies and procedures, internal audit, 
external audit and formal committees that promote 
greater transparency and facilitate efficient and effective 
management for the best interests of stakeholders.
The Board of Directors firmly believes that good corporate 
governance is fundamental in ensuring the proper 
management of Commercial Bank in the interests of all of 
our stakeholders. We recognise that the way we interact 
with stakeholders is key for the success of our business 
and the transparent disclosure of our governance 
assists investors in their investment decisions.
We continue to enhance our corporate governance 
framework as the Bank’s business evolves and 
regulatory requirements change.
The main rules, procedures and practical application 
of Commercial Bank’s governance are contained in 
the Bank’s Corporate Governance Charter, Board of 
Directors Charter and Board Committees Charter. These 
charters reflect Commercial Bank’s long-standing ethical 
governance practices and the regulatory requirements 
mandated by: 
•  guidelines and instructions issued by the Qatar 

Central Bank on 26 July 2015 by virtue of Circular No. 
68/2015 (QCB Corporate Governance Guidelines);
•  the Commercial Companies Law promulgated by Law 

No. 11 of 2015 (CCL); and

•  the Governance Code for Companies and Legal 

Entities Listed on the Main Market issued by Qatar 
Financial Markets Authority pursuant to Decision No. 5 
of 2016 (QFMA Corporate Governance Code).

These charters also follow the recommendations 
of leading international best practice for corporate 
governance developed by the Organisation for 
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 
the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), and the 
International Institute of Finance (IIF).
The Board understands that sound corporate 
governance principles and practices are fundamental 
to maintaining the trust of its stakeholders, which is also 
critical in business growth, sustainability and profitability. 
The Board is committed to implement the corporate 
governance principles of justice, equality among 
stakeholders without discrimination, transparency and 
disclosure, while upholding the values of corporate 
social responsibility and acting in the public interest of 
Commercial Bank and stakeholders over their personal 
interests, as well as performing their duties, tasks and 
functions in good faith, integrity, honour and sincerity. 
The implementation of these principles is driven by a 
qualified Board aided by a seasoned and experienced 
Executive Management team. The Board ensures that 
the Bank adheres to these corporate governance 
principles in its day-to-day activities at all times.
The Board of Directors of Commercial Bank have 
prepared the Bank’s Annual Corporate Governance 
Report for 2018 as required by the QCB Corporate 
Governance Guidelines, the QFMA Corporate 
Governance Code, and in line with international best 
practice. The Annual Corporate Governance Report 
2018 is an attachment to this Annual Report, forms an 
integral part of it, and is presented to shareholders for 
approval at the Bank’s AGM on 20 March 2019. The 
Annual Corporate Governance Report 2018 can also be 
viewed on Commercial Bank’s website at www.cbq.qa
The Board of Directors confirms that Commercial 
Bank is compliant with the provisions of the 
QFMA Corporate Governance Code and the 
QCB Corporate Governance Guidelines as at 31 
December 2018.

58

 Consolidated Financial Statements
31 December 2018

59

Independent Auditor’s Report

To the Shareholders of The Commercial Bank (P.S.Q.C.)

Report on the Audit of the Consolidated Financial Statements

Opinion 
We have audited the consolidated financial statements of The Commercial Bank (P.S.Q.C.) (the “Bank”) and its subsidiaries 
(together referred to as the “Group”), which comprise the consolidated statement of financial position as at 31 December 2018, 
and  the  consolidated  income  statement,  consolidated  statement  of  comprehensive  income,  consolidated  statement  of 
changes in equity and consolidated statement of cash flows for the year then ended, and notes to the consolidated financial 
statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. 

In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated 
financial position of the Group as at 31 December 2018, and its consolidated financial performance and its consolidated cash 
flows for the year then ended in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs).

Basis for opinion 
We  conducted  our  audit  in  accordance  with  International  Standards  on  Auditing  (ISAs).  Our  responsibilities  under  those 
standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the consolidated financial statements section of 
our report. We are independent of the Group in accordance with the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants’ 
Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (IESBA Code) together with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit 
of the consolidated financial statements in the State of Qatar, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance 
with these requirements and the IESBA Code. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate 
to provide a basis for our opinion.

Key audit matters 
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the consolidated 
financial statements of the current year. These matters where addressed in the context of our audit of the consolidated financial 
statements as a whole, and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide a separate opinion on these matters. For 
each matter below our description of how our audit addressed the matter is provided in that context. 

We  have  fulfilled  the  responsibilities  described  in  the  Auditor’s  responsibilities  for  the  audit  of  the  consolidated  financial 
statements section of our report, including in relation to these matters. Accordingly, our audit included the performance of 
procedures  designed  to  respond  to  our  assessment  of  the  risks  of  material  misstatement  of  the  consolidated  financial 
statements. The results of our audit procedures, including the procedures performed to address the matters below, provide 
the basis for our audit opinion on the accompanying consolidated financial statements. 

60

Report on the Audit of the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)

Key audit matters (continued)

Key audit matter

1. Adoption of IFRS 9 effective from 1 January 2018

The  Group  adopted  IFRS  9  effective  1  January  2018.  As 
permitted by IFRS 9, the requirements have been applied 
retrospectively without restating comparatives.

The  differences  between  previously  reported  carrying 
amounts and new carrying amounts of financial instruments 
as of 31 December 2017 and 1 January 2018 amounted to QR 
1,496 million which have been recognized in the opening 
retained earnings. 

Transitional impact of IFRS 9 has been disclosed in note 3.a 
(i) to the consolidated financial statements.

Significant judgement is involved in order to determine the 
classification and impairment of financial assets under IFRS 
9, hence, this is considered a key audit matter. 

How our audit addressed the key audit matter

Our audit procedures in this area included the following:

•  Obtained an understanding and evaluated the Group’s 
business  model  assessment  and  the  test  on  the 
contractual cash flows, which give rise to cash flows that 
are ‘solely payments of principal and interest’ (SPPI test) 
performed by the management specialist;

•  Evaluated the classification analysis performed by the 
Bank regarding the classification of financial instruments 
into  Amortized  Cost  “(AC”),  Fair  Value  Through  Other 
Comprehensive Income (“FVOCI”) or Fair Value Through 
Profit and Loss (“FVTPL”);

•  Obtained 

an 

the  Group’s 
understanding  of 
implementation process of ECL model with respect to 
IFRS 9. 

•  Our approach included testing the controls associated 
with  the  relevant  processes  for  estimating  ECL  and 
performing substantive procedures on such estimates 
for  all  financial  assets  subject  to  impairment  testing 
under IFRS 9. 

•  Tested  the  appropriateness  of  the  opening  balance 

adjustments.

•  Assessed  the  adequacy  of  the  Group’s  disclosures  in 

relation to first time application of IFRS 9.

61

Independent Auditor’s Report continued

Report on the Audit of the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)

Key audit matters (continued)

Key audit matter

2. Impairment of loans and advances to customers

The process for estimating impairment provision on credit 
risk associated with loans and advances in accordance with 
IFRS  9  Financial  instruments  (IFRS  9)  involves  significant 
judgement. 

IFRS 9 requires use of the ECL model for the purposes of 
calculating  impairment  provision.  ECL  model  requires  the 
Group  to  exercise  significant  judgement  using  subjective 
assumptions  when  determining  both  the  timing  and  the 
amounts  of  ECL  for 
loans  and  advances.  Due  to  the 
complexity  of  requirements  under  IFRS  9,  significance  of 
judgements applied and the Group’s exposure to loans and 
advances forming a major portion of the Group’s assets, the 
audit of ECL for loans and advances is a key audit matter. 

As  at  31  December  2018,  the  Group’s  gross  loans  and 
advances amounted to QR 87,559 million and the related 
allowances for impairment amounted to QR 3,847 million, 
comprising QR 1,003 million of ECL against Stage 1 and 2 
exposures and QR 2,844 million against exposures classified 
under Stage 3. The basis of calculation of ECL is presented in 
the summary of significant accounting policies and notes 4 
(b) and 10 to the consolidated financial statements.

How our audit addressed the key audit matter

In addition to the procedures enumerated in the key audit 
matter 1 above, our procedures focused on the following 
key areas:

•  We assessed:

• 

the Group’s IFRS 9 based impairment provisioning 
policy  including  significant  increase  in  credit  risk  
criteria with the requirements of IFRS 9;

•  Group’s ECL modeling techniques and methodology 

• 

against the requirements of IFRS 9; and
the 
theoretical  soundness  and 
mathematical integrity of the models.

tested 

the 

•  We obtained an understanding of the design and tested 
the  operating  effectiveness  of  relevant  controls  over 
the credit process and ECL model.

•  We have also tested completeness and accuracy of the 
data  used  and  reasonableness  of  the  management 
assumptions, involving specialists where needed.

•  We understood and assessed the significant modeling 

assumptions for exposures.

• 

loss  given  default 

For a sample of exposures, we performed procedures 
to evaluate:
•  Appropriateness of exposure at default, probability 
(including 

of  default  and 
collateral   values used) in the calculation of ECL;
•  Timely identification of exposures with a significant 
increase in credit risk and appropriateness of the  
Group’s staging; and
•  The ECL calculation.

•  Assessed  the  impairment  allowance  for  individually 
impaired loans and advances (stage 3) in accordance 
with IFRS.

Other Matter
The consolidated financial statements as at and for the year ended 31 December 2017 were audited by another auditor, whose 
audit report dated 29 January 2018, expressed an unmodified audit opinion thereon.

62

 
 
 
 
 
 
Report on the Audit of the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)

Other information
The Board of Directors is responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in 
the Bank’s annual report (the “Annual Report”), but does not include the Bank’s consolidated financial statements and our 
auditor’s report thereon. The Bank’s 2018 Annual Report is expected to be made available to us after the date of this auditor’s 
report. Our opinion on the consolidated financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any 
form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the consolidated financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in 
doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the consolidated financial statements or our 
knowledge obtained in the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated.

Responsibilities of the Board of Directors for the consolidated financial statements
The Board of Directors is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the consolidated financial statements in 
accordance with IFRSs and the applicable provisions of Qatar Central Bank regulations, and for such internal control as the 
Board of Directors determines is necessary to enable the preparation of the consolidated financial statements that are free 
from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the consolidated financial statements, the Board of Directors is responsible for assessing the Group’s ability to 
continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of 
accounting unless the Board of Directors either intends to liquidate the Group or to cease operations, or has no realistic 
alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the consolidated financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements as a whole are free 
from  material  misstatement,  whether  due  to  fraud  or  error,  and  to  issue  an  auditor’s  report  that  includes  our  opinion. 
Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs will 
always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and considered material if, 
individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of user taken on the 
basis of these consolidated financial statements.

As  part  of  an  audit  in  accordance  with  ISAs,  we  exercise  professional  judgement  and  maintain  professional  skepticism 
throughout the audit. We also:

• 

Identify and assess the risk of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to fraud or 
error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and 
appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is 
higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, 
or override of internal control.

•  Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to the audit in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in 
the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Group’s internal control.

•  Evaluate  the  appropriateness  of  accounting  policies  used  and  reasonableness  of  accounting  estimates  and  related 

disclosures made by the Board of Directors.

63

Independent Auditor’s Report continued

Report on the Audit of the Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the consolidated financial statements (continued)
•  Conclude on the appropriateness of the Board of Directors’ use of the going concern basis of accounting and, based on 
the audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty exists related to events or conditions that may cast significant 
doubt on the Group’s ability to continue as a going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty exists, we are required 
to draw attention in auditor’s report to the related disclosures in the consolidated financial statements or, if such disclosure 
is inadequate, to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the audit evidence obtained up to the date of our 
auditor’s report. However, future events or conditions may cause the Group to cease to continue as a going concern.

•  Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content of the consolidated financial statements, including the disclosures, 
and whether the consolidated financial statements represent the underlying transactions and events in a manner that 
achieves fair presentation.

•  Obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the financial information of the entities or business activities within 
the Group to express an opinion on the consolidated financial statements. We are responsible for the direction, supervision 
and performance of the group audit. We remain solely responsible for our audit opinion.

We communicate with the Board of Directors regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and 
significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

We also provide the Board of Directors with a statement that we have complied with relevant ethical requirements regarding 
independence, and communicate with them all relationships and other matters that may reasonably be thought to bear on our 
independence, and where applicable, related safeguards. 

From the matters communicated with the Board of Directors, we determine those matters that were of most significance in the 
audit of the consolidated financial statements of the current period and are therefore the key audit matters. We describe these 
matters in our auditor’s report unless law or regulation precludes public disclosures about the matter or when, in extremely 
rare circumstances, we determine that a matter should not be communicated in our report because the adverse consequences 
of doing so would reasonably be expected to outweigh the public interest benefits of such communication.

Report on other legal and regulatory requirements 
We have obtained all the information and explanations, which we considered necessary for the purpose of our audit. The Bank 
has maintained proper accounting records and its consolidated financial statements are in agreement therewith. We have read 
the report of the Board of Directors to be included in the Annual Report and the financial information contained therein is in 
agreement with the books and records of the Bank. We confirm that we are not aware of any contraventions by the Bank of its 
Articles of Association and the amendments thereto, the applicable provisions of Qatar Central Bank Law No. 13 of 2012 and of 
the Qatar Commercial Companies Law No. 11 of 2015, having occurred during the financial year which might have had a material 
effect on the Bank’s consolidated financial position or performance as at and for the year ended 31 December 2018.

Ziad Nader
Partner of Ernst & Young
Qatar Auditors Registry Number 258
Doha - State of Qatar
Date: 28 February 2019

64

Consolidated Statement of 
Financial Position

As at 31 December

Notes

2018

ASSETS
Cash and balances with central banks
Due from banks
Loans and advances to customers
Investment securities
Investment in associates and a joint arrangement
Asset held for sale
Property and equipment
Intangible assets
Other assets
TOTAL ASSETS

LIABILITIES
Due to banks
Customer deposits
Debt securities
Other borrowings
Other liabilities
TOTAL LIABILITIES

8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16

17
18
19
20
21

6,716,058
9,468,706
83,701,631
22,107,807
2,096,310
2,559,591
2,718,913
283,049
5,418,645
135,070,710

13,820,543
71,321,450
15,998,539
8,301,828
5,628,930
115,071,290

QAR ‘000s
2017

7,373,918
10,499,348
89,121,935
19,629,246
2,088,158
2,287,100
2,590,987
430,178
4,428,182
138,449,052

13,515,872
77,633,333
11,604,890
9,303,365
5,370,073
117,427,533

EQUITY
Share capital
4,047,254
Legal reserve
9,742,066
General reserve
26,500
Risk reserve
1,890,408
Fair value reserve
(44,500)
Treasury shares
(179,507)
Foreign currency translation reserve
(1,383,926)
Other reserves
1,064,189
Revaluation reserve
1,264,794
Retained earnings
594,226
TOTAL EQUITY ATTRIBUTABLE TO EQUITY HOLDERS OF THE BANK
17,021,504
Non-controlling interests
15
Instruments eligible for additional capital
4,000,000
TOTAL EQUITY
21,021,519
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
138,449,052
The consolidated financial statements were approved by the Board of Directors on 4th February 2019 and were signed on its 
behalf by:

4,047,254
9,745,152
26,500
886,151
(73,466)
(179,507)
(1,816,866)
1,079,858
1,283,920
1,000,413
15,999,409
11
4,000,000
19,999,420
135,070,710

22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22

22

Sheikh Abdulla Bin Ali Bin Jabor Al Thani
Chairman

Mr. Hussain Ibrahim Alfardan
Vice Chairman

Mr. Joseph Abraham
Group Chief Executive Officer

The attached notes 1 to 41 form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

65

Consolidated Income Statement 

For the year ended 31 December

Notes

2018

Interest income
Interest expense
Net interest income

Fee and commission income
Fee and commission expense
Net fee and commission income

Net foreign exchange gain
(Loss)/Income from investment securities
Other income
Net operating income

Staff costs
Depreciation
Amortisation of intangible assets
Impairment losses on investment securities
Net impairment losses on loans and advances to customers
Net impairment reversal on other financial assets
Other expenses
Profit before share of results of associates and a joint arrangement
Share of results of associates and a joint arrangement
Profit before tax
Income tax expense
Profit for the year

Attributable to:
Equity holders of the Bank
Non-controlling interests
Profit for the year

25
26

27
28

29
30
31

32
14
15

33

12

6,077,322
(3,595,000)
2,482,322

1,117,965
(360,727)
757,238

202,247
(18,826)
85,576
3,508,557

(676,466)
(129,227)
(54,749)
(399)
(927,164)
92,055
(312,893)
1,499,714
170,738
1,670,452
(7,272)
1,663,180

1,663,179
1
1,663,180

QAR ‘000s
2017

5,138,921
(2,620,621)
2,518,300

1,029,333
(308,985)
720,348

162,641
48,690
79,296
3,529,275

(713,472)
(152,392)
(55,610)
(46,484)
(1,696,819)
-
(403,593)
460,905
147,876
608,781
(5,131)
603,650

603,648
2
603,650

Earnings per share
Basic/diluted earnings per share (QAR per share)

34

3.52

0.91

The attached notes 1 to 41 form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

66

Consolidated Statement of 
Comprehensive Income

For the year ended 31 December

Notes

2018

QAR ‘000s
2017

Profit for the year

1,663,180

603,650

Other comprehensive income for the year:
Items that are, or may be subsequently reclassified to profit or loss:
Foreign currency translation differences for foreign operation
Share of other comprehensive income of investment in associates and a 
joint arrangement
Net movement in cash flow hedges-effective portion of changes in fair 
value
Net movement in fair value of available-for-sale investments (IAS 39)
Net change in fair value of investments in debt securities designated at 
FVOCI (IFRS 9)
Net amount transferred to profit and loss
Items that may not be subsequently reclassified to profit or loss:
Net change in fair value of equity investments designated at FVOCI  
(IFRS 9)
Share of other comprehensive income of investment in associates and a 
joint arrangement (IFRS 9)
Revaluation reserve on land and buildings
Other comprehensive (loss) / income for the year

23

23

23

23

23

23

23

23

23

(432,940)

(2,092)

24,436

-

2,128

(10,001)

(19,484)

(5,423)

19,126
(424,250)

(124,119)

8,190

-

167,125

-

-

-

-

-
51,196

Total comprehensive income for the year

1,238,930

654,846

Attributable to:
Equity holders of the Bank
Non-controlling interests
Total comprehensive income for the year

1,238,929
1
1,238,930

654,844
2
654,846

The attached notes 1 to 41 form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

67

4,047,254

9,742,066

26,500

1,890,408

(44,500)

(179,507)

(1,383,926)

1,064,189

1,264,794

594,226

17,021,504

4,000,000

4,047,254

9,742,066

26,500

361,151

(63,030)

(179,507)

(1,383,926)

1,264,794

645,736

15,446,785

4,000,000

19,446,800

Foreign 

currency 

translation 

reserve

Treasury 

shares

Other 

reserves

Revaluation 

reserve

Retained 

earnings

QAR ‘000s

Total equity 

attributable 

to equity 

holders of 

the Bank

Instruments 

eligible for 

additional 

Non-

controlling 

interests

capital

Total equity

(432,940)

(432,940)

19,126

19,126

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(78,442)

985,747

94,111

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

51,510

(1,574,719)

1,663,179

(424,250)

1,238,929

1,663,179

-

1,663,179

(3,086)

(525,000)

(94,111)

(240,000)

(240,000)

(41,580)

(41,580)

-

-

-

-

-

(404,725)

(404,725)

(404,725)

(404,725)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

15

-

15

1

-

1

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(5)

21,021,519

(1,574,719)

1,663,180

(424,250)

1,238,930

(240,000)

(41,580)

(404,725)

(404,725)

(5)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-
4,047,254

-
9,745,152

-
26,500

-
886,151

-
(73,466)

(179,507)

(1,816,866)

1,079,858

1,283,920

1,000,413

15,999,409

11 4,000,000 19,999,420

Consolidated Statement of 
Changes in Equity

For the year ended 31 December

Notes

Share  
capital

Legal 
 reserve

General 
reserve

Risk  
reserve

Fair value 
reserve

22

22
22

Balance as at 1 January 2018
Transition adjustments on adoption of IFRS 9 on 1 
January 2018*
Balance as at 1 January 2018 – restated
Total comprehensive income for the year
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income
Total comprehensive income for the year
Transfer to legal reserve
Transfer to risk reserve
Net movement in other reserves and fair value 
reserve
Dividend for Instruments eligible for additional 
capital
Social and sports fund
Transactions with equity holders of the Bank 
recognised directly in equity
Contributions by and distributions to equity 
holders of the Bank:
Increase in share capital
Increase in legal reserve
Dividends for the year 2017
Bonus issue
Treasury shares
Total contributions by and distributions to 
equity holders of the Bank
Net movement in non-controlling interests
Balance as at 31 December 2018
*Includes transition on adoption of IFRS 9 for investment in associate

22
22
22

22

24

-

-

-

(1,529,257)

(18,530)

-
-
-
-
-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-
-
3,086
-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-
-
-
525,000

-
(10,436)
(10,436)
-
-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

The attached notes 1 to 41 form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

68

Foreign 
currency 
translation 
reserve

Treasury 
shares

Other 
reserves

Revaluation 
reserve

Retained 
earnings

Total equity 
attributable 
to equity 
holders of 
the Bank

Non-
controlling 
interests

Instruments 
eligible for 
additional 
capital

QAR ‘000s

Total equity

4,047,254

9,742,066

26,500

1,890,408

(44,500)

(179,507)

(1,383,926)

1,064,189

1,264,794

594,226

17,021,504

4,047,254

9,742,066

26,500

361,151

(63,030)

(1,529,257)

(18,530)

-

-

(179,507)

(1,383,926)

(78,442)

985,747

-

51,510

(1,574,719)

1,264,794

645,736

15,446,785

15

-

15

4,000,000

-

21,021,519

(1,574,719)

4,000,000

19,446,800

-
-
-
-
-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
(432,940)
(432,940)
-
-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-
-
-
-

94,111

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
19,126
19,126
-
-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

1,663,179
-
1,663,179
(3,086)
(525,000)

(94,111)

1,663,179
(424,250)
1,238,929
-
-

-

(240,000)

(240,000)

(41,580)

(41,580)

-
-
(404,725)
-
-

-
-
(404,725)
-
-

(404,725)

(404,725)

1
-
1
-
-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

1,663,180
(424,250)
1,238,930
-
-

-

(240,000)

(41,580)

-
-
(404,725)
-
-

(404,725)

4,047,254

9,745,152

26,500

886,151

(73,466)

-
(179,507)

-
(1,816,866)

-
1,079,858

-
1,283,920

-
1,000,413

-
15,999,409

(5)
(5)
-
11 4,000,000 19,999,420

For the year ended 31 December

Notes

Share  

capital

Legal 

 reserve

General 

reserve

Risk  

reserve

Fair value 

reserve

Balance as at 1 January 2018

Transition adjustments on adoption of IFRS 9 on 1 

January 2018*

Balance as at 1 January 2018 – restated

Total comprehensive income for the year

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income for the year

Transfer to legal reserve

Transfer to risk reserve

Net movement in other reserves and fair value 

Dividend for Instruments eligible for additional 

reserve

capital

Social and sports fund

Transactions with equity holders of the Bank 

recognised directly in equity

Contributions by and distributions to equity 

holders of the Bank:

Increase in share capital

Increase in legal reserve

Dividends for the year 2017

Bonus issue

Treasury shares

22

22

22

22

24

22

22

22

Total contributions by and distributions to 

equity holders of the Bank

Net movement in non-controlling interests

Balance as at 31 December 2018

*Includes transition on adoption of IFRS 9 for investment in associate

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(10,436)

(10,436)

3,086

525,000

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

The attached notes 1 to 41 form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

69

Consolidated Statement of 
Changes in Equity continued

For the year ended 31 December

Notes

Share  
capital

Legal 
 reserve

General 
reserve

Risk  
reserve

Fair value 
reserve

Balance as at 1 January 2017

3,266,292 8,828,240

26,500 1,802,308

(219,815)

(1,259,807)

997,767

1,264,794

594,980

15,301,259

13 4,000,000

19,301,272

Total comprehensive income for the year
Profit for the year
Other comprehensive income
Total comprehensive income for the year

Transfer to legal reserve
Transfer to risk reserve
Net movement in other reserves and fair value 
reserve
Instruments eligible for additional capital
Dividend for Instruments eligible for additional 
capital
Social and sports fund
Transactions with equity holders of the Bank 
recognised directly in equity
Contributions by and distributions to equity 
holders of the Bank:
Increase in share capital
Increase in legal reserve
Dividends for the year 2016
Bonus issue
Treasury shares
Total contributions by and distributions to equity 
holders of the Bank
Net movement in non-controlling interest
Balance as at 31 December 2017

-
-
-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-
-
-

2,062
-

-

-

-

-

588,235
-
-
192,727
-

780,962

-
911,764
-
-
-

911,764

22
22

22

22

22

24

22
22

-
-
-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-
-

-
175,315
175,315

-
88,100

-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-

-
4,047,254 9,742,066

-

-
26,500 1,890,408

-
(44,500)

(179,507)

(1,383,926)

1,064,189

1,264,794

594,226

17,021,504

15 4,000,000

21,021,519

Foreign 

currency 

translation 

reserve

Treasury 

shares

Other 

reserves

Revaluation 

reserve

Retained 

earnings

QAR ‘000s

Total equity 

attributable 

to equity 

holders of 

the Bank

Instruments 

eligible for 

additional 

Non-

controlling 

interests

capital

Total equity

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(179,507)

(179,507)

(124,119)

(124,119)

66,422

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

603,648

51,196

654,844

603,648

603,648

(2,062)

(88,100)

(66,422)

(240,000)

(240,000)

(15,091)

(15,091)

588,235

911,764

(179,507)

(192,727)

(192,727)

1,320,492

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2

-

2

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

603,650

51,196

654,846

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

(240,000)

(15,091)

588,235

911,764

(179,507)

1,320,492

The attached notes 1 to 41 form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

70

For the year ended 31 December

Notes

Share  

capital

Legal 

 reserve

General 

reserve

Risk  

reserve

Fair value 

reserve

Balance as at 1 January 2017

3,266,292 8,828,240

26,500 1,802,308

(219,815)

Total comprehensive income for the year

Profit for the year

Other comprehensive income

Total comprehensive income for the year

Transfer to legal reserve

Transfer to risk reserve

Net movement in other reserves and fair value 

reserve

Instruments eligible for additional capital

Dividend for Instruments eligible for additional 

capital

Social and sports fund

Transactions with equity holders of the Bank 

recognised directly in equity

Contributions by and distributions to equity 

holders of the Bank:

Increase in share capital

Increase in legal reserve

Dividends for the year 2016

Bonus issue

Treasury shares

Total contributions by and distributions to equity 

holders of the Bank

Net movement in non-controlling interest

Balance as at 31 December 2017

22

22

22

22

22

24

22

22

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2,062

88,100

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

175,315

175,315

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

588,235

192,727

911,764

780,962

911,764

4,047,254 9,742,066

26,500 1,890,408

(44,500)

The attached notes 1 to 41 form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

Foreign 
currency 
translation 
reserve

Treasury 
shares

Other 
reserves

Revaluation 
reserve

Retained 
earnings

Total equity 
attributable 
to equity 
holders of 
the Bank

Non-
controlling 
interests

Instruments 
eligible for 
additional 
capital

QAR ‘000s

Total equity

-

-
-
-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
(179,507)

(179,507)

-
(179,507)

(1,259,807)

997,767

1,264,794

594,980

15,301,259

13 4,000,000

19,301,272

-
(124,119)
(124,119)

-
-

-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-
-

-
-

66,422

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-
-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
(1,383,926)

-
1,064,189

-
1,264,794

603,648
-
603,648

(2,062)
(88,100)

(66,422)

-

603,648
51,196
654,844

-
-

-

-

(240,000)

(240,000)

(15,091)

(15,091)

-
-
-
(192,727)
-

(192,727)

-
594,226

588,235
911,764
-
-
(179,507)

1,320,492

-
17,021,504

2
-
2

-
-

-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-
-

-
-

-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-
-
15 4,000,000

603,650
51,196
654,846

-
-

-

-

(240,000)

(15,091)

588,235
911,764
-
-
(179,507)

1,320,492

-
21,021,519

71

Consolidated Statement  
of Cash Flows

For the year ended 31 December

Notes

2018

QAR ‘000s
2017

Cash flows from operating activities
Profit before tax
Adjustments for:

Net impairment loss on loans and advances to customers
Impairment loss on investment securities
Net impairment losses on other financial assets
Depreciation
Amortization of intangible assets and transaction costs
Net loss/ (gain) on investment securities measured at fair value
Gain on disposal of property and equipment and other assets
Share of results of associates and joint arrangement
Operating profit before working capital changes
Working capital changes

Change in due from banks
Change in loans and advances to customers
Change in other assets
Change in due to banks
Change in customer deposits
Change in other liabilities
Contribution to social and sports fund
Net cash (used in) / from operating activities

14

30

12

Cash flows from investing activities
Acquisition of investment securities
Investment in associate participating in rights issue
Dividend received from associates and a joint arrangement
Proceeds from sale/maturity of investment securities
Acquisition of property and equipment and intangible assets
Proceeds from the sale of property and equipment and other assets
Net cash (used in) / from investing activities

12

14&15

1,670,452

608,781

927,164
399
(92,055)
129,227
97,592
24,131
(91)
(170,738)
2,586,081

908,197
(898,316)
(1,322,483)
673,265
(3,148,142)
282,206
(15,091)
(934,283)

(7,323,607)
(272,491)
76,627
3,977,082
(286,431)
4,184
(3,824,636)

1,696,819
46,484
-
152,392
126,930
(36,704)
(4,042)
(147,876)
2,442,784

3,521,993
(13,984,587)
(444,075)
2,194,421
7,381,483
(823,358)
(12,534)
276,127

(8,561,768)
-
81,454
4,253,761
(113,350)
6,201
(4,333,702)

The attached notes 1 to 41 form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

72

Consolidated Statement  
of Cash Flows continued

For the year ended 31 December

Notes

2018

Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from issue of debt securities
Repayment of debt securities
Repayment of other borrowings
Proceeds from other borrowings
Proceeds from rights issue
Proceeds from issue of instrument eligible for additional capital
Purchase of treasury shares
Dividends paid
Net cash from / (used in) financing activities
Net (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
Effect of exchange rate fluctuations
Cash and cash equivalents as at 1 January
Cash and cash equivalents as at 31 December 

Net cash flows from interest and dividend:
Interest paid
Interest received
Dividend received

QAR ‘000s
2017

3,845,587
(3,968,148)
(5,414,984)
4,161,023
1,499,999
-
(179,507)
-
(56,030)
(4,113,605)
119,174
14,315,866
10,321,435

19
19
20
20

36

9,508,091
(5,055,194)
(6,634,330)
6,583,404
-
-
-
(404,725)
3,997,246
(761,673)
424,784
10,321,435
9,984,546

3,455,544
5,864,966
5,305

2,613,395
4,948,811
11,986

The attached notes 1 to 41 form an integral part of these consolidated financial statements

73

Notes to the Consolidated 
Financial Statements

1.  REPORTING ENTITY

The Commercial Bank (P.S.Q.C.) (“the Bank”) is an entity domiciled in the State of Qatar and was incorporated in 1974 as a 
public share holding company under Emiri Decree No.73 of 1974. The commercial registration number of the Bank is 150. 
The address of the Bank’s registered office is PO Box 3232, Doha, State of Qatar. The consolidated financial statements of 
the Bank for the year ended 31 December 2018 comprise the Bank and its subsidiaries (together referred to as “the 
Group”). The Group is primarily engaged in conventional banking, brokerage services and the credit card business and 
operates through its head office, subsidiaries and branches.

The principal subsidiaries of the Group are as follows:

Name

Country of 
incorporation

Capital

Activity

Alternatifbank A.S. (“ABank”)
Commercial Bank Financial 
Services (L.L.C.)
CBQ Finance Limited

Turkey
Qatar

TRY 1,167,000,000
QAR 100,000,000

Bermuda

USD 1,000

Banking services
Brokerage 
services
Debt  issuance  for 
the Bank

2.  BASIS OF PREPARATION

Percentage of 
ownership

2018
100%
100%

2017
100%
100%

100%

100%

(a)  Statement of compliance

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards 
(“IFRS”) issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) and the applicable provisions of the Qatar Central 
Bank (“QCB”) regulations.

The Group presents its consolidated statement of financial position broadly in the order of liquidity. An analysis regarding 
recovery or settlement of assets/liabilities within twelve months after the end of the reporting date (“current”) and more 
than twelve months after the reporting date (“non-current”) is presented in Note 4(c) (iii).

(b)  Basis of measurement

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis except for the following assets and 
liabilities that are measured at fair value:

• 
• 

• 
• 

• 
• 

derivative financial instruments;
investments measured at fair value through profit or loss (‘FVTPL’) (2018) / Held for trading financial investments 
(2017);
other financial assets designated at fair value through profit or loss (‘FVTPL’);
financial investment measured at fair value through other comprehensive income (‘FVOCI’) (2018) / Available-for-
sale financial investments (2017);
land and buildings; and
the carrying values of recognised assets and liabilities that are hedged items in quantifying fair value hedges, and 
otherwise carried at amortised cost, are adjusted to record changes in fair value attributable to the risks that are 
being hedged.

74

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2.  BASIS OF PREPARATION (continued)

(c)  Functional and presentation currency

These  consolidated  financial  statements  are  presented  in  Qatari  Riyals  (“QAR”),  which  is  the  Bank’s  functional  and 
presentation currency. Except as otherwise indicated, financial information presented in QAR has been rounded to the 
nearest thousand.

(d)  Use of estimates and judgments

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with IFRS and QCB regulations requires management 
to  make  judgements,  estimates  and  assumptions  that  affect  the  application  of  accounting  policies  and  the  reported 
amounts of assets, liabilities, income and expenses. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

Estimates  and  underlying  assumptions  are  reviewed  on  an  ongoing  basis.  Revisions  to  accounting  estimates  are 
recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised and in any future periods affected.

Information about significant areas of estimation uncertainty and critical judgements in applying accounting policies that 
have the most significant effect on the amounts recognised in the consolidated financial statements are described in  
note 5.

3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Except for the changes explained in note 3(y), the accounting policies set out below have been applied consistently to all 
periods presented in these consolidated financial statements, and have been applied consistently by the Group entities.

(a)  New standards, amendments and interpretations

  New standards, amendments and interpretations effective from 1 January 2018

The following standards, amendments and interpretations, which became effective as of 1 January 2018, are relevant to 
the Group:

IFRS 9 Financial Instruments 
IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers 
IFRIC 22 Foreign Currency Transactions and Advance Consideration 

1-Jan-18
1-Jan-18
1-Jan-18

The adoption of the above did not result in any changes to previously reported net profit or equity of the Group except as 
mentioned below.

(i) 

IFRS 9 Financial Instruments
The Group has adopted IFRS 9, as issued by the IASB in July 2014 with a date of transition of 1 January 2018, which 
resulted in changes in accounting policies and adjustments to the amounts previously recognised in the consolidated 
financial statements as of and for the year ended 31 December 2017. The Group did not early adopt any of IFRS 9 in 
previous periods.

The  adoption  of  IFRS  9  has  resulted  in  changes  in  the  accounting  policies  for  recognition,  classification  and 
measurement of financial assets and financial liabilities and impairment of financial assets. IFRS 9 also significantly 
amends other standards dealing with financial instruments such as IFRS 7 ‘Financial Instruments: Disclosures’.

75

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(a)  New standards, amendments and interpretations (continued)

(i) 

IFRS 9 Financial Instruments (continued)

Classification of financial assets and financial liabilities
IFRS 9 contains three principal classification categories for financial assets: measured at amortised cost, fair value 
through other comprehensive income (FVOCI) and fair value through profit or loss (FVTPL). IFRS 9 classification is 
generally based on the business model in which a financial asset is managed and its contractual cash flows. The 
standard eliminates the existing IAS 39 categories of held-to-maturity, loans and receivables and available-for-sale.

IFRS 9 largely retains the existing requirements in IAS 39 for the classification of financial liabilities. However, although 
under  IAS  39  all  fair  value  changes  of  liabilities  designated  under  the  fair  value  option  were  recognised  in  the 
consolidated income statement, under IFRS 9 fair value changes are generally presented as follows:

- 

- 

The amount of change in the fair value that is attributable to changes in the credit risk of the liability is presented 
in OCI; and
The remaining amount of change in the fair value is presented in the consolidated income statement.

Impairment of financial assets
IFRS 9 replaces the ‘incurred loss’ model in IAS 39 with an ‘expected credit loss’ model. The new impairment model 
also applies to certain loan commitments and financial guarantee contracts but not to equity investments. Under IFRS 
9, credit losses are recognised earlier than under IAS 39.

The Group applies three-stage approach to measure expected credit losses (ECL) on financial assets carried at 
amortised cost and debt instruments classified as FVOCI. Assets migrate through the following three stages based 
on the change in credit quality since initial recognition.

Stage 1: 12 months ECL - not credit impaired.
Stage 1 includes financial assets on initial recognition and that do not have a significant increase in credit risk since the 
initial recognition or that have low credit risk. For these assets, ECL are recognised on the gross carrying amount of 
the asset based on the expected credit losses that result from default events that are possible within 12 months after 
the reporting date. Interest is computed on the gross carrying amount of the asset.

Stage 2: Lifetime ECL - not credit impaired
Stage 2 includes financial assets that have had a significant increase in credit risk (SICR) since initial recognition but 
that do not have objective evidence of impairment. For these assets, lifetime ECL are recognised, but interest is still 
calculated on the gross carrying amount of the asset. Lifetime ECL are the expected credit losses that result from all 
possible default events over the expected life of the financial instrument.

Stage 3: Lifetime ECL - credit impaired
Stage 3 includes financial assets that have objective evidence of impairment at the reporting date. For these assets, 
lifetime ECL are recognised.

For an explanation of how the Group classifies financial liabilities under IFRS 9. Refer to Note 3 (d) (ii).

76

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(a)  New standards, amendments and interpretations (continued)

(i) 

IFRS 9 Financial Instruments (continued) 

Hedge accounting
The general hedge accounting requirements of IFRS 9 retain the three types of hedge accounting mechanisms in IAS 
39.  However,  greater  flexibility  has  been  introduced  to  the  types  of  transactions  eligible  for  hedge  accounting, 
specifically broadening the types of instruments that qualify as hedging instruments and the types of risk components 
of non-financial items that are eligible for hedge accounting. In addition, the effectiveness test has been overhauled 
and replaced with the principle of an ‘economic relationship’. Retrospective assessment of hedge effectiveness is no 
longer required.

The Group has also elected to continue to apply the hedge accounting requirements of IAS 39 on adoption of IFRS 9.

Transition
Changes in accounting policies resulting from the adoption of IFRS 9 have been applied retrospectively, except as 
described below.

(a)  As permitted by the transitional provisions of IFRS 9, The Group elected not to restate comparative figures. 
Differences in the carrying amounts of financial assets and financial liabilities resulting from the adoption of IFRS 
9 are recognised in retained earnings and reserves as at 1 January 2018. Accordingly, the information presented 
for  2017  does  not  reflect  the  requirements  of  IFRS  9  and  therefore  is  not  comparable  to  the  information 
presented for 2018 under IFRS 9.

(b)  The following assessments have been made on the basis of the facts and circumstances that existed at the date 

of initial application.

- 
- 

The determination of the business model within which a financial asset is held.
The designation of certain investments in equity instruments not held for trading as at FVOCI.

If a debt security had low credit risk at the date of initial application of IFRS 9, then the Group has assumed that 
credit risk on the asset had not increased significantly since its initial recognition.

77

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(a)  New standards, amendments and interpretations (continued)

(i) 

IFRS 9 Financial Instruments (continued) 

Impact of adopting IFRS 9
The impact of adopting IFRS 9 has been shown below:

Closing balance under IAS 39 (31 December 2017)
Impact on reclassification and remeasurements:
Investment securities (equity) from available-for-sale to those 
measured at fair value through other comprehensive income
Investment securities (equity) from available-for-sale to those 
measured at fair value through profit and loss
Investment securities (debt) from available-for-sale to those 
measured at fair value through profit and loss
Investment securities (funds) from available-for-sale to those 
measured at fair value through profit and loss
Investment securities (debt) from available-for-sale to those 
measured at amortised cost

Impact on recognition of Expected Credit Losses
Expected credit losses for due from banks
Expected credit losses for debt securities
Expected credit losses for loan and advances
Expected credit losses for off balance sheet exposures subject to 
credit risk.

Transfer from risk reserve
Opening balance under IFRS 9 on date of initial application of 1 
January 2018

Retained earnings

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Fair value reserve

594,226

(44,500)

2,002

16,075

20,745

12,688

-

51,510

(31,632)
(23,654)
(1,315,988)

(157,983)

(1,529,257)
1,529,257

645,736

(2,002)

(16,075)

(20,745)

(12,688)

32,980

(18,530)

-
-
-

-

-
-

(63,030)

78

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(a)  New standards, amendments and interpretations (continued)

(i) 

IFRS 9 Financial Instruments (continued) 

Classification of financial assets and financial liabilities on the date of initial application of IFRS 9
The following table is reconciliation of original measurement categories and carrying value in accordance with IAS 39 
and the new measurement categories under IFRS 9 for the Group’s financial assets and financial liabilities as at 1 
January 2018.

Financial assets

Original 
classification 
under IAS 39

New 
classification 
under IFRS 9

Cash and balances with 
central banks

Due from banks

Loans and advances to 
customers
Investment securities 
– debt
Investment securities 
– debt
Investment securities 
– debt
Investment securities 
– debt
Investment securities 
– equity
Investment securities 
– equity and funds

Loans and 
receivables
Loans and 
receivables
Loans and 
receivables
Available-for-
sale
Available-for-
sale
Available-for-
sale
Held-for-
trading
Available-for-
sale
Available-for-
sale

Amortised 
cost
Amortised 
cost
Amortised 
cost
Amortised 
cost

FVOCI

FVTPL

FVTPL

FVOCI

FVTPL

Re 
measurement

Original 
carrying 
amount 
under 
IAS 39

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Re 
classification

New 
carrying 
amount 
under 
IFRS 9

7,373,918

-

10,499,348

(31,632)

-

-

7,373,918

10,467,716

89,121,935

(1,315,988)

- 87,805,947

13,802,548

32,980

4,497,695

728,787

181,915

166,260

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

13,835,528

4,497,695

728,787

181,915

2,002

168,262

252,041

(16,075)

-

235,966

Financial Liabilities
There were no changes to the classification and measurement of financial liabilities.

79

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(a)  New standards, amendments and interpretations (continued)

(i) 

IFRS 9 Financial Instruments (continued) 

Classification of financial assets and financial liabilities on the date of initial application of IFRS 9 (continued)

Expected credit loss / Impairment allowances:
The following table reconciles the closing impairment allowance for financial assets in accordance with IAS 39 as at 31 
December 2017 to the opening ECL allowance determined in accordance with IFRS 9 as at 1 January 2018.

31 December 
2017

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
1 January  
Re-
2018
measurement

Loans and receivables under IAS 39 / financial assets at 
amortised cost under IFRS 9 (includes cash and cash 
equivalents, loans and advances to banks and loans and 
advances to customers)
Available-for-sale debt investment securities under IAS 39/
debt financial assets at FVOCI under IFRS 9
Loan commitments and financial guarantee contracts issued

4,163,007

1,347,620

5,510,627

-

111,356

23,654

157,983

23,654

269,339

(ii)  IFRS 15 ‘Revenue from Contracts with Customers’

The Group implemented this new revenue recognition standard with effect from 1 January 2018. IFRS 15 provides a 
principles-based  approach  for  revenue  recognition,  and  introduces  the  concept  of  recognising  revenue  for 
performance obligations as they are satisfied. The Group has assessed the impact of IFRS 15 and concluded that the 
standard has no material effect, on the consolidated financial statements of the Group.

  Standards issued but not yet effective

A number of standards and amendments to standards are issued but not yet effective and the Group has not adopted 
these in the preparation of these consolidated financial statements. The below standards may have a significant 
impact on the Group’s consolidated financial statements, however, the Group is currently evaluating the impact of 
these new standards. The Group will adopt these new standards on the respective effective dates.

IFRS 16 Leases
IFRS 16 was issued in January 2016. It will result in almost all leases being recognized on the balance sheet by lessee, 
as the distinction between operating and finance leases is removed. Under the new standard, an asset (the right to 
use the leased item) and a financial liability to pay rentals are recognized. The only exception are short-term and low-
value leases.

The group has set up a project team which has reviewed all of the group’s leasing arrangements over the last year in 
light of the new lease accounting rules in IFRS 16.

80

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(a)  New standards, amendments and interpretations (continued)

IFRS 16 Leases (continued) 
The Group expects to recognise right-of-use assets of approximately QAR 147.1 million on 1 January 2019, lease 
liabilities of QAR 130.4 million (after adjustments for prepayments and accrued lease payments recognised as at 31 
December 2018). Overall net assets will not be impacted, and net current assets will be lower due to the presentation 
of a portion of the liability as a current liability.

The Bank expects that net profit after tax will decrease by approximately QAR 1.2 million for 2019 as a result of adopting 
the new rules. Net interest income is expected to decrease by approximately QAR 9.8 million, as the interest on the 
lease liability will be part of interest expense, Other expenses will decrease by QAR 46.9 million as operating lease 
payments  were  included  in  other  expenses,  however  depreciation  will  increase  by  QAR  38.3  million  due  to 
amortization of the right-of-use assets.

The Group’s activities as a lessor are not material and hence the Bank does not expect any significant impact on the 
financial statements. However, some additional disclosures will be required from next year.

The Group will apply the standard from its mandatory adoption date of 1 January 2019. The Group intends to apply the 
simplified transition approach and will not restate comparative amounts for the year, prior to date of adoption.

Further the group has used the following practical expedients on initial application:

Used the Group’s previous assessment of which existing contracts are or contain, lease;

- 
-  Where the unexpired lease term of less than 12 months or leases are of low value (USD 5,000 or less), then the 

Group has elected to use the short term lease exemption.

(b)  Basis of consolidation

(i)  Business combination

The Group applies the acquisition method to account for business combinations. The consideration transferred for 
the acquisition of a subsidiary is the fair value of the assets transferred, the liabilities incurred to the former owners of 
the acquire and the equity interests issued by the Group. The consideration transferred includes the fair value of any 
asset or liability resulting from a contingent consideration arrangement. Identifiable assets acquired and liabilities 
and contingent liabilities assumed in a business combination are measured initially at their fair values at the acquisition 
date.

If the business combination is achieved in stages, the acquisition date carrying value of the acquirer’s previously held 
equity interest in the acquire is re-measured to fair value at the acquisition date; any gains or losses arising from such 
re-measurement are recognised in profit or loss.

Any  contingent  consideration  to  be  transferred  by  the  Group  is  recognised  at  fair  value  at  the  acquisition  date. 
Subsequent changes to the fair value of the contingent consideration that is deemed to be an asset or liability is 
recognised  in  accordance  with  IAS  39  either  in  profit  or  loss  or  as  a  change  to  other  comprehensive  income. 
Contingent consideration that is classified as equity is not re-measured, and its subsequent settlement is accounted 
for within equity.

81

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(b)  Basis of consolidation (continued)

(i)  Business combination (continued) 

The  excess  of  the  consideration  transferred  the  amount  of  any  non-controlling  interest  in  the  acquired  and  the 
acquisition-date fair value of any previous equity interest in the acquired over the fair value of the identifiable net 
assets acquired is recorded as goodwill. If the total of consideration transferred, non-controlling interest recognised 
and previously held interest measured is less than the fair value of the net assets of the subsidiary acquired in the case 
of a bargain purchase, the difference is recognised directly in the income statement.

Transaction costs are expensed as incurred, except if they are related to the issue of debt or equity securities.

(ii)  Non-controlling interests (NCI)

In  accordance  with  IFRS  3R,  for  each  business  combination,  the  acquirer  can  measure,  at  the  acquisition  date, 
components  of  NCI  in  the  acquired  business  that  represent  ownership  interests  and  entitle  its  holders  to  a 
proportionate share of the entity’s net assets in the event of liquidation at either:

(a) 
(b) 

fair value on the acquisition date; or
the present ownership instruments’ proportionate share in the recognised amounts of the acquiree’s identifiable 
net assets.

NCI is measured only on initial recognition. The Group measures the NCI at fair value, including its share of goodwill.

(iii)  Subsidiaries

Subsidiaries are entities controlled by the Group. The Group ‘controls’ an investee if it is exposed to, or has rights to, 
variable returns from its involvement with the investee and has the ability to affect those returns through its power 
over the investee. The financial statements of subsidiaries are included in the consolidated financial statements from 
the date on which control commences until the date when control ceases.

The accounting policies of subsidiaries are consistent with the accounting policies adopted by the Group.

(iv)  Transactions eliminated on consolidation

Intra-group balances, and income and expenses arising from intra-group transactions, are eliminated in preparing 
the consolidated financial statements.

(v)  Associates and joint arrangements

Associates  and  joint  arrangements  are  entities  over  which  the  Group  has  significant  influence  but  not  control, 
generally accompanying a shareholding of between 20% and 50% of the voting rights.

Investments in associates and joint arrangements are accounted for by the equity method of accounting and are 
initially recognised at cost (including transaction costs directly related to acquisition of investment in associates and 
joint  arrangement).  The  Group’s  investment  in  associates  and  joint  arrangements  includes  goodwill  (net  of  any 
accumulated impairment loss) identified on acquisition.

82

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(b)  Basis of consolidation (continued)

(v)  Associates and joint arrangements (continued)

The Group’s share of its associates’ and joint arrangement’s post-acquisition profits or losses is recognised in the 
consolidated income statement; its share of post-acquisition reserve movements is recognised in reserves. The 
cumulative  post-acquisition  movements  are  adjusted  against  the  carrying  amount  of  the  investment.  When  the 
Group’s share of losses in an associates and joint arrangements equals or exceeds its interest in the associates and 
joint arrangements, including any other unsecured receivables, the Group does not recognise further losses, unless 
it has incurred obligations or made payments on behalf of the associates and joint arrangement.

Intergroup gains on transactions between the Group and its associates and joint arrangement are eliminated to the 
extent of the Group’s interest in the associates and joint arrangements. Intergroup losses are also eliminated unless 
the transaction provides evidence of an impairment of the asset transferred.

Associates financial statements are being prepared using similar accounting policies and period end as the parent.

(vi)  Funds management

The Group manages and administers assets held in unit trusts and other investment vehicles on behalf of investors. 
The financial statements of these entities are not included in these consolidated financial statements except when the 
Group controls the entity. Information about the Group’s funds management is set out in Note 38.

(c)  Foreign currency

(i)  Foreign currency transactions and balances

Foreign  currency  transactions  that  require  settlement  in  a  foreign  currency  are  translated  into  the  respective 
functional currencies of the operations at the spot exchange rates at the date of the transactions.

Monetary  assets  and  liabilities  denominated  in  foreign  currencies  at  the  reporting  date  are  translated  into  the 
functional currency at the spot exchange rate at that date. Non-monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign 
currencies that are measured at fair value are retranslated into the functional currency at the spot exchange rate at 
the  date  that  the  fair  value  was  determined.  Non-monetary  assets  and  liabilities  that  are  measured  in  terms  of 
historical cost in a foreign currency are translated using the exchange rate at the date of the transaction.

The gains and losses on revaluation of foreign currency non-monetary available-for-sale investments are recognised 
in the consolidated statement of changes in equity.

Foreign currency differences resulting from the settlement of foreign currency transactions and arising on translation 
at period end exchange rates of monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are recognised in 
profit or loss.

83

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(c)  Foreign currency (continued)

(ii)  Foreign operations

The  results  and  financial  position  of  all  the  Group’s  entities  that  have  a  functional  currency  different  from  the 
presentation currency are translated into the presentation currency as follows:

- 

- 

- 

Assets and liabilities for each statement of financial position presented are translated at the closing rate at the 
reporting date;
Income and expenses for each income statement are translated at average exchange rates (unless this average 
is not a reasonable approximation of the cumulative effect of the rates prevailing on the transaction dates, in 
which case income and expenses are translated at the dates of the transactions); and
All resulting exchange differences are recognised in other comprehensive income.

Exchange differences arising from the above process are reported in equity and NCI as ‘foreign currency translation 
reserve”.

When the Group has any foreign operation that is disposed of, or partially disposed of, such exchange differences are 
recognised  in  the  consolidated  income  statement  as  part  of  the  gain  or  loss  on  sale.  Goodwill  and  fair  value 
adjustments arising on the acquisition of a foreign entity are treated as assets and liabilities of the foreign entity and 
translated at the closing rate.

When the settlement of a monetary item receivable from or payable to a foreign operation is neither planned nor 
likely in the foreseeable future, foreign exchange gains and losses arising from such a monetary item are considered 
to form part of the net investment in the foreign operation and are recognised in other comprehensive income, and 
presented in the foreign exchange translation reserve in equity.

(d)  Financial assets and financial liabilities

(i)  Recognition and initial measurement

The Group initially recognises loans and advances to customers, due from / to banks, customer deposits, debt 
securities and other borrowings on the date at which they are originated. All other financial assets and liabilities are 
initially  recognised  on  the  trade  date  at  which  the  Group  becomes  a  party  to  the  contractual  provisions  of  the 
instrument.

(ii)  Classification

Financial assets – Policy applicable from 1 January 2018
On initial recognition, a financial asset is classified as measured at: amortised cost, FVOCI or FVTPL.

A financial asset is measured at amortised cost if it meets both of the following conditions and is not designated as at 
FVTPL:

• 

The asset is held within a business model whose objective is to hold assets to collect contractual cash flows; and

The contractual terms of the financial asset give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of 
principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding.

84

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(d)  Financial assets and financial liabilities (continued)

(ii)  Classification (continued)

Financial assets – Policy applicable from 1 January 2018 (continued)
A debt instrument is measured at FVOCI only if it meets both of the following conditions and is not designated as at 
FVTPL:

• 

The asset is held within a business model whose objective is achieved by both collecting contractual cash flows 
and selling financial assets; and

The contractual terms of the financial asset give rise on specified dates to cash flows that are solely payments of 
principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding.

On initial recognition of an equity investment that is not held for trading, the Group may irrevocably elect to present 
subsequent changes in fair value in OCI. This election is made on an investment-by-investment basis.

All other financial assets are classified as measured at FVTPL.

In addition, on initial recognition, the Group may irrevocably designate a financial asset that otherwise meets the 
requirements to be measured at amortised cost or at FVOCI as at FVTPL if doing so eliminates or significantly reduces 
an accounting mismatch that would otherwise arise.

Business model assessment
The Group makes an assessment of the objective of a business model in which an asset is held at a portfolio level 
because  this  best  reflects  the  way  the  business  is  managed  and  information  is  provided  to  management.  The 
information considered includes:

• 
• 
• 

• 

The stated policies and objectives for the portfolio and the operation of those policies in practice.
How the performance of the portfolio is evaluated and reported to the Group’s management;
The risks that affect the performance of the business model (and the financial assets held within that business 
model) and how those risks are managed;
How managers of the business are compensated.

The frequency, volume and timing of sales in prior periods, the reasons for such sales and its expectations about 
future sales activity.

Financial assets that are held for trading or managed and whose performance is evaluated on a fair value basis are 
measured at FVTPL because they are neither held to collect contractual cash flows nor held both to collect contractual 
cash flows and to sell financial assets.

Assessment whether contractual cash flows are solely payments of principal and interest
For the purposes of this assessment, ‘principal’ is defined as the fair value of the financial asset on initial recognition. 
‘Interest’ is defined as consideration for the time value of money and for the credit risk associated with the principal 
amount outstanding during a particular period of time and for other basic lending risks and costs (e.g. liquidity risk 
and administrative costs), as well as profit margin.

85

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(d)  Financial assets and financial liabilities (continued)

(ii)  Classification (continued)

Assessment whether contractual cash flows are solely payments of principal and interest (continued)
In assessing whether the contractual cash flows are solely payments of principal and interest (“the SPPI test”), the 
Group considers the contractual terms of the instrument. This includes assessing whether the financial asset contains 
a contractual term that could change the timing or amount of contractual cash flows such that it would not meet this 
condition. In making the assessment, the Group considers contingent events that would change the amount and 
timing of cash flows, prepayment and extension terms, terms that limit the Group’s claim to cash flows from specified 
assets and features that modify consideration of the time value of money.

Reclassifications
Financial  assets  are  not  reclassified  subsequent  to  their  initial  recognition,  except  in  the  period  after  the  Group 
changes its business model for managing financial assets. The reclassification takes place from the start of the first 
reporting period following the change.

Financial assets - applicable up to 31 December 2017
At inception or on initial recognition a financial asset is classified in one of the following categories:

• 
• 
• 
• 

loans and receivables (LaR);
held to maturity (HTM);
available-for-sale (AFS); and
at fair value through profit or loss (FVTPL), either as: held for trading; or FVTPL on initial designation

Financial assets held for trading
A financial asset is classified as held-for-trading if it is:

• 
• 

• 

acquired or incurred principally for the purpose of selling or repurchasing it in the near term;
on initial recognition, part of a portfolio of identified financial instruments that are managed together and for 
which there is evidence of a recent actual pattern of short-term profit taking; or
a derivative, except for a derivative that is a designated and effective hedging instrument.

Financial assets designated as at FVTPL
In addition to financial assets held for trading, financial assets are classified in the FVTPL category on initial recognition, 
to designate such instruments as a FVTPL using the fair value option in one of the following circumstances:

When doing so results in more relevant information because either:
• 

it  eliminates  or  significantly  reduces  a  measurement  or  recognition  inconsistency  that  would  result  from 
measuring  assets  or  liabilities  or  recognising  gains  or  losses  on  them  on  different  bases  (an  “accounting 
mismatch”); or
a group of financial assets or liabilities (or both) is managed and its performance is evaluated on a fair value basis 
in accordance with the entity’s document risk management or investment strategy and information is provided 
by key management personnel on this basis.

• 

Financial liabilities
The Group has classified and measured its financial liabilities at amortized cost.

86

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(d)  Financial assets and financial liabilities (continued)

(iii)  Derecognition

The Group derecognises a financial asset when the contractual rights to the cash flows from the financial asset expire, 
or when it transfers the financial asset in a transaction in which substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of 
the financial asset are transferred or in which the Group neither transfers nor retains substantially all the risks and 
rewards of ownership and it does not retain control of the financial asset. Any interest in transferred financial assets 
that qualify for derecognition that is created or retained by the Group is recognised as a separate asset or liability. On 
derecognition of a financial asset, the difference between the carrying amount of the asset (or the carrying amount 
allocated to the portion of the asset transferred), and consideration received (including any new asset obtained less 
any new liability assumed) is recognised in profit or loss.

From 1 January 2018, any cumulative gain/loss recognised in OCI in respect of equity investment securities designated 
as at FVOCI is not recognised in the consolidated income statement on derecognition of such securities.

A financial asset (in whole or in part) is derecognised where:
- 

the rights to receive cash flows from the asset have expired;

the Group has transferred its rights to receive cash flows from the asset or has assumed an obligation to pay the 
received cash flows in full without material delay to a third party under a ‘pass-through’ arrangement; and either (a) 
the Group has transferred substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership or (b) when it has neither transferred or 
retained substantially all the risks and rewards and when it no longer has control over the financial asset, but has 
transferred control of the asset.

The Group enters into transactions whereby it transfers assets recognised, but retains either all or substantially all of 
the risks and rewards of the transferred assets or a portion of them. If all or substantially all risks and rewards are 
retained, then the transferred assets are not derecognised. Transfers of assets with retention of all or substantially all 
risks and rewards include, for example, securities lending and repurchase transactions.

The Group derecognises a financial liability when its contractual obligations are discharged, cancelled or expired.

(iv)  Modification of financial assets and liabilities

Financial Assets
If the terms of a financial asset are modified, the Group evaluates whether the cash flows of the modified asset are 
substantially different. If the cash flows are substantially different, then the contractual rights to cash flows from the 
original financial asset are deemed to have expired. In this case, the original financial asset is derecognised and a new 
financial asset is recognised at fair value, and recalculates a new effective interest rate for the asset. The date of 
renegotiation is consequently considered to be the date of initial recognition for impairment calculation purpose, 
including for the purpose of determining whether a significant increase in credit risk has occurred.

87

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(d)  Financial assets and financial liabilities (continued)

(iv)  Modification of financial assets and liabilities (continued)

Policy applicable from 1 January 2018
If the cash flows of the modified asset carried at amortised cost are not substantially different, then the modification 
does not result in derecognition of the financial asset. In this case, the Group recalculates the gross carrying amount 
of the financial asset based on the revised cash flows of the financial assets and recognises the amount arising from 
adjusting the gross carrying amount as a modification gain or loss in the consolidated income statement. If such a 
modification is carried out because of financial difficulties of the borrower, then the gain or loss is presented together 
with impairment losses. In other cases, it is presented as interest income.

Policy applicable up to 31 December 2017
If the terms of a financial asset were modified because of financial difficulties of the borrower and the asset was not 
derecognised, then impairment of the asset was measured using the premodification interest rate.

Financial Liabilities
The Group derecognises a financial liability when its terms are modified and the cash flows of the modified liability are 
substantially different. In this case, a new financial liability based on the modified terms is recognised at fair value. The 
difference  between  the  carrying  amount  of  the  financial  liability  extinguished  and  the  new  financial  liability  with 
modified terms is recognised in the consolidated income statement.

(v)  Offsetting

Financial assets and liabilities are offset and the net amount presented in the consolidated statement of financial 
position when, and only when, the Group has a legal right to set off the recognised amounts and it intends either to 
settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.

Income and expenses are presented on a net basis only when permitted under IFRS, or for gains and losses arising 
from a group of similar transactions such as in the Group’s trading activity.

(vi)  Measurement principles

• 

Amortized cost measurement
The amortised cost of a financial asset or liability is the amount at which the financial asset or liability is measured 
at initial recognition, minus principal repayments, plus or minus the cumulative amortisation using the effective 
interest method of any difference between the initial amount recognised and the maturity amount, minus any 
reduction for impairment loss. The calculation of effective interest rate includes all fees paid or received that are 
an integral part of the effective interest rate (EIR).

88

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(d)  Financial assets and financial liabilities (continued)

(vi)  Measurement principles (continued)

• 

Fair value measurement
‘Fair value’ is the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction 
between market participants at the measurement date in the principal or, in its absence, the most advantageous 
market to which the Group has access at that date. The fair value of a liability reflects its non-performance risk.

When available, the Group measures the fair value of an instrument using the quoted price in an active market 
for that instrument. A market is regarded as active if transactions for the asset or liability take place with sufficient 
frequency and volume to provide pricing information on an ongoing basis.

If there is no quoted price in an active market, then the Group uses valuation techniques that maximise the use 
of relevant observable inputs and minimise the use of unobservable inputs. The chosen valuation technique 
incorporates all of the factors that market participants would take into account in pricing a transaction.

The best evidence of the fair value of a financial instrument at initial recognition is normally the transaction price 
– i.e. the fair value of the consideration given or received. If the Group determines that the fair value at initial 
recognition differs from the transaction price and the fair value is evidenced neither by a quoted price in an 
active market for an identical asset or liability nor based on a valuation technique that uses only data from 
observable  markets,  then  the  financial  instrument  is  initially  measured  at  fair  value,  adjusted  to  defer  the 
difference between the fair value at initial recognition and the transaction price. Subsequently, that difference is 
recognized in profit or loss on an appropriate basis over the life of the instrument but no later than when the 
valuation is wholly supported by observable market data or the transaction is closed out

If an asset or a liability measured at fair value has a bid price and an ask price, then the Group measures assets 
and long positions at a bid price and liabilities and short positions at an ask price.

Portfolios  of  financial  assets  and  financial  liabilities  that  are  exposed  to  market  risk  and  credit  risk  that  are 
managed by the Group on the basis of the net exposure to either market or credit risk are measured on the basis 
of a price that would be received to sell a net long position (or paid to transfer a net short position) for a particular 
risk exposure. Those portfolio-level adjustments are allocated to the individual assets and liabilities on the basis 
of the relative risk adjustment of each of the individual instruments in the portfolio.

The fair value of a demand deposit is not less than the amount payable on demand, discounted from the first 
date on which the amount could be required to be paid.

The Group recognises transfers between levels of the fair value hierarchy as of the end of the reporting period 
during which the change has occurred.

89

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(d)  Financial assets and financial liabilities (continued)

(vii) Impairment

Policy applicable from 1 January 2018
The Group recognises loss allowances for expected credit losses (ECL) on the following financial instruments that are 
not measured at FVTPL:
− 
− 

Financial assets that are debt instruments; and
Loan commitments and financial guarantee contracts.

No impairment loss is recognised on equity investments.

The Group measures loss allowances at an amount equal to lifetime ECL, except for the following, for which they are 
measured as 12-month ECL:
− 
− 

debt investment securities that are determined to have low credit risk at the reporting date; and
other financial instruments on which credit risk has not increased significantly since their initial recognition

12-month ECL are the portion of ECL that result from default events on financial instruments that are possible with the 
12 months after the reporting date.

Measurement of ECL
ECL are a probability-weighted estimate of credit losses. They are measured as follows:

- 

- 

- 

- 

Financial assets that are not credit-impaired at the reporting date: as the present value of all cash shortfalls (i.e. 
the difference between the cash flows due to the entity in accordance with the contract and the cash flows that 
the Group expects to receive);
Financial assets that are credit-impaired at the reporting date: as the difference between the gross carrying 
amount and the present value of estimated future cash flows;
Undrawn loan commitments: as the present value of the difference between the contractual cash flows that are 
due to the Group if the commitment is drawn down and the cash flows that the Group expects to receive; and
Financial guarantee contracts: the expected payments to reimburse the holder less any amounts that the Group 
expects to recover.

Restructured financial assets
If the terms of a financial asset are renegotiated or modified or an existing financial asset is replaced with a new one 
due to financial difficulties of the borrower, then an assessment is made of whether the financial asset should be 
derecognised and ECL are measured as follows.

- 

- 

If the expected restructuring will not result in derecognition of the existing asset, then the expected cash flows 
arising from the modified financial asset are included in calculating the cash shortfalls from the existing asset.
If the expected restructuring will result in derecognition of the existing asset, then the expected fair value of the 
new asset is treated as the final cash flow from the existing financial asset at the time of its derecognition. This 
amount is included in calculating the cash shortfalls from the existing financial asset that are discounted from the 
expected date of derecognition to the reporting date using the original effective interest rate of the existing 
financial asset.

90

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(d)  Financial assets and financial liabilities (continued)

(vii) Impairment (continued)

Credit-impaired financial assets
At each reporting date, the Group assesses whether financial assets carried at amortised cost and debt financial 
assets carried at FVOCI are credit impaired. A financial asset is ‘credit-impaired’ when one or more events that have a 
detrimental impact on the estimated future cash flows of the financial asset have occurred.

Evidence that a financial asset is credit-impaired includes the following observable data:

- 
- 
- 
- 
- 

Significant financial difficulty of the borrower or issuer;
A breach of contract such as a default or past due event;
The restructuring of a loan or advance by the Group on terms that the Group would not consider otherwise;
It is becoming probable that the borrower will enter bankruptcy or other financial reorganisation; or
The disappearance of an active market for a security because of financial difficulties.

Policy applicable upto 31 December 2017
At each reporting date the Group assesses whether there is objective evidence that financial assets not carried at fair 
value through profit or loss are impaired. A financial asset or a group of financial assets is impaired when objective 
evidence demonstrates that a loss event has occurred after the initial recognition of the asset(s), and that the loss 
event has an impact on the future cash flows of the asset(s) that can be estimated reliably.

Objective evidence that financial assets (including equity securities) are impaired can include significant financial 
difficulty of the borrower or issuer, default or delinquency by a borrower, restructuring of a loan or advance by the 
Group  on  terms  that  the  Group  would  not  otherwise  consider,  indications  that  a  borrower  or  issuer  will  enter 
bankruptcy, the disappearance of an active market for a security, or other observable data relating to a group of 
assets such as adverse changes in the payment status of borrowers or issuers in the group, or economic conditions 
that correlate with defaults in the group.

The  Group  considers  evidence  of  impairment  loss  for  loans  and  advances  to  customers  and  held-to-maturity 
investment securities at both a specific asset and collective level. All individually significant loans and advances to 
customers and held-to-maturity investment securities are assessed for specific impairment. All individually significant 
loans and advances to customers and held-to-maturity investment securities found not to be specifically impaired 
are then collectively assessed for any impairment that has been incurred but not yet identified. Loans and advances 
to customers and held-to-maturity investment securities that are not individually significant are collectively assessed 
for impairment by grouping together loans and advances to customers and held-to-maturity investment securities 
with similar risk characteristics.

Impairment losses on assets carried at amortised cost are measured as the difference between the carrying amount 
of the financial asset and the present value of estimated future cash flows discounted at the asset’s original effective 
interest rate. Impairment losses are recognised in profit or loss and reflected in an allowance account against loans 
and advances to customers.

91

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(d)  Financial assets and financial liabilities (continued)

(vii) Impairment (continued)

For the purposes of a collective evaluation of impairment, financial assets are grouped on the basis of similar credit 
risk characteristics. Those characteristics are relevant to the estimation of future cash flows for groups of such assets 
by being indicative of the debtors’ ability to pay all amounts due according to the contractual terms of the assets 
being evaluated.

Future cash flows in a group of financial assets that are collectively evaluated for impairment are estimated on the 
basis of the contractual cash flows of the assets in the Group and historical loss experience for assets with credit risk 
characteristics similar to those in the Group. Historical loss experience is adjusted on the basis of current observable 
data to reflect the effects of current conditions that did not affect the period on which the historical loss experience is 
based and to remove the effects of conditions in the historical period that do not currently exist.

For listed investments, a decline in the market value from cost by 20% or more, or a decline in the market value from 
cost for a continuous period of 9 months or more, are considered to be indicators of impairment.

Impairment losses on available-for-sale investment securities are recognised by transferring the cumulative loss that 
has been recognised in other comprehensive income to profit or loss as a reclassification adjustment. The cumulative 
loss that is reclassified from other comprehensive income to profit or loss is the difference between the acquisition 
cost, net of any principal repayment and amortisation, and the current fair value, less any impairment loss previously 
recognised in profit or loss. Changes in impairment provisions attributable to time value are reflected as a component 
of interest income.

In subsequent periods, the appreciation of fair value of previously impaired available-for-sale equity investment 
securities is recorded in fair value reserve.

(e)  Cash and cash equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents include notes and coins on hand, unrestricted balances held with central banks and highly liquid 
financial assets with original maturities of three months or less from the acquisition date that are subject to an insignificant 
risk of changes in their fair value and are used by the Group in the management of its short-term commitments. Cash and 
cash equivalents includes amounts due from banks and with an original maturity of 90 days or less.

(f)  Loans and advances to customers

Loans and advances to customers are non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not 
quoted in an active market and that the Group does not intend to sell immediately or in the near term.

Loans and advances to customers are initially measured at the transaction price, which is the fair value plus incremental 
direct transaction costs, and subsequently measured at their amortised cost using the effective interest rate method, 
except for the financial assets which are classified to be measured at FVTPL, which are measured at fair value with changes 
recognised immediately in the consolidated income statement.

92

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(g)  Investment Securities

Policy applicable from 1 January 2018
The ‘investment securities’ includes:

−  Debt investment securities measured at amortised cost; these are initially measured at fair value plus incremental 

direct transaction costs, and subsequently at their amortised cost using the effective interest method;

−  Debt and equity investment securities mandatorily measured at FVTPL or designated as at FVTPL; these are at fair 

value with changes recognised immediately in profit or loss;

−  Debt securities measured at FVOCI; and
− 

Equity investment securities designated at FVOCI.

For  debt  securities  measured  at  FVOCI,  gains  and  losses  are  recognised  in  OCI,  except  for  the  following,  which  are 
recognised in profit or loss in the same manner as for financial assets measured at amortised cost:

- 
- 
- 

Interest income using the effective interest method;
Expected credit losses and reversals; and
Foreign exchange gains and losses.

When a debt security measured at FVOCI is derecognised, the cumulative gain or loss previously recognised in OCI is 
reclassified from equity to consolidated income statement.

The Group elects to present in OCI changes in the fair value of certain investments in equity. The election is made on an 
instrument by instrument basis on initial recognition and is irrevocable. Gains and losses on such equity instruments are 
never subsequently reclassified to consolidated income statement, including on disposal. Impairment losses (and reversal 
of impairment losses) are not reported separately from other changes in fair value. Dividends, when representing a return 
on  such  investments,  continue  to  be  recognised  in  consolidated  income  statement,  unless  they  clearly  represent  a 
recovery of part of the cost of the investment, in which case they are recognised in OCI. Cumulative gains and losses 
recognised in OCI are transferred to retained earnings on disposal of an investment.

Policy applicable upto 31 December 2017
Subsequent to initial recognition investment securities are accounted for depending on their classification as either ‘held 
to maturity’, ‘fair value through profit or loss’, or ‘available-for-sale’.

(i)  Held-to-maturity financial assets

Held-to-maturity investments are non-derivative assets with fixed or determinable payments and fixed maturity that 
the Group has the positive intent and ability to hold to maturity, and which were not designated as at fair value through 
profit or loss or as available-for-sale. Held-to-maturity investments are carried at amortised cost using the effective 
interest method.

(ii)  Held for trading financial assets

A financial asset is classified as held-for-trading if it is:

• 
• 

• 

acquired or incurred principally for the purpose of selling or repurchasing it in the near term;
on initial recognition, part of a portfolio of identified financial instruments that are managed together and for 
which there is evidence of a recent actual pattern of short-term profit taking; or
a derivative, except for a derivative that is a designated and effective hedging instrument.

93

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(g)  Investment Securities (continued)

(iii)  Financial assets designated as at fair value through profit or loss

In addition to financial assets held for trading, financial assets are classified in the FVTPL category on initial recognition, 
to designate such instruments as a FVTPL using the fair value option in one of the following circumstances:

When doing so results in more relevant information because either:
• 

it  eliminates  or  significantly  reduces  a  measurement  or  recognition  inconsistency  that  would  result  from 
measuring  assets  or  liabilities  or  recognising  gains  or  losses  on  them  on  different  bases  (an  “accounting 
mismatch”); or
a group of financial assets or liabilities (or both) is managed and its performance is evaluated on a fair value basis 
in accordance with the entity’s document risk management or investment strategy and information is provided 
by key management personnel on this basis.

• 

The Group has classified its investments as held for trading where such investments are managed for short term 
profit  taking  or  designated  certain  investments  as  fair  value  through  profit  or  loss.  Fair  value  changes  on  these 
investments are recognised immediately in profit or loss.

(iv)  Available-for-sale financial investments

Available-for-sale investments are non-derivative investments that are designated as available-for-sale or are not 
classified as another category of financial assets. Unquoted equity securities are carried at cost less impairment, and 
all other available-for-sale investments are carried at fair value.

Interest income is recognised in profit or loss using the effective interest method. Dividend income is recognised in 
profit or loss when the Group becomes entitled to the dividend. Foreign exchange gains or losses on available-for-
sale debt security investments are recognised in profit or loss.

Other fair value changes are recognised in other comprehensive income until the investment is sold or impaired, 
whereupon the cumulative gains and losses previously recognised in other comprehensive income are transferred 
to profit or loss.

(h)  Derivatives

(i)  Derivatives held for risk management purposes and hedge accounting

Derivatives held for risk management purposes include all derivative assets and liabilities that are not classified as 
trading assets or liabilities. Derivatives held for risk management purposes are measured at fair value. The Group 
designates certain derivatives held for risk management as well as certain non-derivative financial instruments as 
hedging instruments in qualifying hedging relationships.

Fair value hedges
When a derivative is designated as the hedging instrument in a hedge of the change in fair value of a recognised asset 
or liability or a firm commitment that could affect profit or loss, changes in the fair value of the derivative are recognised 
immediately in profit or loss together with changes in the fair value of the hedged item that are attributable to the 
hedged risk. If the hedging derivative expires or is sold, terminated, or exercised, or the hedge no longer meets the 
criteria for fair value hedge accounting, or the hedge designation is revoked, then hedge accounting is discontinued 
prospectively. Any adjustment up to that point to a hedged item, for which the effective interest method is used, is 
amortised to profit or loss as part of the recalculated effective interest rate of the item over its remaining life.

94

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(h)  Derivatives (continued)

(i)  Derivatives held for risk management purposes and hedge accounting (continued)

Cash flow hedge
When a derivative is designated as the hedging instrument in a hedge of the variability in cash flows attributable to a 
particular risk associated with a recognised asset or liability or a highly probable forecast transaction that could affect 
profit or loss, the effective portion of changes in the fair value of the derivative is recognized in other comprehensive 
income in the hedging reserve. The amount recognised in other comprehensive income is reclassified to profit or 
loss as a reclassification adjustment in the same period as the hedged cash flows affect profit or loss, and in the same 
line  item  in  the  statement  of  comprehensive  income.  Any  ineffective  portion  of  changes  in  the  fair  value  of  the 
derivative is recognised immediately in profit or loss. If the hedging derivative expires or is sold, terminated, or 
exercised, or the hedge no longer meets the criteria for cash flow hedge accounting, or the hedge designation is 
revoked, then hedge accounting is discontinued prospectively. In a discontinued hedge of a forecast transaction the 
cumulative amount recognised in other comprehensive income from the period when the hedge was effective is 
reclassified from equity to profit or loss as a reclassification adjustment when the forecast transaction occurs and 
affects profit or loss. If the forecast transaction is no longer expected to occur, then the balance in other comprehensive 
income is reclassified immediately to profit or loss as a reclassification adjustment.

The effective portion of changes in the fair value of derivatives that are designated and qualify as cash flow hedges is 
recognised  in  other  comprehensive  income.  The  gain  or  loss  relating  to  the  ineffective  portion  is  recognised 
immediately in the consolidated income statement within ‘Other gains/ (losses) – net’.

Amounts accumulated in equity are reclassified to profit or loss in the periods when the hedged item affects profit or 
loss (for example, when the forecast sale that is hedged takes place).

When a hedging instrument expires or is sold, or when a hedge no longer meets the criteria for hedge accounting, 
any cumulative gain or loss existing in equity at that time remains in equity and is recognised when the forecast 
transaction is ultimately recognised in the consolidated income statement. When a forecast transaction is no longer 
expected  to  occur,  the  cumulative  gain  or  loss  that  was  reported  in  equity  is  immediately  transferred  to  the 
consolidated income statement within ‘Other gains/ (losses) – net’.

(ii)  Derivatives held for trading purposes

The Group’s derivative trading instruments includes, forward foreign exchange contracts and interest rate swaps. The 
Group sells these derivatives to customers in order to enable them to transfer, modify or reduce current and future 
risks. These derivative instruments are fair valued as at the end of reporting date and the corresponding fair value 
changes is taken to the profit or loss.

.

95

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(i)  Property and equipment

(i)  Recognition and measurement

Items  of  property  and  equipment  are  initially  measured  at  cost  and  subsequently  at  cost  less  accumulated 
depreciation  and  accumulated  impairment  losses,  if  any,  except  for  land  and  building  which  are  subsequently 
measured at fair value.

Revaluations  of  freehold  land  and  buildings  are  carried  out  by  an  independent  valuer.  Net  surpluses  arising  on 
revaluation are credited to a revaluation reserve, except that a revaluation increase is recognised as income to the 
extent that it reverses a revaluation decrease of the same asset previously recognised as an expense. A decrease as 
a result of a revaluation is recognised as an expense, except that it is charged directly against any related revaluation 
surplus to the extent that the decrease does not exceed the amount held in the revaluation surplus in respect of that 
same asset. On disposal the related revaluation surplus is credited to retained earnings.

Cost includes expenditures that are directly attributable to the acquisition of the asset. The cost of self-constructed 
assets includes the cost of materials and direct labour, any other costs directly attributable to bringing the assets to a 
working condition for their intended use, the costs of dismantling and removing the items and restoring the site on 
which they are located and capitalised borrowing costs.

Purchased  software  that  is  integral  to  the  functionality  of  the  related  equipment  is  capitalised  as  part  of  that 
equipment.

When parts of an item of property or equipment have different useful lives, they are accounted for as separate items 
(major components) of property and equipment.

The gain or loss on disposal of an item of property and equipment is determined by comparing the proceeds from 
disposal with the carrying amount of the item of property and equipment, and is recognised in other income/other 
expenses in profit or loss.

(ii)  Subsequent costs

The cost of replacing a component of an item of property or equipment is recognised in the carrying amount of the 
item if it is probable that the future economic benefits embodied within the part will flow to the Group and its cost can 
be  measured  reliably.  The  carrying  amount  of  the  replaced  part  is  derecognised.  The  costs  of  the  day-to-day 
servicing of property and equipment are recognised in profit or loss as incurred.

(iii)  Depreciation

The depreciable amount is the cost of property and equipment, or other amount substituted for cost, less its residual 
value.

Depreciation is recognised in profit or loss on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful lives of each part of an 
item of property and equipment since this most closely reflects the expected pattern of consumption of the future 
economic benefits embodied in the asset and is based on cost of the asset less its estimated residual value. Land and 
Capital work in progress are not depreciated.

96

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(i)  Property and equipment (continued)

(i)  Recognition and measurement (continued)

The estimated useful lives for the current and comparative years are as follows:

Buildings 
Leasehold improvements 
Furniture and equipment 
Motor vehicles 

20 years
6 - 10 years
3 - 8 years
5 years

(j) 

Impairment of goodwill and intangible assets

(i)  Goodwill

Goodwill arises on the acquisition of subsidiaries and represents the excess of the consideration transferred over the 
Group’s interest in net fair value of the net identifiable assets, liabilities and contingent liabilities of the acquiree and 
the fair value of the non-controlling interest in the acquiree.

Goodwill impairment reviews are undertaken annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances 
indicate a potential impairment. The carrying value of goodwill is compared to the recoverable amount, which is the 
higher of value in use and the fair value less costs of disposal. Any impairment is recognised immediately as an 
expense and is not subsequently reversed.

(ii)  Intangible assets

The cost of intangible assets acquired in a business combination is their fair value at the date of acquisition. Following 
initial  recognition,  intangible  assets  are  carried  at  cost  less  any  accumulated  amortisation  and  accumulated 
impairment losses.

Internally  generated  intangibles,  excluding  capitalised  development  costs,  are  not  capitalised  and  the  related 
expenditure is reflected in profit or loss in the period in which the expenditure is incurred.

The useful lives of intangible assets are assessed as either finite or indefinite.

Intangible assets with finite lives are amortised over the useful economic life and assessed for impairment whenever 
there is an indication that the intangible asset may be impaired. The amortisation period and the amortisation method 
for an intangible asset with a finite useful life are reviewed at least at the end of each reporting period. Changes in the 
expected useful life or the expected pattern of consumption of future economic benefits embodied in the asset are 
considered to modify the amortisation period or method, as appropriate, and are treated as changes in accounting 
estimates. The amortisation expense on intangible assets with finite lives is recognised in the statement of profit or 
loss as the expense category that is consistent with the function of the intangible assets.

The estimated useful economic life of intangible assets with finite lives are; Brand 18 to 19 years, Customer relationship 
11 to 12 years, Core deposit 13 to 16 years and Internally developed software and others 5 years.

Intangible  assets  with  indefinite  useful  lives  are  not  amortised,  but  are  tested  for  impairment  annually,  either 
individually or at the cash-generating unit level. The assessment of indefinite life is reviewed annually to determine 
whether the indefinite life continues to be supportable. If not, the change in useful life from indefinite to finite is made 
on  a  prospective  basis.  Gains  or  losses  arising  from  de-recognition  of  an  intangible  asset  are  measured  as  the 
difference between the net disposal proceeds and the carrying  amount  of the asset  and  are  recognised  in the 
statement of profit or loss when the asset is derecognised.

97

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(k)  Impairment of non-financial assets

Assets  that  have  an  indefinite  useful  life  are  not  subject  to  amortisation  and  are  tested  annually  for  impairment.  An 
impairment loss is recognised for the amount by which the asset’s carrying amount exceeds its recoverable amount. The 
recoverable amount is the higher of an asset’s fair value less costs to sell and value in use. For the purposes of assessing 
impairment, assets are grouped at the lowest levels for which there are separately identifiable cash flows (cash-generating 
units).  Non-financial  assets  other  than  goodwill  that  suffered  impairment  are  reviewed  for  possible  reversal  of  the 
impairment at each reporting date.

(l)  Provisions

A provision is recognised if, as a result of a past event, the Group has a present legal or constructive obligation that can be 
estimated reliably, and it is probable that an outflow of economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation. Provisions 
are determined by discounting the expected future cash flows at a pre-tax rate that reflects current market assessments 
of the time value of money and, where appropriate, the risks specific to the liability.

(m) Financial guarantee contract and loan commitments

Financial guarantees are contracts that require the Group to make specified payments to reimburse the holder for a loss it 
incurs because a specified debtor fails to make payment when due in accordance with the terms of a debt instrument. 
Financial guarantee liabilities are recognised initially at their fair value, and this initial fair value is amortised over the life of 
the financial guarantee. The financial guarantee liability is subsequently carried at the higher of this amortised amount and 
the  present  value  of  any  expected  payment  when  a  payment  under  the  guarantee  has  become  probable.  Financial 
guarantees are included within other liabilities.

(n)  Employee benefits

Defined contribution plans
The Bank provides for its contribution to the State administered retirement fund for Qatari employees in accordance with 
the retirement law, and the resulting charge is included in staff cost in the consolidated income statement. The Bank has 
no further payment obligations once the contributions have been paid. The contributions are recognised when they are 
due.

Defined benefit plan
The Bank makes provision for end of service benefits payable to its expatriate employees on the basis of the employees’ 
length of service in accordance with the employment policy of the Bank and the applicable provisions of the Labour Law. 
This provision is included in other provisions as part of other liabilities in the consolidated statement of financial position. 
The expected costs of these benefits are accrued over the period of employment.

Alternatif Bank, under Turkish Labour Law, is required to pay termination benefits to each employee who has completed 
at least one year of service and whose employment is terminated without due cause, is called up for military service, dies 
or who retires. There are certain transitional provisions relating to length of service prior to retirement. The amount 
payable consists of one month’s salary subject to a maximum threshold per employee for each year of service. There are 
no agreements for pension commitments other than the legal requirement as explained above. The liability is not funded, 
as there is no funding requirement.

Short-term employee benefits
Short-term  employee  benefit  obligations  are  measured  on  an  undiscounted  basis  and  are  expensed  as  the  related 
service is provided. A liability is recognised for the amount expected to be paid under short-term cash bonus or profit-
sharing plans if the Group has a present legal or constructive obligation to pay this amount as a result of past service 
provided by the employee and the obligation can be estimated reliably.

98

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(o)  Share capital and reserves

(i)  Share issue costs

Incremental costs directly attributable to the issue of an equity instrument are deducted from the initial measurement 
of the equity instruments.

(ii)  Dividends on ordinary shares

Dividends on ordinary shares are recognised in equity in the period in which they are approved by the Bank’s equity 
holders.

(p)  Interest income and expense

Interest  income  and  expense  are  recognised  in  the  consolidated  income  statement  using  the  effective  interest  rate 
method. The effective interest rate is the rate that exactly discounts the estimated future cash payments and receipts 
through the expected life of the financial asset or liability (or, where appropriate, a shorter period) to the carrying amount 
of  the  financial  asset  or  liability.  When  calculating  the  effective  interest  rate,  the  Group  estimates  future  cash  flows 
considering all contractual terms of the financial instrument, but not future credit losses.

From 1 January 2018, for the financial assets that have become credit-impaired subsequent to initial recognition, interest 
income is calculated by applying the effective interest rate to their amortised cost (i.e. net f the expected credit loss 
provision). If the asset is no longer credit-impaired, then the calculation of interest income reverts to the gross basis

The calculation of the effective interest rate includes all transaction costs and fees paid or received that are an integral part 
of the effective interest rate.

Transaction costs include incremental costs that are directly attributable to the acquisition or issue of a financial asset or 
liability.

Interest income and expense include:

- 

- 

- 

Interest on financial assets and financial liabilities measured at amortised cost calculated on an effective interest rate 
basis;
The  effective  portion  of  fair  value  changes  in  qualifying  hedging  derivatives  designated  in  cash  flow  hedges  of 
variability in interest cash flows, in the same period that the hedged cash flows affect interest income / expense;
The ineffective portion of fair value changes in qualifying hedging derivatives designated in cash flow hedges of 
interest rate risk; and

Fair value changes in qualifying derivatives, including hedge ineffectiveness, and related hedged items in fair value hedges 
of interest rate risk

Interest  income  on  investment  (debt)  securities  measured  at  FVOCI  (2018)  /  available-for-sale  financial  investments 
(2017) and measured at amortised cost (2018) / held to maturity (2017) is calculated using effective interest rate method 
and is also included in interest income.

99

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(q)  Fee and commission income and expense

Fees and commission income and expense that are integral to the effective interest rate on a financial asset or liability are 
included in the measurement of the effective interest rate.

Other fees and commission income, including account servicing fees, investment management fees, sales commission, 
placement fees and syndication fees, are recognised as the related services are performed. When a loan commitment is 
not expected to result in the draw-down of a loan, the related loan commitment fees are recognised on a straight-line 
basis over the commitment period. Other fees and commission expense relate mainly to transaction and service fees, 
which are expensed as the services are received.

(r) 

Income from investment securities
Gains or losses on the disposal of investment securities are recognised in profit or loss as the difference between fair value 
of the consideration received and carrying amount of the investment securities.

Unrealised gains or losses on fair value changes from remeasurement of investment securities classified as held for 
trading or designated as fair value through profit or loss are recognised in profit or loss

From 1 January 2018, any cumulative gain/loss recognised in OCI in respect of equity investment securities designated as 
at FVOCI is not recognised in the consolidated income statement on derecognition of such securities

(s)  Dividend income

Dividend income is recognised when the right to receive dividend income is established.

(t) 

Income tax expenses
Taxes are calculated based on tax laws and regulations in the countries in which the Group operates. Tax is recognized 
based on an evaluation of the expected tax charge/credit. Income tax and deferred tax mainly arising from Alternatif bank 
operations.

(u)  Earnings per share

The Bank presents basic and diluted earnings per share (EPS) data for its ordinary shares. Basic EPS is calculated by 
dividing the profit or loss attributable to ordinary equity holders of the Bank by the weighted average number of ordinary 
shares outstanding during the period. Diluted EPS is determined by adjusting the profit or loss attributable to ordinary 
equity holders and the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding for the effects of all dilutive potential 
ordinary shares.

(v)  Segment reporting

Operating segments are reported in a manner consistent with the internal reporting provided to the chief operating 
decision maker. The chief operating decision maker is the person or group that allocates resources to and assesses the 
performance of the operating segments of an entity. The Group has determined the Chief Executive Officer of the Bank as 
its chief operating decision maker.

All  transactions  between  operating  segments  are  conducted  on  an  arm’s  length  basis  directly  associated  with  each 
segment are included in determining operating segment performance.

100

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
3.  SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (continued)

(w)  Fiduciary activities

The Group acts as fund manager and in other fiduciary capacities that result in the holding or placing of assets on behalf of 
individuals,  corporate  and  other  institutions.  These  assets  and  income  arising  thereon  are  excluded  from  these 
consolidated financial statements, as they are not assets of the Group.

(x)  Repossessed collateral

Repossessed collaterals in settlement of customers’ debts are stated under «Other assets» at carrying value of debts or 
fair  value  if  lower.  According  to  QCB  instructions,  the  Group  should  dispose  of  any  land  and  properties  acquired  in 
settlement of debts within a period not exceeding three years from the date of acquisition although this period can be 
extended with the approval of QCB.

(y)  Comparatives

Except when a standard or an interpretation permits or requires otherwise, all amounts are reported or disclosed with 
comparative information.

4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT

a) 

Introduction and overview
The Group’s business involves taking risks in a targeted manner and managing them professionally. The core functions of 
the Group’s risk management are to identify all key risks for the Group, measure these risks, manage the risk positions and 
determine capital allocations. The Group regularly reviews its risk management policies and systems to reflect changes in 
markets, products and best market practice.

The Group’s aim is to achieve an appropriate balance between risk and return and minimise potential adverse effects on 
the Group’s financial performance. The Group defines risk as the possibility of losses or profits foregone, which may be 
caused by internal or external factors.

Financial instruments
Financial instruments comprise the Group’s financial assets and liabilities. Financial assets include cash and balances with 
Central banks, due from banks, loans and advances, investment securities, derivative financial assets and certain other 
assets  and  financial  liabilities  include  customer  deposits,  borrowings  under  repurchase  agreements  and  interbank 
takings,  debt  issued  and  other  borrowed  funds,  derivative  financial  liabilities  and  certain  other  liabilities.  Financial 
instruments also include rights and commitments included in off- balance sheet items.

Note 3(d) describes the accounting policies followed by the Group in respect of recognition and measurement of the key 
financial instruments and their related income and expense.

Risk management
The Group derives its revenue from assuming and managing customer risk for profit. Through a robust governance 
structure,  risk  and  return  are  evaluated  to  produce  sustainable  revenue,  to  reduce  earnings  volatility  and  increase 
shareholder value. The most important types of risk are credit risk, liquidity risk, market risk and operational risk. Credit risk 
reflects the possible inability of a customer to meet his/her repayment or delivery obligations. Market risk, which includes 
foreign currency, interest rate risks and other price risks, is the risk of fluctuation in asset and commodity values caused by 
changes in market prices and yields. Liquidity risk results in the inability to accommodate liability maturities and withdrawals, 
fund asset growth or otherwise meet contractual obligations at reasonable market rates. Operational risk is the potential 
for  loss  resulting  from  events  involving  people,  processes,  technology,  legal  issues,  external  events  or  execution  or 
regulatory issues.

101

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

a) 

Introduction and overview (continued)

Risk and other committees
The governance structure of the Group is headed by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors evaluates risk by 
engaging with the Group Chief Executive Officer and Chief Risk Officer alongwith the following Board and Management 
Committees:

1) 

2) 

3) 

4) 

 Board Risk Committee is responsible for all aspects of Enterprise Risk Management including but not restricted to 
credit risk, market risk, and operational risk. This committee sets the policy on all risk issues and maintains oversight 
of all Group risks through the Management Risk Committee.

 Board Audit Committee is responsible for setting the policy on all Audit issues and maintains oversight of all Bank 
audit issues through the Chief Internal Auditor. In addition, the committee is also be responsible for Compliance & 
Anti-Money Laundering.

 Board Executive Committee is responsible for evaluating and granting credit facilities and approval of the Group’s 
investment activities within authorized limits per Qatar Central Bank and Board of Directors’ guidelines. In addition, 
this  committee  is  also  responsible  for  all  policies  and  strategies  of  the  business  and  compliance  of  corporate 
Governance.

 Management Credit Committee is the third highest-level authority on all regular and performing Counterparty Credit 
Risk  Exposures,  after  the  Board  of  Directors  and  Board  Executive  Committee.  The  Special  Assets  Management 
Committee is the MCC equivalient for watch list and non performing assets to minimize risks, prevent losses, maximize 
recoveries  and  restore  profits  through  rehabilitation,  restructuring,  workout,  collection  or  legal  actions.  Both 
Committees exercise the powers as conferred upon them by the Delegation of Authority (“DoA”) as approved by the 
Board.

5)  Management Risk Committee is the highest management authority on all risk related issues in the Group and its 
subsidiaries and affiliates in which it has strategic investments. This committee provides recommendations on all risk 
policy and portfolio issues to the Board Risk Committee.

6)  Asset and Liability Committee (ALCO) is a management committee which is a decision making body relating to Asset 
and Liability management. (i.e. balance sheet structure, funding, pricing, hedging, setting limits etc.) Under the overall 
risk management framework, ALCO is a key component of risk management within the Bank.

7) 

Investment Committee (IC) is the decision making committee for bank’s investment activities, with a view to optimize 
returns, ensuring that the investment book provides a liquidity buffer for the bank and mitigate market risk attached 
to the nature of targeted investment.

8)  Crisis Management Committee (CMC) is the authority for management of a crisis entailing, prevention, planning, 

testing, evaluation and maintenance to mitigate and minimize the consequences.

102

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(b)  Credit risk

Credit risk is defined as the potential that a borrower or counterparty will fail to meet its obligations in accordance with 
agreed terms. The goal of credit risk management is to maximize the Group’s risk-adjusted rate of return by maintaining 
credit risk exposure within acceptable parameters. Loans and advances are the largest sources of credit risk for the Group. 
Other sources of credit risk exist throughout the activities of the Group, including in the banking book and in the trading 
book, and both on and off the balance sheet. The Group also faces credit risk (or counterparty risk) in various financial 
instruments  other  than  loans,  including:  acceptances,  interbank  transactions,  trade  financing,  foreign  exchange 
transactions, derivative instruments, and in the extension of commitments and guarantees, as well as the settlement of 
transactions. The Group maintains well defined, written policies and procedures for identifying, measuring, monitoring, 
and controlling credit risk, governing credit-granting activities in conformance with the risk appetite and limits defined by 
the Board. All extensions of credit are made on an arm’s length basis in accordance with the Group’s credit-granting 
approval process by a combination of authorized individuals, groups or credit committees, depending on the size and 
nature of the credit, who have the experience, knowledge and background to exercise prudent judgement in assessing, 
approving and managing credit risks.

(i)  Credit risk measurement

1. 

Loans and advances
The Group’s aim is to maintain a sound asset portfolio by enhancing its loan mix. This is being achieved through a 
strategy of reducing exposure to non-core client relationships while increasing the size of the consumer portfolio 
comprising of consumer loans, vehicle loans, credit cards and residential mortgages, which have historically recorded 
very low loss rates. In measuring credit risk of loan and advances to customers and to banks at a counterparty level, 
the Group reflects three components (i) the ‘probability of default’ by the client or counterparty on its contractual 
obligations; (ii) current exposures to the counterparty and its likely future development, from which the Group derive 
the ‘exposure at default’; and (iii) the likely recovery ratio on the defaulted obligations (the ‘loss given default’).

(i)  The Group assesses the probability of default of individual counterparties using internal rating tools tailored to 
the various categories of counterparty. They combine statistical analysis along with the business relationship 
officers and credit risk officers assessment and are validated, where appropriate, by comparison with externally 
available data. Clients of the Group are segmented based on a 10-point rating scale (22 notches including 
modifiers) for the corporate book and product based application scores for the retail products. The Group’s 
rating scale reflects the range of default probabilities defined for each rating class. This means that, in principle, 
exposures migrate between classes as the assessment of their probability of default changes. The rating tools 
are kept under review and upgraded as necessary.

The ratings of the major rating agency are mapped to Group’s rating grades based on the long-term average 
default rates for each external grade. The Group uses the external ratings where available to benchmark internal 
credit risk assessment. Observed defaults per rating category vary year on year, especially over an economic 
cycle.

(ii)  Exposure at default is based on the amounts the Group expects to be owed at the time of default. For example, 
for a loan this is the face value. For a commitment, the Group includes any amount already drawn plus the further 
amount that may have been drawn by the time of default, should it occur.

(iii)  Loss given default or loss severity represents the Group’s expectation of the extent of loss on a claim should 
default occur. It is expressed as percentage loss per unit of exposure and typically varies by type of counterparty, 
type and seniority of claim and availability of collateral or other credit mitigation.

103

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(b)  Credit risk (continued)

(i)  Credit risk measurement (continued)

2.  Debt securities and other bills

For debt securities and other bills, external ratings such as Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s ratings or their equivalents 
are used by Treasury for managing the credit risk exposures. The investments in those securities and bills are viewed 
as a way to gain a better credit quality mapping and maintain a readily available source to meet the funding requirement 
at the same time.

(ii)  Risk limit control and mitigation policies

Portfolio diversification
Portfolio diversification is an overriding principle, therefore, the credit policies are structured to ensure that the Group 
is not over exposed to a given client, industry sector or geographic area. To avoid excessive losses if any single 
counter-party is unable to fulfil its payment obligations, large exposure limits have been established per credit policy 
following the local regulations. Limits are also in place to manage exposures to a particular country or sector. These 
risks  are  monitored  on  an  ongoing  basis  and  subject  to  an  annual  or  more  frequent  review,  when  considered 
necessary.

Collateral
In  order  to  proactively  respond  to  credit  deterioration,  the  Group  employs  a  range  of  policies  and  practices  to 
mitigate credit risk.

The most traditional of these is the taking of security for funds advanced, which is common practice. The Group 
implements guidelines on the acceptability of specific classes of collateral or credit risk mitigation. The principal 
collateral types for loans and advances are:

•  Mortgages over residential properties;
• 
• 

Charges over business assets such as premises, inventory and accounts receivable;
Charges over financial instruments such as debt securities and equities.

Longer-term finance and lending to corporate entities are generally secured; revolving individual credit facilities are 
generally unsecured. In addition, in order to minimise the credit loss, the Group will seek additional collateral from the 
counterparty as soon as impairment indicators are noticed for the relevant individual loans and advances.

Collateral held as security for financial assets other than loans and advances is determined by the nature of the 
instrument. Debt securities, treasury and other eligible bills are generally unsecured, with the exception of asset-
backed securities and similar instruments, which are secured by portfolios of financial instruments.

Credit-related commitments
The primary purpose of these instruments is to ensure that funds are available to a customer as required. Guarantees 
and standby letters of credit carry the same credit risk as loans. Documentary and commercial letters of credit – 
which are written undertakings by the Group on behalf of a customer authorising a third party to draw drafts on the 
Group up to a stipulated amount under specific terms and conditions – are collateralised by the underlying shipments 
of goods to which they relate and therefore carry less risk than a direct loan.

104

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(b)  Credit risk (continued)

(ii)  Risk limit control and mitigation policies (continued)

Credit-related commitments (continued)
Commitments to extend credit represent unused portions of authorisations to extend credit in the form of loans, 
guarantees or letters of credit. With respect to credit risk on commitments to extend credit, the Group is potentially 
exposed to loss in an amount equal to the total unused commitments. However, the likely amount of loss is less than 
the total unused commitments, as most commitments to extend credit are contingent upon customers maintaining 
specific credit standards. The Group monitors the term to maturity of credit commitments because longer-term 
commitments generally have a greater degree of credit risk than shorter-term commitments.

Credit risk arising from derivative financial instruments is, at any time, limited to those with positive fair values, as at the 
reporting date. With gross-settled derivatives, the Group is also exposed to a settlement risk, being the risk that the 
Group honours its obligation but the counterparty fails to deliver the counter-value.

(iii)  Maximum exposure to credit risk before collateral held or other credit enhancements

Credit risk exposures relating to assets recorded on the 
consolidated statement of financial position are as follows:
Balances with central banks
Due from banks
Loans and advances to customers
Investment securities - debt
Other assets
Total as at 31 December

Other credit risk exposures are as follows:
Guarantees
Letters of credit
Unutilised credit facilities
Total as at 31 December

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

2018

2017

6,098,033
9,468,706
83,701,631
21,338,418
2,485,958
123,092,746

22,057,901
2,148,781
4,373,836
28,580,518
151,673,264

6,647,279
10,499,348
89,121,935
19,250,397
1,957,777
127,476,736

20,823,314
2,700,146
5,948,621
29,472,081
156,948,817

The above table represents a worse-case scenario of credit risk exposure to the Group, without taking account of any 
collateral held or other credit enhancements attached.

105

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(b)  Credit risk (continued)

(iv)  Concentration of risks of financial assets with credit risk exposure

Geographical sectors
The following table breaks down the Group’s credit exposure at their carrying amounts (without taking into account 
any collateral held or other credit support), as categorized by geographical region. For this table, the Group has 
allocated exposures to regions based on the country of domicile of its counterparties.

2018

Qatar

Other GCC

Other  
Middle east

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Rest of  
the world

Total

Balances with central banks
Due from banks
Loans and advances to customers
Investment securities - debt
Other assets

4,661,557
2,740,633
69,962,068
17,132,116
1,270,204
95,766,578

-
630,516
578,185
255,032
32,531
1,496,264

1,436,476
2,405,394
11,941,650
2,489,253
921,619
19,194,392

-
3,692,163
1,219,728
1,462,017
261,604

6,098,033
9,468,706
83,701,631
21,338,418
2,485,958
6,635,512 123,092,746

2017

Qatar

Other GCC

Other  
Middle east

Rest of  
the world

Balances with central banks
Due from banks
Loans and advances to customers
Investment securities - debt
Other assets

4,547,098
3,288,722
71,388,727
15,208,688
964,455
95,397,690

-
972,305
1,214,430
783,439
26,052
2,996,226

2,100,181
2,204,001
14,154,022
2,492,389
664,289
21,614,882

-
4,034,320
2,364,756
765,881
302,981
7,467,938

Total

6,647,279
10,499,348
89,121,935
19,250,397
1,957,777
127,476,736

2018

Guarantees
Letters of credit
Unutilised credit facilities

Qatar

Other GCC

Other  
Middle east

Rest of  
the world

Total

11,101,817
1,910,758
3,293,914
16,306,489

1,346,053
3,300
828,219
2,177,572

1,657,008
-
-
1,657,008

7,953,023
234,723
251,703

22,057,901
2,148,781
4,373,836
8,439,449 28,580,518

106

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(b)  Credit risk (continued)

(iv)  Concentration of risks of financial assets with credit risk exposure (continued)

Geographical sectors (continued)

2017

Guarantees
Letter of credit
Unutilised credit facilities

Qatar

Other GCC

Other  
Middle east

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Rest of  
the world

Total

11,407,787
2,269,333
4,424,384
18,101,504

1,399,027
32,779
910,146
2,341,952

329,753
-
-
329,753

7,686,747
398,034
614,091
8,698,872

20,823,314
2,700,146
5,948,621
29,472,081

Industry sectors
The following table breaks down the Group’s credit exposure at carrying amounts before taking into account collateral 
held or other credit enhancements, as categorized by the industry sectors of the Group’s counterparties.

Funded
Government
Government agencies
Industry
Commercial
Services
Contracting
Real estate
Consumers
Other sectors
Total funded

Un-funded
Government institutions & semi government agencies
Services
Commercial and others
Total un-funded
Total

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Gross exposure 
2017

Gross exposure 
2018

30,554,077
5,912,184
7,127,587
10,052,752
34,749,235
3,055,669
22,513,464
6,175,154
2,952,624
123,092,746

1,471,520
3,632,236
23,476,762
28,580,518
151,673,264

31,719,283
4,829,599
8,194,017
7,639,784
34,374,970
3,938,925
26,203,202
7,909,046
2,667,910
127,476,736

802,862
12,546,526
16,122,693
29,472,081
156,948,817

107

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(b)  Credit risk (continued)

(v)  Credit quality

The  following  table  sets  out  information  about  the  credit  quality  of  financial  assets,  commitments  and  financial 
guarantees.

Cash and Balances with Central 
Banks (Excluding Cash on Hand) 
and Due from Banks

Investment grade - ORR 1 to 4
Sub-investment grade - ORR 5 to 7
Substandard - ORR 8
Doubtful ORR 9
Loss - ORR 10
Total - Gross
Loss allowance
Carrying amount

2018

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2017

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Total

Total

9,763,533
2,400,399
-
-
-
12,163,932
(619)
12,163,313

-
3,416,505
-
-
-
3,416,505
(13,079)
3,403,426

2018

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

9,763,533
5,816,904
-
-
-
15,580,437
(13,698)
15,566,739

13,820,925
3,325,702
-
-
-
17,146,627
-
17,146,627

2017
Total

Loans and advances to Customers

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Total

Investment grade - ORR 1 to 4
Sub-investment grade - ORR 5 to 7
Substandard - ORR 8
Doubtful ORR 9
Loss - ORR 10
Total - Gross
Loss allowance
Carrying amount

51,549
12,471,424
23,228,644
46,905,521
-
-
-
-
-
-
59,376,945 23,280,193
(952,227)
59,326,563 22,327,966

(50,382)

12,522,973 33,902,648
-
54,219,465
70,134,165
-
669,952
1,025,370
1,025,370
641,342
1,902,502
1,902,502
1,963,246
3,962,891
1,963,246
4,891,118 87,548,256 93,396,298
(4,274,363)
(3,846,625)
(2,844,016)
2,047,102 83,701,631
89,121,935

108

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(b)  Credit risk (continued)

(v)  Credit quality (continued)

Investment Securities - Debt

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

2018

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2017
Total

Total

Investment grade - ORR 1 to 4
Sub-investment grade - ORR 5 to 7
Substandard - ORR 8
Doubtful ORR 9
Loss - ORR 10
Total - Gross
Loss allowance
Carrying amount

18,289,149
2,430,699
-
-
-
20,719,848
(236)
20,719,612

254,985
387,638
-
-
-
642,623
(23,817)
618,806

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

18,544,134
2,818,337
-
-
-
21,362,471
(24,053)
21,338,418

Loan Commitments and  
financial Guarantees

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Total

2018

17,819,114
1,431,283
-
-
67,055
19,317,452
(67,055)
19,250,397

2017

Total

Investment grade - ORR 1 to 4
Sub-investment grade - ORR 5 to 7
Substandard - ORR 8
Doubtful ORR 9
Loss - ORR 10
Total - Gross
Loss allowance
Carrying amount

12,315,583
7,086,883
-
-
-
19,402,466
(25,711)
19,376,755

531,873
8,158,644
-
-
-
8,690,517
(76,308)
8,614,209

12,847,456
-
15,245,527
-
75,362
75,362
26,295
26,295
385,878
385,878
487,535 28,580,518
(103,972)
485,582 28,476,546

(1,953 )

12,002,780
17,416,595
16,118
539
36,049
29,472,081
(751)
29,471,330

Rescheduled loans and advances to customers
Rescheduled activities include extended payment arrangements, approved external management plans, modification 
and  deferral  of  payments.  Restructuring  policies  and  practices  are  based  on  indicators  or  criteria  that,  in  the 
judgement  of  local  management,  indicate  that  payment  will  most  likely  continue.  These  policies  are  kept  under 
continuous review. Following restructuring, a previously overdue customer account is reset to a normal status and 
managed together with other similar accounts as non impaired. The accounts which are re-structed due to credit 
reasons in past 12months will be clasiified under stage 2.

109

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(b)  Credit risk (continued)

(v)  Credit quality (continued)

Collateral
The determination of eligible collateral and the value of collateral are based on QCB regulations and are assessed by 
reference to market price or indices of similar assets.

The Group has collateral in the form of blocked deposits, pledge of shares or legal mortgage against loans and 
advances to customers. Aggregate collateral for stage 1 as at 31 December 2018 is QAR 61,363 million (2017 QAR 
72,114 million), stage 2 QAR 21,520 million (2017 QAR 11,379 million) and stage 3 QAR 3,670 million (2017 QAR 2,084 
million).

(vi)  Repossessed collateral

During the year, the Group acquired ownership of land and building by taking possession of collateral held as security 
for an amount of QAR 450 million (2017: QAR nil million).

Repossessed  properties  proceeds  are  used  to  reduce  the  outstanding  indebtedness  and  are  sold  as  soon  as 
practicable. Repossessed property is classified in the consolidated statement of financial position within other assets.

(vii)  Write-off policy

The Group writes off a loan or an investment in debt security balance, and any related allowances for impairment 
losses, when Group Credit determines that the loan or security is uncollectible. QCB approval is required for such 
write off when the amount to be written off exceeds Qatar Riyal hundred thousand.

This  determination  is  made  after  considering  information  such  as  the  occurrence  of  significant  changes  in  the 
borrower’s/issuer’s  financial  position  such  that  the  borrower/issuer  can  no  longer  pay  the  obligation,  or  that 
proceeds from collateral will not be sufficient to pay back the entire exposure. For smaller balance standardized 
loans, write-off decisions generally are based on a product-specific past due status. The amount written off during 
the year was QAR 2,819 million (2017: QAR 702 million).

(viii) Inputs, assumptions and techniques used for estimating impairment

Significant increase in credit risk
When  determining  whether  the  risk  of  default  on  a  financial  instrument  has  increased  significantly  since  initial 
recognition, the Group considers reasonable and supportable information that is relevant and available without 
undue cost or effort. This includes both quantitative and qualitative information and analysis including internal credit 
risk grading system, external risk ratings, where available, delinquency status of accounts, credit judgement and, 
where possible, relevant historical experience.

The  Group  may  also  determine  that  an  exposure  has  undergone  a  significant  increase  in  credit  risk  based  on 
particular Qualitative indicators that it considers are indicative of such and whose effect may not otherwise be fully 
reflected in its Quantitative analysis on a timely basis.

110

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(b)  Credit risk (continued)

(viii) Inputs, assumptions and techniques used for estimating impairment (continued)

In determining whether credit risk has increased significantly since initial recognition following criteria are considered.

i) 

Two notches downgrade for ratings investment grade rating or one notch downgrade for ratings non investment 
grade ratings
Facilities restructured during previous twelve months
ii) 
iii)  Facilities overdue by 30 days as at the reporting date

Credit risk grades
Credit risk grades are defined using qualitative and quantitative factors that are indicative of risk of default. These 
factors vary depending on the nature of the exposure and the type of borrower. Exposures are subject to on-going 
monitoring, which may result in an exposure being moved to a different credit risk grade.

Generating the term structure of Probability of Default (PD)
The Group employs statistical models to analyse the data collected and generate estimates of PD of exposures and 
how these are expected to change as a result of the passage of time. This analysis includes the identification and 
calibration of relationships between changes in default rates and changes in key macro-economic factors, across 
various geographies in which the Group has exposures.

Renegotiated financial assets
The contractual terms of a loan may be modified for a number of reasons, including changing market conditions, 
customer retention and other factors not related to a current or potential credit deterioration of the customer. An 
existing loan whose terms have been modified may be derecognised and the renegotiated loan recognised as a 
new  loan  at  fair  value.  Where  possible,  the  Group  seeks  to  restructure  loans  rather  than  to  take  possession  of 
collateral, if available. This may involve extending the payment arrangements and documenting the agreement of 
new loan conditions. Management continuously reviews renegotiated loans to ensure that all criteria are met and 
that future payments are likely to occur.

The accounts which are restructured due to credit reasons in past 12 months will be classified under Stage 2.

Definition of default
The Group considers a financial asset to be in default when:
- 

the borrower is unlikely to pay its credit obligations to the Group in full, without recourse by the Group to actions 
such as realising security (if any is held); or
the borrower is past due more than 90 days on any material credit obligation to the Group; or
the borrower is rated 9 or 10.

- 
- 

In assessing whether a borrower is in default, the Group also considers indicators that are:
- 
- 

quantitative – e.g. overdue status and non-payment on another obligation of the same issuer to the Group; and
based on data developed internally and obtained from external sources.

Inputs into the assessment of whether a financial instrument is in default and their significance may vary over time to 
reflect changes in circumstances. The definition of default largely aligns with that applied by the Group for regulatory 
capital purposes.

111

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(b)  Credit risk (continued)

(viii) Inputs, assumptions and techniques used for estimating impairment (continued)

Measurement of ECL
The key inputs into the measurement of ECL are the term structure of the following variables:
- 
- 
- 

probability of default (PD);
loss given default (LGD); and
exposure at default (EAD).

These parameters are generally derived from internally developed statistical models and other historical data. They 
are adjusted to reflect forward-looking information as described above.

PD estimates are estimates at a certain date, which are calculated based on statistical rating models. These statistical 
models are primarily based on internally compiled data comprising both quantitative and qualitative factors and are 
supplemented by external credit assessment data where available.

LGD is the magnitude of the likely loss if there is a default. The Group estimates LGD parameters based on the history 
of recovery rates of claims against defaulted counterparties. The LGD models consider the forecasted collateral 
value and recovery costs of any collateral that is integral to the financial asset.

LGD estimation icludes:
1)  Cure Rate: Defined as the ratio of accounts which have fallen to default and have managed to move backward to 

the performing accounts.

2)  Recovery Rate: Defined as the ratio of liquidation value to market value of the underlying collateral at the time of 
default would also account for expected recovery rate from a general claim on the individual’s assets for the 
unsecured portion of the exposure.

Discounting Rate: Defined as the opportunity cost of the recovery value not being realized on the day of default 
adjusted for time value.

EAD represents the expected exposure in the event of a default. The Group derives the EAD from the current 
exposure to the counterparty and potential changes to the current amount allowed under the contract including 
amortisation. The EAD of a financial asset is its gross carrying amount.

For lending commitments and financial guarantees, the EAD includes the amount drawn, as well as potential future 
amounts that may be drawn under the contract, which are estimated based on historical observations and forward-
looking forecasts.

112

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(b)  Credit risk (continued)

(viii) Inputs, assumptions and techniques used for estimating impairment (continued)

Movement in ECL
Opening Balance as at 1 January 2018 
(After Day 1 impact)
Due from banks and balances with central banks
Loans and advances to customers
Investment Securities (Debt)
Loan Commitments and Financial Guarantees

ECL Charge for the Period (net)
Due from banks and balances with central banks
Loans and advances to customers
Investment Securities (Debt)
Loan Commitments and Financial Guarantees

Write offs / Transfer
Due from banks and balances with central banks
Loans and advances to customers
Investment Securities (Debt)
Loan Commitments and Financial Guarantees

Exchange differences
Due from banks and balances with central banks
Loans and advances to customers
Investment Securities (Debt)
Loan Commitments and Financial Guarantees

Closing Balance - as at 31 December 2018
Due from banks and balances with central banks
Loans and Advances to Customers
Investment Securities (Debt)
Loan Commitments and Financial Guarantees

Stage 1

Stage 2

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Total

Stage 3

31,575
(40,557)
20,497
50,301
61,816

(30,956)
91,240
(20,261)
(27,590)
12,433

-
(301)
-
-
(301)

-
-
-
3,000
3,000

619
50,382
236
25,711
76,948

57
1,356,545
3,157
107,682
1,467,441

13,022
(291,752)
20,660
(31,374)
(289,444)

-
4,163,007
-
111,356
4,274,363

-
1,601,989
-
(15,156)
1,586,833

31,632
5,478,995
23,654
269,339
5,803,620

(17,934)
1,401,477
399
(74,120)
1,309,822

-
6,919
-
-

-
(2,778,834)
-
(90,965)
6,919 (2,869,799)

-
(2,772,216)
-
(90,965)
(2,863,181)

-
(119,485)
-
-
(119,485)

13,079
952,227
23,817
76,308
1,065,431

-
(142,146)
-
(3,282)
(145,428)

-
(261,631)
-
(282)
(261,913)

-
2,844,016
-
1,953
2,845,969

13,698
3,846,625
24,053
103,972
3,988,348

113

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(c)  Liquidity risk

Liquidity risk is the risk that the Group is unable to meet its obligations when they fall due as a result of e.g. customer 
deposits  being  withdrawn,  cash  requirements  from  contractual  commitments,  or  other  cash  outflows,  such  as  debt 
maturities or margin calls for derivatives etc. Such outflows would deplete available cash resources for client lending, 
trading activities and investments. In extreme circumstances, lack of liquidity could result in reductions in the consolidated 
statement of financial position and sales of assets, or potentially an inability to fulfil lending commitments. The risk that the 
Group will be unable to do so is inherent in all banking operations and can be affected by a range of institution-specific and 
market-wide  events  including,  but  not  limited  to,  credit  events,  merger  and  acquisition  activity,  systemic  shocks  and 
natural disasters.

(i)  Management of liquidity risk

The management of liquidity risk is governed by the Group’s liquidity policy. The primary objective of liquidity risk 
management; over which ALCO has oversight, is to provide a planning mechanism for unanticipated changes in the 
demand or needs for liquidity created by customer behaviour or abnormal market conditions. ALCO emphasises the 
maximisation and preservation of customer deposits and other funding sources. ALCO also monitors deposit rates, 
levels,  trends  and  significant  changes.  Deposit  marketing  plans  are  regularly  reviewed  for  consistency  with  the 
liquidity policy requirements. ALCO has in place a contingency plan, which is periodically reviewed. The Group’s ability 
to raise wholesale and/or long term funding at competitive costs is directly impacted by the Bank’s credit ratings, 
which are as follows:

Moody’s: 
Fitch : 
Standard & Poor’s: 

Long Term A3, Short Term P2, financial strength Ba1 and outlook Stable.
Long Term A, Short Term F1, financial strength bbb- and outlook Stable.
Long Term BBB+, Short Term A-2, financial strength bbb- and outlook stable

(ii)  Exposure to liquidity risk

The key measure used by the Group for managing liquidity risk is the ratio of net liquid assets to deposits from 
customers. For this purpose, net liquid assets are considered as including cash and cash equivalents and investment 
grade debt securities for which there is an active and liquid market less any deposits from banks, debt securities, 
other borrowings and commitments maturing within the next month. A similar, but not identical, calculation is used to 
measure the Group’s compliance with the liquidity limit established by the Group’s lead regulator, QCB under the 
heading ‘Liquidity adequacy ratio’ (LAR). The minimum ratio limit set by QCB is 100%.

Following table sets out the LAR position of the Group during the year as follows:

2018
(%)

106.60
105.57
111.84
95.06

2017
(%)

100.41
108.27
114.88
93.72

At 31 December
Average for the year
Maximum for the year
Minimum for the year

114

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(c)  Liquidity risk (continued)

(iii)  Maturity analysis

The following table sets out the maturity profile of the Group’s assets and liabilities. The contractual maturities of 
assets and liabilities have been determined on the basis of the remaining period at 31 December to the contractual 
maturity date and do not take account of the effective maturities as indicated by the Group’s deposit retention history 
and the availability of liquid funds. Management monitors the maturity profile to ensure that adequate liquidity is 
maintained.

Carrying 
amount

Demand / 
within  
1 month

1-3 months

3 months – 
 1 year

Subtotal 
1 year

1-5 years

More than  

5 years No Maturity

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

2018
Cash and balances 
with central banks
Due from banks
Loans and advances 
to customers
Investment 
securities
Investment in 
associates and a 
joint arrangement
Asset held for sale
Other assets
Total

Due to banks
Customer deposits
Debt securities
Other borrowings
Other liabilities
Total
Difference

6,716,058

3,159,244

-

-

3,159,244

-

9,468,706

5,451,328

2,742,734

1,201,950

9,396,012

72,694

-

-

83,701,631

5,627,287

2,368,452

6,977,516

14,973,255

23,776,426

44,951,950

3,556,814

-

-

22,107,807

253,067

2,096,310

-

-

-

2,412,492

2,665,559

8,970,428

9,702,429

769,391

-

-

-

-

2,096,310

2,559,591
8,420,607

-
1,248,682
135,070,710 15,739,608

-
211,343

-
301,085
5,322,529 10,893,043

-
1,761,110

2,559,591
4,063,239
31,955,180 35,415,806 54,654,379 13,045,345

-
2,596,258

-
-

2,352,838
13,534,260
487,244
1,496,057
1,054,256

13,820,543
71,321,450
15,998,539
8,301,828
5,628,930

12,403,120
2,437,618
7,612,664
67,090,821
12,036,801
41,519,760
7,890,211
7,112,408
290,559
3,474,305
1,806,218
172,030
5,432,176
659,932
3,717,988
115,071,290 53,313,001
18,924,655 24,052,977 96,290,633
19,999,420 (37,573,393) (13,602,126) (13,159,934) (64,335,453)

1,164,040
4,230,629
6,846,644
4,827,523
196,754
17,265,590
18,150,216

-
253,383
-
-
-
1,261,684
-
-
-
-
1,515,067
-
53,139,312 13,045,345

115

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(c)  Liquidity risk (continued)

(iii)  Maturity analysis (continued)

Carrying 
amount

Demand / 
within 
1 month

1-3 months

3 months – 
 1 year

Subtotal 
1 year

More than 

1-5 years

5 years No Maturity

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

2017
Cash and balances 
with central bank
Due from banks
Loans and advances 
to customers
Investment 
securities
Investment in 
associates and a 
joint arrangement
Asset held for sale
Others assets
Total

Due to banks
Customer deposits
Debt securities
Other borrowings
Other liabilities
Total
Difference

7,373,918

3,792,896

-

-

3,792,896

-

10,499,348

7,457,612

947,049

1,985,487

10,390,148

109,200

-

-

89,121,935

9,205,960

2,509,831

9,340,865

21,056,656

23,559,354

44,505,925

3,581,022

-

-

19,629,246

22,903

1,278,827

1,649,125

2,950,855

7,700,892

8,598,650

378,849

2,088,158

-

-

-

-

-

-

2,088,158

2,287,100
7,449,347
138,449,052

-
1,095,720
21,575,091

-
196,275
4,931,982

-
218,788
13,194,265

-
1,510,783
39,701,338

-
2,187,163
33,556,609

-
-
53,104,575

2,287,100
3,751,401
12,086,530

7,601,509
13,515,872
45,510,147
77,633,333
103,120
11,604,890
411,793
9,303,365
2,540,501
5,370,073
56,167,070
117,427,533
21,021,519 (34,591,979)

3,082,910
15,293,079
-
553,656
567,012
19,496,657
(14,564,675)

1,109,864
13,042,771
1,734,223
6,063,877
1,929,939
23,880,674
(10,686,409)

11,794,283
73,845,997
1,837,343
7,029,326
5,037,452
99,544,401
(59,843,063)

1,468,206
3,787,336
8,510,390
2,274,039
332,621
16,372,592
17,184,017

253,383
-
1,257,157
-
-
1,510,540
51,594,035

-
-
-
-
-
-
12,086,530

116

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(c)  Liquidity risk (continued)

(iv)  Maturity analysis (financial liabilities and derivatives)

The table below summarises the maturity profile of the Group’s financial liabilities at 31 December based on contractual 
undiscounted repayment obligations.

Gross 
undiscounted 
cash flows

Carrying  
amount

Less than  
1 month

1-3 months

3 months – 
1 year

1-5 years

More than  
5 years

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

13,820,543
71,321,450
15,998,539
8,301,828

14,414,653
7,765,249
73,020,105 42,493,340
330,178
17,739,977
212,890
9,004,514
109,442,360 114,179,249 50,801,657

2,392,305
13,871,045
514,117
1,545,051

2,674,298
12,332,884
7,445,342
2,038,727
18,322,518 24,491,251

1,283,573
4,322,836
7,543,965
5,207,846

299,228
-
1,906,375
-
18,358,220 2,205,603

Gross 
undiscounted 
cash flows

Carrying  
amount

Less than  
1 month

1-3 months

3 months – 
 1 year

1-5 years

More than  
5 years

13,515,872
77,633,333
11,604,890
9,303,365
112,057,460

13,983,949
78,968,189
12,735,145
9,804,820
115,492,103

7,781,117
46,286,513
109,489
413,938
54,591,057

1,284,691
3,126,136
13,272,299
15,555,963
1,779,319
-
568,652
6,344,175
19,250,751 22,680,484

1,487,665
3,853,414
9,435,119
2,478,055
17,254,253

304,340
-
1,411,218
-
1,715,558

2018

Non-derivative 
financial liabilities
Due to banks
Customer deposits
Debt securities
Other borrowings
Total liabilities

2017

Non-derivative 
financial liabilities
Due to banks
Customer deposits
Debt securities
Other borrowings
Total liabilities

117

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(c)  Liquidity risk (continued)

(iv)  Maturity analysis (financial liabilities and derivatives) (continued)

Derivative financial instruments:
Generally, forward foreign exchange contracts are settled on a gross basis and interest rate swaps are settled on a net 
basis.

2018
Derivatives Held for Trading:
Forward foreign exchange contracts:

Outflow
Inflow

Interest rate swaps:

Outflow
Inflow

Derivatives Held as Fair Value Hedges:
Interest rate swaps:

Outflow
Inflow

Derivatives Held as Cash Flow Hedges:
Forward foreign exchange contracts:

Outflow
Inflow

Interest rate swaps:

Outflow
Inflow

Total Outflows
Total inflows

Total

Up to 1 Year

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
More than 
5 years

1 - 5 years

(21,165,182)
21,422,087

(16,903,370)
17,093,721

(4,234,125)
4,242,510

(291,328)
322,395

(7,889)
16,552

(274,028)
295,184

(27,687)
85,856

(9,411)
10,659

(354,777)
310,303

(26,752)
23,704

(91,194)
77,147

(236,831)
209,452

(1,973)
1,692

(165)
106

(1,808)
1,586

-
-

(45,252)
40,968
(21,858,512)
22,097,445

(36,898)
34,285
(16,975,074)
17,168,368

(8,354)
6,683
(4,609,509)
4,623,110

-
-
(273,929)
305,967

118

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(c)  Liquidity risk (continued)

(iv)  Maturity analysis (financial liabilities and derivatives) (continued)

Derivative financial instruments:
Generally, forward foreign exchange contracts are settled on a gross basis and interest rate swaps are settled on a net 
basis.

2017
Derivatives Held for Trading:
Forward foreign exchange contracts

Outflow
Inflow

Interest rate swaps:

Outflow
Inflow

Derivatives Held as Fair Value Hedges:
Interest rate swaps:

Outflow
Inflow

Derivatives Held as Cash Flow Hedges:
Forward foreign exchange contracts:

Outflow
Inflow

Interest rate swaps:

Outflow
Inflow
Total Outflows
Total inflows

Total

Up to 1 Year

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
More than 5 
years

1 - 5 years

(18,009,204)
17,896,328

(14,957,505)
14,792,197

(3,013,671)
3,008,141

(103,935)
114,072

(20,749)
22,739

(63,115)
68,980

(38,028)
95,990

(20,071)
22,353

(358,276)
189,245

(20,805)
11,385

(81,971)
44,081

(255,500)
133,779

-
-

-
-

-
-

-
-
(18,471,415)
18,199,645

-
-
(14,999,059)
14,826,321

-
-
(3,158,757)
3,121,202

-
-

-
-
(313,599)
252,122

119

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(c)  Liquidity risk (continued)

(v)  Off-balance sheet items

2018

Loan commitments
Guarantees and other financial facilities
Capital commitments
Total

2017

Loan commitments
Guarantees and other financial facilities
Capital commitments
Total

Below 1 Year

1,968,142
12,816,899
157,569
14,942,610

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Total

Above 1 Year

2,405,694
11,389,783
-
13,795,477

4,373,836
24,206,682
157,569
28,738,087

Below 1 Year

Above 1 Year

Total

1,148,931
12,400,537
178,472
13,727,940

4,799,690
11,122,923
-
15,922,613

5,948,621
23,523,460
178,472
29,650,553

(d)  Market risks

The Group takes exposure to market risks, which is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument 
will fluctuate because of changes in market prices. Market risks arise from open positions in interest rate, currency and 
equity products, all of which are exposed to general and specific market movements and changes in the level of volatility 
of market rates or prices such as interest rates, credit spreads, foreign exchange rates and equity prices. The Group 
separates exposures to market risk into either trading or non-trading portfolios and by product type.

The market risks arising from trading and non-trading activities are concentrated in Group Treasury and monitored by two 
teams separately. Regular reports are submitted to the Board of Directors and heads of each business unit.

Trading portfolios include those positions arising from market-making transactions where the Group acts as principal with 
clients or with the market.

Non-trading portfolios primarily arise from the interest rate management of the entity’s retail and commercial banking 
assets and liabilities. Non-trading portfolios also consist of foreign exchange and equity risks arising from the Group’s 
held-to-maturity and available-for-sale investments.

(i)  Management of market risks

Overall authority for market risk is vested in ALCO. Group Market Risk is responsible for the development of detailed 
risk  management  policies  (subject  to  review  and  approval  by  ALCO)  and  for  the  day-to-day  review  of  their 
implementation.

120

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(d)  Market risks (continued)

(i)  Management of market risks (continued)

The Group’s proprietary investments are managed according to the Group’s internal investment policy, which has 
been approved by the Board of Directors and drafted in accordance with the Qatar Central Bank guidelines. The 
Group’s trading activities are conducted by Treasury and Investments Division. These activities are subject to business 
line  guidelines  and  policies.  The  Group  employs  several  techniques  to  measure  and  control  activities  including 
sensitivity analysis, position limits and risk based limits.

Investment proposals are approved at the Investment Committee and decisions driven by the investment strategy, 
which is developed by the business line under ALCO oversight and approved by the Board.

(ii)  Exposure to interest rate risk – non – trading portfolio

The principal risk to which non-trading portfolios are exposed is the risk of loss from fluctuations in the future cash 
flows or fair values of financial instruments because of a change in market interest rates. Interest rate risk is managed 
principally through monitoring interest rate gaps and by having pre-approved limits for repricing bands. ALCO is the 
monitoring body for compliance with these limits and is assisted by Group Treasury in its day-to-day monitoring 
activities.

The Group takes on exposure to the effects of fluctuations in the prevailing levels of market interest rates on both its 
fair value and cash flow risks. Interest margins may increase as a result of such changes but may reduce losses in the 
event that unexpected movements arise. The Board sets limits on the level of mismatch of interest rate repricing that 
may be undertaken, which is monitored daily by Group Treasury.

The Asset and Liability Management (“ALM”) process, managed through ALCO, is used to manage interest rate risk 
associated  with  non-trading  financial  instruments.  Interest  rate  risk  represents  the  most  significant  market  risk 
exposure to the Group’s non-trading financial instruments.

The Group’s goal is to manage interest rate sensitivity so that movements in interest rates do not adversely affect net 
interest income. Interest rate risk is measured as the potential volatility to the net interest rate income caused by 
changes  in  market  interest  rates.  The  Group  typically  manages  the  interest  rate  risk  of  its  non-trading  financial 
instruments by segmenting these assets and liabilities into two broad portfolios: non–discretionary and discretionary. 
The non-discretionary portfolio consists of the Group’s customer driven loans and deposit positions and securities 
required to support regulatory requirements. To manage the resulting interest rate sensitivity of the Group’s non-
discretionary portfolio, the Group uses a discretionary portfolio of securities, long dated deposits, inter-bank takings 
and placements, and when warranted, derivatives. Strategically positioning the discretionary portfolio, the Group 
largely manages the interest rate sensitivity in the non-discretionary portfolio.

The following table summarises the interest sensitivity position at year end, by reference to the re-pricing period or 
maturity of the Group’s assets and liabilities.

121

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(d)  Market risks (continued)

(ii)  Exposure to interest rate risk – non – trading portfolio (continued)

A summary of the Group’s interest rate gap position on non-trading balances are as follows:

Repricing in:

Carrying  
amount

Less than 3 

months 3-12 months

1-5 years

More than  
5 years

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

Non- 
interest 
sensitive

Effective 
interest 
rate %

6,716,058

3,086,476

-

-

9,468,706

8,170,614

1,225,292

72,800

-

-

3,629,582

-

83,701,631

39,381,081

37,973,604

4,159,870

471,349

1,715,727

22,107,807

1,602,503

3,436,848

7,570,881

8,728,185

769,390

2,096,310

2,559,591

8,420,607

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2,096,310

2,559,591

8,420,607

135,070,710

52,240,674

42,635,744

11,803,551

9,199,534

19,191,207

(13,820,543)
(71,321,450)
(15,998,539)
(8,301,828)
(5,628,930)
(19,999,420)
(135,070,710)

(10,933,365)
(43,626,394)
(229,825)
(1,768,303)
-
-
(56,557,887)

(2,887,178)
(12,036,801)
(2,321,851)
(6,056,110)
-
-
(23,301,940)

-
(4,230,677)
(12,185,179)
(477,415)
-
-
(16,893,271)

-
-
(1,261,684)
-
-
-
(1,261,684)

-
(11,427,578)
-
-
(5,628,930)
(19,999,420)
(37,055,928)

-

2.72%

6.18%

4.24%

-

-

-

-

4.47%
3.53%
2.93%
4.07%
-
-
-

-

-

(4,317,213)

19,333,804 (5,089,720)

7,937,850 (17,864,721)

(4,317,213)

15,016,591

9,926,871

17,864,721

-

-

2018

Cash and balances 
with central banks
Due from banks
Loans and advances 
to customers
Investment 
securities
Investment in 
associates and a 
joint arrangement
Asset held for sale
Property and 
equipment and all 
other assets

Due to banks
Customer deposits
Debt securities
Other borrowings
Other liabilities
Equity

Interest rate 
sensitivity gap
Cumulative 
Interest rate 
sensitivity gap

122

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(d)  Market risks (continued)

(ii)  Exposure to interest rate risk – non – trading portfolio (continued)

A summary of the Group’s interest rate gap position on non-trading balances are as follows:

Repricing in:

Carrying  
amount

Less than 3 
months

3-12 months

1-5 years

More than  
5 years

Non- 
interest 
sensitive

Effective 
interest 
rate %

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

7,373,918

3,701,691

-

10,499,348

8,513,861

1,985,487

-

-

-

-

3,672,227

-

89,121,935

44,082,741

37,244,372

5,048,210

589,675

2,156,937

-

2.35%

5.27%

19,629,246

1,158,654

4,182,396

6,282,285

7,627,058

378,853

3.38%

2,088,158

2,287,100

7,449,347

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2,088,158

2,287,100

7,449,347

138,449,052

57,456,947

43,412,255

11,330,495

8,216,733

18,032,622

(13,515,872)
(77,633,333)
(11,604,890)
(9,303,365)
(5,370,073)
(21,021,519)
(138,449,052)

(12,601,973)
(49,353,702)
-
(1,828,448)
-
-
(63,784,123)

(913,899)
(13,042,772)
(226,386)
(6,848,718)
-
-
(21,031,775)

-
(3,787,409)
(10,121,348)
(626,199)
-
-
(14,534,956)

-
-
(1,257,156)
-
-
-
(1,257,156)

-
(11,449,450)
-
-
(5,370,073)
(21,021,519)
(37,841,042)

-

-

(6,327,176)

22,380,480 (3,204,461)

6,959,577 (19,808,420)

(6,327,176)

16,053,304

12,848,843

19,808,420

-

-

-

-

-

2.73%
2.67%
4.42%
1.37%
-
-
-

-

-

2017

Cash and balances 
with central banks
Due from banks
Loans and advances 
to customers
Investment 
securities
Investment in 
associates and a 
joint arrangement
Asset held for sale
Property and 
equipment and all 
other assets

Due to Bank
Customer deposits
Debt securities
Other borrowings
Other liabilities
Equity

Interest rate 
sensitivity gap
Cumulative Interest 
rate sensitivity gap

123

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(d)  Market risks (continued)

(ii)  Exposure to interest rate risk – non – trading portfolio (continued)

Sensitivity analysis
The management of interest rate risk against interest rate gap limits is supplemented by monitoring the sensitivity of 
the Group’s financial assets and liabilities to various standard and non-standard interest rate scenarios. Standard 
scenarios that are considered on a monthly basis include a 50 basis point (bp) parallel fall or rise in all yield curves 
worldwide and a 50 bp rise or fall in the greater than 12-month portion of all yield curves. An analysis of the Group’s 
sensitivity to an increase or decrease in market interest rates, assuming no a symmetrical movement in yield curves 
and a constant financial position, is as follows:

Sensitivity of net interest income
2018
At 31 December
Average for the year

2017
At 31 December
Average for the year

Sensitivity to reported Fair value reserve in equity of interest rate 
movements
2018
At 31 December
Average for the year

2017
At 31 December
Average for the year

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
50 bp parallel 
decrease

50 bp parallel 
increase

68,654
65,555

(68,654)
(65,555)

59,726
64,471

(59,726)
(64,471)

50 bp parallel 
increase

50 bp parallel 
decrease

9
720

1,432
1,770

(9)
(720)

(1,432)
(1,770)

Interest rate movements affect reported equity in the following ways:
• 

Retained earnings arising from increases or decreases in net interest income and the fair value changes reported 
in profit or loss; and
Fair value reserves arising from increases or decreases in fair values of FVOCI financial instruments are reported 
directly in other comprehensive income.

• 

Overall non-trading interest rate risk positions are managed by Group Treasury, which uses investment securities, 
advances to banks, deposits from banks and derivative instruments to manage the overall position arising from the 
Group’s non-trading activities.

124

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(d)  Market risks (continued)

(iii)  Exposure to other market risks – non-trading portfolios

Foreign currency transactions
The Group monitors any concentration risk in relation to any individual currency in regard to the translation of foreign 
currency transactions and monetary assets and liabilities. The table shows the net foreign currency exposure by 
major currencies at the end of the reporting period along with the sensitivities if there were to be a change in the 
currency exchange rate.

Net foreign currency exposure:

Pounds Sterling
Euro
USD
Other currencies

5% increase in currency exchange rate

Pound Sterling
Euro
USD
Other currencies

Increase (decrease) in  
profit or loss
2018

2017

(7,199)
(154,874)
(625,983)
99,876

8,302
(51,324)
(658,575)
196,372

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

(143,989)
(3,097,484)
(12,519,651)
1,997,530

166,043
(1,026,485)
(13,171,504)
3,927,455

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

Increase (decrease) in  
fair value reserve

2018

-
-
307
-

2017

31
66
8,401
749

Open exchange position in other currencies represents Group’s investment in associates and a joint arrangement 
denominated in OMR and AED which are pegged with USD.  

Equity price risk
Equity price risk is the risk that the fair value of equities decreases as a result of changes in the equity indices and 
individual stocks. The non-trading equity price risk exposure arises from equity securities classified as fair value 
through other comprehensive income. A 10 per cent increase in the Qatar Exchange market index at 31 December 
2018 would have increased equity by QAR nil (2017: QAR 8 million). An equivalent decrease would have resulted in an 
equivalent but opposite impact.

125

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(d)  Market risks (continued)

(iii)  Exposure to other market risks – non-trading portfolios (continued)

Equity price risk (continued)
The Group is also exposed to equity price risk and the sensitivity analysis there of is as follows:

Increase / (decrease) in other comprehensive income:
Qatar Exchange

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

-

7,509

The  above  analysis  has  been  prepared  on  the  assumption  that  all  other  variables  such  as  interest  rate,  foreign 
exchange rate, etc. are held constant and is based on historical correlation of the equity securities to the relevant 
index. Actual movement may be different from the one stated above and is subject to impairment assessment at the 
end of each reporting period.

(e)  Operational risks

Operational risk is the risk of direct or indirect loss arising from a wide variety of causes associated with the Group’s 
involvement with financial instruments, including processes, personnel, technology and infrastructure, and from external 
factors other than credit, market and liquidity risks such as those arising from legal and regulatory requirements and 
generally accepted standards of corporate behaviour.

The Group’s objective is to manage operational risk so as to balance the avoidance of financial losses and damage to the 
Group’s reputation with overall cost effectiveness and to avoid Control procedures that restrict initiative and creativity.

The primary responsibility for the development and implementation of controls to address Operational risk is assigned to 
senior management within each business unit. This responsibility is supported by the development of overall Group 
standards for the management of operational risk in the following areas:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

requirements for appropriate segregation of duties, including the independent authorisation of transactions;
requirements for the reconciliation and monitoring of transactions;
compliance with regulatory and other legal requirements;
documentation of controls and procedures;
requirements for the periodic assessment of operational risks faced, and the adequacy of controls and procedures 
to address the risks identified;
requirements for the reporting of operational losses and proposed remedial action;
development of contingency plans;
training and professional development;
ethical and business standards; and
risk mitigation, including insurance where this is effective.

126

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(f)  Capital management

Regulatory capital
The Group’s policy is to maintain a strong capital base so as to ensure investor, creditor and market confidence and to 
sustain future development of the business. The impact of the level of capital on equity holders’ return is also recognised 
and the Group recognises the need to maintain a balance between the higher returns that might be possible with greater 
gearing and the advantages and security afforded by a sound capital position.

The  Group  and  its  individually  regulated  operations  have  complied  with  all  externally  imposed  capital  requirements 
throughout  the  period.  The  Capital  Adequacy  Ratio  (CAR)  of  the  group  is  calculated  in  accordance  with  the  Basel 
Committee guidelines as adopted by Qatar Central Bank (QCB). From 1st January 2014 QCB adopted Basel III guidelines 
for  CAR  calculation.

The Group’s regulatory capital position under Basel III QCB regulations as at 31 December was as follows:

Common Equity Tier 1 (CET 1) Capital
Additional Tier 1 Capital
Tier 1 Capital
Tier 2 Capital
Total Eligible Capital

Risk Weighted Assets for Credit Risk
Risk Weighted Assets for Market Risk
Risk Weighted Assets for Operational Risk
Total Risk Weighted Assets

Total Capital Ratio

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Basel III
2017

Basel III
2018

11,898,725
3,962,963
15,861,688
1,772,890
17,634,578

13,044,099
3,961,712
17,005,811
1,799,160
18,804,971

105,121,959
1,494,331
7,032,731
113,649,021

108,224,349
2,454,384
6,285,206
116,963,939

15.52%

16.08%

127

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
4.  FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (continued)

(f)  Capital management (continued)

CET 1 ratio 
Without 
Capital 
Conservation 
buffer

CET 1 ratio 
Including  
Capital 
Conservation 
buffer

Tier 1 capital 
ratio including 
capital 
conservation 
buffer

Tier 1 and 2 
capital ratio 
including 
capital 
conservation 
buffer

Total capital 
including 
capital 
conservation 
buffer and 
DSIB’ buffer

Total capital 
including 
conservation 
buffer, DSIB’ 
buffer and 
ICAAP Pillar II 
capital charge

2018
Actual
Minimum QCB limit
2017
Actual
Minimum QCB limit

10.47%
6.00%

11.15%
6.00%

10.47%
8.50%

13.96%
10.50%

11.15%
8.50%

14.54%
10.50%

15.52%
12.50%

16.08%
12.50%

15.52%
13.00%

16.08%
12.875%

15.52%
14.00%

16.08%
 13.875%

Had the Group not adopted IFRS9, total capital adequacy ratio and Common equity tier 1 (CET 1) capital adequacy ratio 
would have been as follows:

CET1 Ratio
Total Capital Ratio

5.  USE OF ESTIMATES AND JUDGMENTS

Basel III
2018

10.47 %
15.07 %

(a)  Key sources of estimation uncertainty

The Group makes estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities. Estimates and 
judgements are continually evaluated and are based on historical experience and other factors, including expectations of 
future events that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances.

(i)  Allowances for credit losses

Policy applicable from 1 January 2018
Assessment of whether credit risk on the financial assets has increased significantly since initial recognition and 
incorporation of forward looking information in the measurement of ECL, refer to note 4(b)(ix).

128

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5.  USE OF ESTIMATES AND JUDGMENTS (continued)

(a)  Key sources of estimation uncertainty (continued)

Policy applicable upto 31 December 2017

(ii)  Determing fair values

The determination of fair value for financial assets and liabilities for which there is no observable market price requires 
the use of valuation techniques as described in the accounting policy. For financial instruments that trade infrequently 
and have little price transparency, fair value is less objective, and requires varying degrees of judgement depending 
on liquidity, concentration, uncertainty of market factors, pricing assumptions and other risks affecting the specific 
instrument.

Where  the  fair  values  of  financial  assets  and  financial  liabilities  cannot  be  derived  from  active  markets,  they  are 
determined using a variety of valuation techniques that include the use of mathematical models. The inputs to these 
models are taken from observable markets where possible, but where this is not feasible, a degree of judgment is 
required  in  establishing  fair  values.  The  judgments  include  considerations  of  liquidity  and  model  inputs  such  as 
correlation and volatility for longer dated derivatives.

Goodwill impairment
Goodwill is tested annually for impairment; assets are grouped together into smallest group of assets that generates 
cash inflows from continuing use that is largely independent of the cash inflows of other assets or CGUs. Goodwill 
arising from a business combination is allocated to the CGU which is expected to benefit from the synergies of the 
combination.

The ‘recoverable amount’ of an asset or CGU is the greater of its value in use and its fair value less costs to sell. ‘Value 
in use’ is based on the estimated future cash flows, discounted to their present value using a pre-tax discount rate that 
reflects current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset or CGU.

An impairment loss is recognized if the carrying amount of an asset or CGU exceeds its recoverable amount.

Impairment losses are recognized in profit or loss. They are allocated first to reduce the carrying amount of any 
goodwill allocated to the CGU, and then to reduce the carrying amounts of the other assets in the CGU on a pro rata 
basis.

(b)  Critical accounting judgements in applying the Group’s accounting policies

(i)  Valuation of financial instruments

The Group’s accounting policy on fair value measurements is discussed in the significant accounting policies section.

The Group measures fair values using the following fair value hierarchy that reflects the significance of the inputs used 
in making the measurements.

• 
• 

Level 1: Inputs that are quoted market prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical instruments.
Level 2: Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level1 that are observable either directly (i.e.as prices) 
or indirectly (i.e. derived from prices). This category includes instruments valued using: quoted market prices in 
active markets for similar instruments; quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are 
considered less than active; or other valuation techniques in which all significant inputs are directly or indirectly 
observable from market data.

129

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5.  USE OF ESTIMATES AND JUDGMENTS (continued)

(b)  Critical accounting judgements in applying the Group’s accounting policies (continued)

(i)  Valuation of financial instruments (continued)

• 

Level 3: Inputs that are unobservable. This category includes all instruments for which the valuation technique 
includes inputs not based on observable data and the unobservable inputs have a significant effect on the 
instrument’s valuation. This category includes instruments that are value based on quoted prices for similar 
instruments for which significant unobservable adjustments or assumptions are required to reflect differences 
between the instruments.

Fair values of financial assets and financial liabilities that are traded in active markets are based on quoted market 
prices or dealer price quotations. For all other financial instruments, the Group determines fair values using valuation 
techniques. Valuation techniques include net present value and discounted cash flow models and comparison to 
similar instruments for which market observable prices exist.

The table below analyses financial instruments measured at fair value at the end of the reporting period, by the level 
in the fair value hierarchy into which the fair value measurement is categorised:

31-Dec-2018 (Audited)
Derivative assets
Investment securities

Derivative liabilities

31-Dec-2017 (Audited)
Derivative assets
Investment securities

Derivative liabilities

Level 1

Level 2

-
35,825
35,825
-
-

-
2,556,279
2,556,279
-
-

371,716
4,891,639
5,263,355
353,499
353,499

462,483
16,874,981
17,337,464
355,614
355,614

There have been no transfers between level 1 and level 2
Reconcilation of level 3 investments are as follows :

Balance at 1 January
Cost movement
Profit and loss movement
Fair value reserve movement
Balance at 31 December

130

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Carrying 
amount

Level 3

-
164,951
164,951
-
-

-
84,107
84,107
-
-

371,716
5,092,415
5,464,131
353,499
353,499

462,483
19,515,367
19,977,850
355,614
355,614

2018

2017

84,107
113,879
(23,793)
(9,242)
164,951

122,160
(61,041)
22,988
-
84,107

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5.  USE OF ESTIMATES AND JUDGMENTS (continued)

(b)  Critical accounting judgements in applying the Group’s accounting policies (continued)

(ii)  Financial asset and liability classification

Policy applicable from 1 January 2018
Assessment of the business model within which the assets are held and assessment of whether the contractual terms 
of the financial asset are solely payments of principal and interest on the principal amount outstanding. Refer to note 
3 (d) (ii) for further information.

Policy applicable up to 31 December 2017
The Group’s accounting policies provide scope for assets and liabilities to be designated in inception into different 
accounting categories in certain circumstances:

- 

- 

- 

In classifying financial assets or liabilities as trading, the Group has determined that it meets the description of 
trading assets and liabilities set out in the accounting policies.
In designating financial assets at fair value through profit or loss, the Group has determined that it has met one 
of the criteria for this designation set out in the accounting policies.
In classifying financial assets as held – to – maturity, the Group has determined that it has both the positive 
intention and ability to hold the assets until their maturity date as required by the accounting policies.

Details of the Group’s classification of financial assets and liabilities are given in Note 7.

(iii)  Qualifying hedge relationships

In designating financial instruments in qualifying hedge relationships, the Group has determined that it expects the 
hedges to be highly effective over the period of the hedging relationship.

(iv)  Impairment of investments in equity and debt securities

.

Policy applicable from 1 January 2018 
Assessment  of  whether  credit  risk  on  the  financial  asset  has  increased  significantly  since  initial  recognition  and 
incorporation of forward –looking information in the measurement of ECL. Refer to note 4 (b) (viii) Inputs, assumptions 
and techniques used for estimating impairment of financial assets for more information.

Policy applicable up to 31 December 2017
Investments in equity and debt securities are evaluated for impairment on the basis described in the significant 
accounting policies section.

(v)  Useful lives of property and equipment

The  Group’s  management  determines  the  estimated  useful  life  of  property  and  equipment  for  calculating 
depreciation. This estimate is determined after considering the expected usage of the asset, physical wear and tear, 
technical or commercial obsolescence.

(vi)  Useful life of intangible assets

The Group’s management determines the estimated useful life of its intangible assets for calculating amortization. 
This estimate is determined after considering the expected economic benefits from the use of intangible assets.

131

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
5.  USE OF ESTIMATES AND JUDGMENTS (continued)

(b)  Critical accounting judgements in applying the Group’s accounting policies (continued)

(vii) Fair value of land and buildings

The fair value of land and building is determined by valuations from an external professional real estate valuer using 
recognised valuation techniques and the principles of IFRS 13 “Fair Value Measurement”.

6.  OPERATING SEGMENTS

For  management  purposes,  the  Group  is  divided  into  four  operating  segments,  which  are  based  on  business  lines, 
together with its associates and joint arrangement companies, as follows: 

Commercial Bank:

1.  Wholesale Banking provides an extensive range of conventional funded and non-funded credit facilities, demand 
and time deposit services, currency exchange facilities, interest rate swaps and other derivative trading services, loan 
syndication and structured financing services to corporate, commercial and multinational customers. Money market 
funds and proprietary investment portfolio are also managed by this operating segment.

2.  Retail Banking provides personal current, savings, time and investment account services, credit card and debit card 
services, consumer and vehicle loans, residential mortgage services and custodial services to retail and individual 
customers.

Subsidiaries:
3.  Alternatif Bank: A subsidiary that provides banking services through its branch network in Turkey. Alternatif Bank 

also has its subsidiaries. The Group reported Alternatif Bank group result under this operating segment.

4.  Other principal subsidiaries:

a)  Commercialbank Financial Services L.L.C. provides brokerage services in the State of Qatar.
b)  CBQ Finance Limited, a SPV used for debt issuance for the bank,

Unallocated assets, liabilities and revenues are related to certain central functions and non-core business operations. (For 
example,  Group  headquarters,  staff  apartments,  common  property  &  equipment,  cash  functions  and  development 
projects and related payables, net of intra-group transactions).

Associates and joint arrangement Companies – includes the Group’s strategic investments in the National Bank of Oman 
in the Sultanate of Oman and Massoun Insurance Services L.L.C. which operate in the State of Qatar. All Associates and joint 
arrangement Companies are accounted for under the equity method. 

Management monitors the results of the operating segments separately to make decisions about resource allocation and 
performance assessment. Transfer prices between operating segments are on an arm’s length basis. 

132

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
6.  OPERATING SEGMENTS (continued)

(a)  By operating segment

Segment  assets  and  liabilities  comprise  operating  assets  and  liabilities  which  are  directly  handled  by  the  operating 
segment and income or expenses are attributed with the assets and liabilities’ ownership. The following table summarizes 
performance of the operating segments:

2018

Commercial Bank

Subsidiaries

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

Wholesale 
Banking

Retail 
Banking

Total 
Commercial 
Bank

Alternatif 
Bank

Others Unallocated

Total

1,307,822

845,913

2,153,735

390,494

5,135

(67,042)

2,482,322

299,102

575,600

874,702

89,729

1,606,924

1,421,513

3,028,437

480,223

(399)

-

(399)

-

27,405

32,540

-

(374,247)

(336,829)

(711,076)

(124,573)

540

34,399

1,026,235

(32,643)

3,508,557

-

-

(399)

(835,109)

1,441,990

90,642

13,911

(54,101)

1,492,442

170,738

1,663,180

32,948,009
52,767,452

1,344,186
19,404,163

34,292,195
72,171,615

6,336,812
11,481,137

273,094
-

5,811,077 46,713,178
48,879 83,701,631

-

-

-

-

-
34,934,575
40,562,335
23,208,775

-
862,197
21,559,864
628,245

-
35,796,772
62,122,199
23,837,020

-
7,456,064
9,187,110
4,183,497

-

-
38,069
-
560,001

-

2,096,310

-

2,559,591
458,935 43,749,840
71,321,450
- 28,580,518

12,141

Net interest income
Net fee, commission and 
other income
Segmental revenue
Impairment loss on 
investment securities
Net impairment loss on 
loans and advances to 
customers and other 
financial assets
Segmental profit
Share of results of 
associates and a joint 
arrangement
Net profit for the year

Other information
Assets
Loans and advances
Investments in associates 
and a joint arrangement
Asset held for sale
Liabilities
Customers deposits
Contingent items

Intra-group transactions are eliminated from this segmental information (Assets: QAR 2,015 million and Liabilities: QAR 
613 million).

133

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
6.  OPERATING SEGMENTS (continued)

(a)  By operating segment (continued)

2017

Commercial Bank

Subsidiaries

Wholesale 
Banking

Retail  
Banking

Total 
Commercial 
Bank

Alternatif 
Bank

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

Others Unallocated

Total

Net interest income
Net fee, commission and 
other income
Segmental revenue
Impairment loss on 
investment securities
Net impairment loss on 
loans and advances to 
customers and other 
financial assets
Segmental profit
Share of results of 
associates and a joint 
arrangement
Net profit for the year

Other information
Assets
Loans and advances
Investments in associates 
and a joint arrangement
Asset held for sale
Liabilities
Customer deposits
Contingent items

1,131,817

956,485

2,088,302

493,735

486,609

427,222

913,831

1,618,426

1,383,707

3,002,133

(46,484)

-

(46,484)

21,513

515,248

-

3,273

19,845

23,118

-

(866,625)

(659,019)

(1,525,644)

(174,917)

3,742

(67,010)

2,518,300

55,786

(11,224)

-

-

1,010,975

3,529,275

(46,484)

(1,696,819)

428,962

49,121

10,706

(33,015)

455,774

147,876

603,650

31,720,140
53,921,796

1,189,437
21,559,998

32,909,577
75,481,794

6,327,154
13,503,762

316,796
-

5,398,332
136,379

44,951,859
89,121,935

-

-

-

-

-
30,994,122
45,840,134
23,921,526

-
653,702
21,498,451
597,103

-
31,647,824
67,338,585
24,518,629

-
7,997,634
10,260,871
4,392,507

-

-
94,092
-
560,945

-

2,088,158

-

2,287,100
54,650 39,794,200
77,633,333
33,877
29,472,081
-

Intra-group transactions are eliminated from this segmental information (Assets: QAR 2,520 million and Liabilities: QAR 
364 million)

134

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
6.  OPERATING SEGMENTS (continued)

(b)  By geography

Consolidated statement 
of financial position
2018
Cash and balances with 
central banks
Due from banks
Loans and advances to 
customers
Investment securities
Investment in associates 
and a joint arrangement
Asset held for sale
Property and equipment 
and all other assets
Total assets

Due to banks
Customer deposits
Debt securities
Other borrowings
Other liabilities
Equity
Total liabilities and 
equity

Qatar Other GCC 
countries

Other 
Middle East

Europe

North 
America

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Rest of the 
world

Total

5,206,814

-

1,509,244

-

-

-

6,716,058

2,740,633

630,516

2,405,394

1,216,987

1,337,322

1,137,854

9,468,706

69,962,068

578,185

11,941,651

17,248,988

735,653

2,508,886

12,603

2,083,707

-

2,559,591

-

-

678,913

55,933

-

-

6,516,545

15,738

1,676,247

202,962

-

540,814

83,701,631

771,558

786,789

22,107,807

-

-

-

-

-

2,096,310

2,559,591

9,115

8,420,607

101,687,651 6,603,390 20,041,422

2,154,795

2,108,880

2,474,572 135,070,710

5,264,977
51,485,510
-
211,617
4,313,656
19,999,409

816,266
2,442,214
-
502,323
17,250
-

2,173,662
9,006,613
2,544,056
1,392,122
880,027
11

5,544,785
1,178,961
13,454,483
3,817,800
340,816
-

-
16,514
-
1,105,540
15,154
-

20,853
7,191,638
-
1,272,426
62,027
-

13,820,543
71,321,450
15,998,539
8,301,828
5,628,930
19,999,420

81,275,169

3,778,053 15,996,491 24,336,845

1,137,208 8,546,944 135,070,710

135

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued6.  OPERATING SEGMENTS (continued)

(b)  By geography (continued)

Qatar Other GCC 
countries

Other 
Middle East

Europe

North 
America

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Rest of the 
world

Total

2,797,758

939,302

3,737,060
(532,741)
(119,438)

(47,339)

(399)

44,576

(5,059)

39,517
-
-

-

-

387,357

93,789

481,146
(143,461)
(9,789)

(7,410)

-

(822,184)

541

(105,521)

111,108

(215,477)

-

-

(19,053)

(97,265)

(520,112)

(18,679)

(538,791)
-
-

-

-

-

-

-

(59,742)

(167,515)

2,482,322

9,174

7,708

1,026,235

(50,568)
-
-

(159,807)
(264)
-

3,508,557
(676,466)
(129,227)

(54,749)

(399)

(927,164)

92,055

-

-

-

-

(151)

(312,893)

-

-

-

-

-

2,110,590

40,058

98,647

(538,791)

(50,568)

(160,222)

1,499,714

3,785

166,953

-

-

-

-

170,738

2,114,375

(189)
2,114,186

207,011

-
207,011

98,647

(538,791)

(50,568)

(160,222)

1,670,452

(7,083)
91,564

-
(538,791)

-
(50,568)

-
(160,222)

(7,272)
1,663,180

Consolidated statement 
of income
Year ended  
31 December 2018
Net interest income
Net fee, commission and 
other income
Net operating income
Staff cost
Depreciation
Amortization of intangible 
assets
Impairment loss on 
investment securities
Net impairment loss on 
loans and advances to 
customers
Net impairment losses on 
other financial assets
Other expenses
Profit before share of 
results of associates and a 
joint arrangement
Share of results of 
associates and a joint 
arrangement
Profit for the year before 
tax
Income tax expenses
Net profit for the year

136

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued6.  OPERATING SEGMENTS (continued)

(b)  By geography (continued)

Consolidated statement of 
financial position
2017
Cash and balances with 
central banks
Due from banks
Loans and advances to 
customers
Investment securities
Investment in associates 
and a joint arrangement
Asset held for sale
Property and equipment 
and all other assets
Total assets

Qatar

Other GCC 
countries

Other Middle 
East

Europe

North 
America

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Rest of the 
world

Total

5,182,523

9

2,191,386

-

-

-

7,373,918

3,288,722

972,305

2,204,001

1,916,134

916,216

1,201,970 10,499,348

71,388,727

1,214,430

14,154,023

1,391,439

63

973,253

89,121,935

15,433,344

866,833

2,523,754

140,580

428,947

235,788

19,629,246

8,818

2,079,340

-

2,287,100

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

2,088,158

2,287,100

5,687,013

26,052

1,433,140

258,213

2,073

42,856

7,449,347

100,989,147

7,446,069 22,506,304

3,706,366

1,347,299

2,453,867 138,449,052

Due to banks
Customer deposits
Debt securities
Other borrowings
Other liabilities
Equity
Total liabilities and equity

3,253,831
57,730,958
181,131
119,851
4,251,110
21,021,504
86,558,385

4,379,585
2,689,705
-
4,579,359
61,233
-
11,709,882

971,171
10,028,755
2,206,596
1,088,099
726,896
15
15,021,532

3,670,600
1,998,896
9,217,163
1,960,815
266,577
-
17,114,051

300,846
30,801
-
1,118,786
19,660
-
1,470,093

939,839
5,154,218
-
436,455
44,597
-

13,515,872
77,633,333
11,604,890
9,303,365
5,370,073
21,021,519
6,575,109 138,449,052

137

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued6.  OPERATING SEGMENTS (continued)

(b)  By geography (continued)

Qatar

Other GCC 
countries

Other Middle 
East

Europe

North 
America

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Rest of the 
world

Total

1,882,834

(34,873)

795,558

(223,447)

(59,861)

158,089

2,518,300

995,647

2,878,481
(550,973)
(141,080)

(47,339)

(645)

(35,518)
-
-

-

822,882
(162,451)
(11,297)

(8,271)

27,324

(12,470)

22,861

(235,917)
-
-

(37,000)
-
-

(21,742)

136,347
(48)
(15)

1,010,975

3,529,275
(713,472)
(152,392)

-

-

-

(55,610)

(18,071)

(14,351)

-

(5,001)

(8,097)

(964)

(46,484)

(1,525,644)

3,742

(174,917)

(298,967)

-

(104,060)

-

-

-

-

-

(1,696,819)

(566)

(403,593)

296,407

(46,127)

361,886

(240,918)

(45,097)

134,754

460,905

3,959

143,917

-

-

-

-

147,876

300,366
-
300,366

97,790
-
97,790

361,886
(5,131)
356,755

(240,918)
-
(240,918)

(45,097)
-
(45,097)

134,754
-
134,754

608,781
(5,131)
603,650

Consolidated statement 
of income
Year ended  
31 December 2017
Net interest income
Net Fee, commission and 
other income
Net operating income
Staff cost
Depreciation
Amortization of intangible 
assets
Impairment losses on 
investment securities
Net impairment losses on 
loans and advances to 
customers
Other expenses
Profit before share of 
results of associates and a 
joint arrangement
Share of results of 
associates and a joint 
arrangement
Profit for the year before tax
Income tax expenses
Net profit for the year

138

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
7.  FINANCIAL ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

(a)  Accounting classifications and fair values

The table below sets out the carrying amounts and fair values of the Group’s financial assets and financial liabilities:

Fair value through  
Profit & loss

Fair value through other 
comprehensive income

Debt 
instruments

Equity 
instruments

Debt 
instruments

Equity 
instruments

Amortised 
Cost

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

Total 
carrying 
amount

Fair value

-

-

4,619

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

6,716,058

6,716,058

6,716,058

9,468,706

9,468,706

9,468,706

83,697,012

83,701,631

83,701,631

441,174
-
445,793

658,617
-
658,617

3,881,850
-
3,881,850

110,774
-
110,774

-
17,015,392

5,092,415
5,092,415
17,011,067
17,015,392
116,897,168 121,994,202 121,989,877

-
-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-
-

13,820,543
71,321,450
15,998,539
8,301,828

13,820,543
-
71,321,450
-
16,005,936
-
-
8,301,828
- 109,442,360 109,442,360 109,449,757

13,820,543
71,321,450
15,998,539
8,301,828

2018

Cash and balances with 
central banks
Due from banks
Loans and advances to 
customers
Investment securities
- Measured at fair value
- At amortised cost

Due to banks
Customer deposits
Debt securities
Other borrowings

139

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
7.  FINANCIAL ASSETS AND LIABILITIES (continued)

(a)  Accounting classifications and fair values (continued)

The table below sets out the carrying amounts and fair values of the Group’s financial assets and financial liabilities:

Fair value 
through 
income 
statement

Loans and 
receivables 
(at amortised 
cost)

Held-to-
maturity

Available-
for-sale

Other 
amortised 
cost

Total carrying 
amount

Fair value

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

-

-

-

188,680

188,680

-
-
-
-
-

-

-

-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

7,373,918

10,499,348

89,121,935

-

-

-

-

19,440,566

106,995,201

19,440,566

-

-

-

-

-

7,373,918

7,373,918

10,499,348

10,499,348

89,121,935

89,121,935

19,629,246

19,629,246

126,624,447

126,624,447

-
-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-
-

13,515,872
13,515,872
77,633,333
77,633,333
11,604,890 11,604,890
9,303,365
9,303,365
112,057,460 112,057,460

13,515,872
77,633,333
11,782,538
9,303,365
112,235,108

2017

Cash and balances with 
central banks
Due from banks
Loans and advances to 
customers
Investment securities- 
measured at fair value

Due to banks
Customer deposits
Debt securities
Other borrowings

8.  CASH AND BALANCES WITH CENTRAL BANKS

Cash
Cash reserve with central banks *
Other balances with central banks

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

618,025
3,531,400
2,566,633
6,716,058

726,639
4,395,786
2,251,493
7,373,918

*The cash reserve with central banks is mandatory reserve not available for use in the Group’s day to day operations.

140

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
9.  DUE FROM BANKS

Current accounts
Placements
Loans to banks

Allowance for impairment of due from bank

10.  LOANS AND ADVANCES TO CUSTOMERS

a)  By type

Loans
Overdrafts
Bills discounted
Bankers acceptances

Deferred profit
Allowance for impairment of  loans and advances to customers**
ECL on loans and advances to customers
Net loans and advances to customers*

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

1,794,590
5,182,478
2,505,336
9,482,404
(13,698)
9,468,706

1,760,666
6,268,824
2,469,858
10,499,348
-
10,499,348

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

80,356,664
5,069,471
367,098
1,766,122
87,559,355
(11,099)
(2,844,016)
(1,002,609)
83,701,631

82,692,419
7,928,545
632,506
2,156,937
93,410,407
(14,109)
(4,274,363)
-
89,121,935

*The  aggregate  amount  of  non-performing  loans  and  advances  to  customers  amounted  QAR  4,891  million  which 
represents 5.59% of total loans and advances to customers (2017: QAR 5,274 million 5.65% of total loans and advances 
to customers).
**Allowance for impairment of loans and advances to customers includes QAR 563 million of interest in suspense (2017: 
QAR 549 million).

By internal business segment

Government and related agencies
Wholesale
Retail
Net loans and advances to customers

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

10,218,386
46,956,120
26,527,125
83,701,631

12,348,519
48,166,483
28,606,933
89,121,935

141

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
10.  LOANS AND ADVANCES TO CUSTOMERS (continued)

b)  By sector

2018

Loans

Overdrafts

Bills 
discounted

Bankers 
acceptances

Total

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

Government and related agencies
Non-banking financial institutions
Industry
Commercial
Services
Contracting
Real estate
Personal
Others

7,741,511
1,575,772
7,408,275
7,916,044
24,312,889
3,468,394
21,784,703
5,191,694
957,382
80,356,664

2,476,875
-
10,405
288,218
238,557
367,274
162,561
1,476,295
49,286
5,069,471

-
25,236
6,083
72,704
150,710
112,365
-
-
-
367,098

-
-
11,614
732,073
451,151
568,770
-
-
2,514
1,766,122

Less: Deferred profit
Allowance for impairment of loans and advances to customers
ECL on loans and advances to customers

Net loans and advances to customers

10,218,386
1,601,008
7,436,377
9,009,039
25,153,307
4,516,803
21,947,264
6,667,989
1,009,182
87,559,355

(11,099)
(2,844,016)
(1,002,609)
(3,857,724)
83,701,631

142

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continuedTotal

12,348,519
2,385,005
8,374,272
6,257,594
23,338,235
6,627,503
24,621,840
8,623,475
833,964
93,410,407

(14,109)
(4,274,363)
(4,288,472)
89,121,935

10.  LOANS AND ADVANCES TO CUSTOMERS (continued)

b)  By sector (continued)

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

2017

Government and related agencies
Non-banking financial institutions
Industry
Commercial
Services
Contracting
Real Estate
Personal
Others

Loans

Overdrafts

Bills 
discounted

Bankers 
acceptances

7,348,152
2,347,076
8,329,504
5,637,966
21,855,330
4,921,300
24,262,392
7,210,031
780,668
82,692,419

5,000,367
76
21,059
275,875
471,829
377,230
359,274
1,370,432
52,403
7,928,545

-
37,853
12,863
120,646
256,022
161,881
-
43,012
229
632,506

-
-
10,846
223,107
755,054
1,167,092
174
-
664
2,156,937

Less: Deferred profit
Allowance for impairment of loans and advances to customers

Net loans and advances to customers

c)  Movement in allowance for impairment of loans and advances to customers

Balance at 1 January
Transition adjustment on adoption of IFRS 9 on 1 January 2018
Allowance made during the year
Recoveries during the year
Net allowance for impairment during the year *
Written off / transferred during the year
Exchange differences
Balance at 31 December

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

4,274,363
1,315,988
1,913,098
(511,621)
1,401,477
(2,883,572)
(261,631)
3,846,625

3,206,064
-
2,167,992
(364,497)
1,803,495
(701,577)
(33,619)
4,274,363

*This includes net interest suspended during the year QAR 474.3 million (2017: QAR 106.7 million) as per QCB regulations.

143

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
10.  LOANS AND ADVANCES TO CUSTOMERS (continued)

c)  Movement in allowance for impairment of loans and advances to customers (continued)

Further analysis is by internal business segment

Stage 1

Commercial Bank
Stage 2

Stage 3

Wholesale 
Banking

Retail 
Banking

Wholesale 
Banking

Retail 
Banking

Wholesale 
Banking

Retail 
Banking

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Alternatif bank

Others

Total

Balance at 1 January 2018
Transition adjustment on adoption of 
IFRS 9 on 1 January 2018
Allowance made during the year
Recoveries/reversal during the year
Written off / transferred during the year
Exchange differences
Balance at 31 December 2018

-

537

29,856
-
-
-
30,393

-

-

-

2,879,220

869,910

3,749,130

-

-

512,865

512,865

12,368

4,274,363

820  

890,711

42,361
-
-
-
43,181

(210,236)
-
-
-
680,475

42,105

(30,167)
-
-
-
11,938

-

-

1,201,873
(214,259)
(2,417,706)
-

557,450
(80,382)
(337,145)
-
1,449,128 1,009,833

934,173

(41,914)

423,729

-

381,815

1,591,138

(294,641)

(2,754,851)

122,381

(103,358)

(301)

-

3,224,949

(23,192)

23,900

(75,250)

6,919

(119,485)

259,813

175,679

(37,831)

(135,339)

(142,146)

373,228

321,960

(216,439)

(128,721)

(261,631)

609,849

Stage 1

Commercial Bank
Stage 2

Stage 3

Wholesale 
Banking

Retail 
Banking

Wholesale 
Banking

Retail 
Banking

Wholesale 
Banking

Retail 
Banking

 Balance at 1 January 2017
Transition  adjustment  on  adoption  of 
IFRS 9 on 1 January 2018
Allowance made during the year
Recoveries/reversal during the year
Written off / transferred during the year
Exchange differences
Balance at 31 December 2017

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

- 2,048,565

643,912

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-

1,489,934
(172,557)
(486,722)
-
2,879,220

379,566
(64,623)
(88,945)
-
869,910

144

Subsidiaries

Total 

Alternatif 

Bank

Subsidiaries

Total 

Alternatif 

Bank

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

1,315,988

1,913,098

(511,621)

(2,883,572)

(261,631)

3,846,625

(541)

11,827

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

16,110

3,206,064 

-

2,167,992 

(364,497)

(701,577)

(33,619)

4,274,363 

(3,742)

12,368

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

497,477

497,477

-

-

298,492

(123,575)

(125,910)

(33,619)

512,865

298,492

(123,575)

(125,910)

(33,619)

512,865

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Alternatif bank

Others

Total

Commercial 

Total 

Bank

-

-

-

Commercial 

Total 

Bank

2,692,477

1,869,500

(237,180)

(575,667)

3,749,130

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
10.  LOANS AND ADVANCES TO CUSTOMERS (continued)

c)  Movement in allowance for impairment of loans and advances to customers (continued)

Further analysis is by internal business segment

Balance at 1 January 2018

Transition adjustment on adoption of 

IFRS 9 on 1 January 2018

Allowance made during the year

Recoveries/reversal during the year

Written off / transferred during the year

Exchange differences

537

820  

890,711

42,105

29,856

42,361

(210,236)

(30,167)

1,201,873

(214,259)

(2,417,706)

557,450

(80,382)

(337,145)

Balance at 31 December 2018

30,393

43,181

680,475

11,938

1,449,128 1,009,833

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

- 2,048,565

643,912

1,489,934

(172,557)

(486,722)

379,566

(64,623)

(88,945)

2,879,220

869,910

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Stage 1

Commercial Bank

Stage 2

Stage 3

Wholesale 

Banking

Retail 

Banking

Wholesale 

Banking

Retail 

Banking

Wholesale 

Banking

Retail 

Banking

 Balance at 1 January 2017

Transition  adjustment  on  adoption  of 

IFRS 9 on 1 January 2018

Allowance made during the year

Recoveries/reversal during the year

Written off / transferred during the year

Exchange differences

Balance at 31 December 2017

Stage 1

Commercial Bank

Stage 2

Stage 3

Wholesale 

Banking

Retail 

Banking

Wholesale 

Banking

Retail 

Banking

Wholesale 

Banking

Retail 

Banking

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Subsidiaries

Total 
Commercial 
Bank

Alternatif bank

Total 
Alternatif 
Bank

Others

Total

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

-

2,879,220

869,910

3,749,130

-

-

512,865

512,865

934,173

(41,914)

423,729

-

381,815

1,591,138
(294,641)
(2,754,851)
-
3,224,949

122,381
(103,358)
(301)
-
(23,192)

23,900
(75,250)
6,919
(119,485)
259,813

175,679
(37,831)
(135,339)
(142,146)
373,228

321,960
(216,439)
(128,721)
(261,631)
609,849

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

12,368

4,274,363

-

1,315,988

-
(541)
-
-
11,827

1,913,098
(511,621)
(2,883,572)
(261,631)
3,846,625

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Subsidiaries

Alternatif bank

Total 
Alternatif 
Bank

Others

Total

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

497,477

497,477

-

-

298,492
(123,575)
(125,910)
(33,619)
512,865

298,492
(123,575)
(125,910)
(33,619)
512,865

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

-

-

-
-
-
-
-

16,110

3,206,064 

-

-
(3,742)
-
-
12,368

-

2,167,992 
(364,497)
(701,577)
(33,619)
4,274,363 

Total 
Commercial 
Bank

2,692,477

-

1,869,500
(237,180)
(575,667)
-
3,749,130

145

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
11. 

INVESTMENT SECURITIES

IFRS 9:
Fair value through other comprehensive income (FVOCI)
Fair value through profit & loss (FVTPL)
Amortised cost (AC)
Total

IAS 39:
Available-for-sale
Investment securities designated at fair value through profit or loss
Total

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
31-Dec-17
Audited

31-Dec-18
Audited

3,992,624
1,099,791
17,015,392
22,107,807

-
-
-
-

-
-
-

19,440,566
188,680
19,629,246

The carrying value of investment securities pledged under repurchase agreements (REPO) is QAR 7,656 million (2017: 
QAR 6,666 million)

a)  Fair value through other comprehensive income (IFRS 9):

Equities
State of Qatar debt securities
Debt and other securities*
Total

Available-for-sale (IAS 39):

Equities
State of Qatar debt securities
Debt and other securities
Investment funds
Total

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
Unquoted
110,774
-
42,690
153,464

Total
110,774
2,568,724
1,313,126
3,992,624

2017
Unquoted
151,248
1,681,420
71,096
54,944
1,958,708

Total
263,429
14,777,116
4,284,601
115,420
19,440,566

Quoted
-
2,568,724
1,270,436
3,839,160

Quoted
112,181
13,095,696
4,213,505
60,476
17,481,858

* Fixed rate securities and floating rate securities amounted to QAR 1,311 million and QAR 2 million respectively (2017: QAR 
3,999 million and QAR 286 million respectively).

The Group has classified three strategic equity investments as fair value through other comprehensive income (FVOCI) 
amounting to QAR 110.8 million.

146

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
11. 

INVESTMENT SECURITIES (continued)

b)  Fair value through profit & loss (IFRS 9)

Equities
State of Qatar debt securities
Debt and other securities
Investment funds
Total

Quoted

569,696
61,000
343,774
26,068
1,000,538

Investment securities designated at fair value through profit & loss (IAS 39)

Debt securities
Total

c)  Amortised Cost (IFRS 9)

By Issuer

State of Qatar debt securities
Debt and other securities
Total

By Interest Rate

Fixed Rate Securities
Floating Rate Securities
Total

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
Unquoted

Total

26,752
-
36,400
36,101
99,253

596,448
61,000
380,174
62,169
1,099,791

2017

188,680
188,680

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
Unquoted

Total

Quoted

12,482,962
2,927,180
15,410,142

1,605,250
-
1,605,250

14,088,212
2,927,180
17,015,392

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
Unquoted

Total

Quoted

15,279,288
130,854
15,410,142

1,605,250
-
1,605,250

16,884,538
130,854
17,015,392

Investment in securities include an amount of QAR 1.92 billion in a subsidiary which were re-classified and designated as 
amortized cost from FVOCI as on 30th September 2018. The associated FVR within the statement of OCI increased by 
QAR 202 million with a corresponding increase in the carrying value of the investment. The profit and loss impact was not 
material.

147

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
12.  INVESTMENT IN ASSOCIATES AND A JOINT ARRANGEMENT

Balance at 1 January
Share of results -(note 22)
Cash dividend - (note 22)
Other movements
Reclassified to asset held for sale- (note 13)
Balance at 31 December

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

2,088,158
170,738
(76,627)
(85,959)
-
2,096,310

4,300,647
147,876
(81,454)
8,189
(2,287,100)
2,088,158

Amount (QAR ‘000s)

Classification

2018

2017 Country Activities

Ownership % Price  
per share 
2018
(QAR)
2017

Associate

2,083,707

2,079,340

Oman

Banking

34.9% 34.9%

Associate

-

-

UAE

Banking

40% 40%

1.72

1.19

Joint venture

12,603

8,818

Qatar

Insurance 
brokerage

50% 50% Un listed

2,096,310

2,088,158

Name of the 
Entity

National Bank of 
Oman SAOG 
(‘NBO’)
United Arab Bank 
PJSC (‘UAB’)*
Massoun 
Insurance 
Services LLC

*Refer to note 13

The summarised financial position and results of NBO as at the end of reporting period is as follows:

Total assets
Total liabilities
Operating income
Net profit
Total comprehensive income
Share of results

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

33,770,081 
 28,698,879
1,219,512
478,375
 456,804
166,953

32,803,699
27,640,155
1,248,957
416,158
382,063
145,239

13.  ASSET HELD FOR SALE

The Group had granted a third party purchaser (the “Purchaser”) an exclusivity during which the parties were negotiating 
the terms of a potential sale to the Purchaser, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, of the Group’s stake in one 
of its associates, UAB.  Discussions for the sale of Group’s stake in UAB have concluded in June 2018, with both parties 
unable to reach an agreement. The Group’s strategy in regards to UAB remains unchanged.

148

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
14  PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT

Cost
Balance at 1 January 2017
Additions / transfers
Revaluation on land & buildings
Disposals
Exchange differences
Balance at 31 December 2017

Balance at 1 January 2018
Additions / transfers
Revaluation on land & buildings
Disposals
Exchange differences
Balance at 31 December 2018

Accumulated depreciation
Balance at 1 January 2017
Depreciation for the year
Revaluation on land & buildings
Disposals
Exchange differences
Balance at 31 December 2017

Balance at 1 January 2018
Depreciation for the year
Revaluation on land & buildings
Disposals
Exchange differences
Balance at 31 December 2018

Net carrying amounts
Balance at 31 December 2017
Balance at 31 December 2018

Land and 
buildings

Leasehold 
improvements

Furniture 
and 
equipment

Motor 
vehicles

1,997,145
1,518
-
(193)
(11)
1,998,459

1,998,459
177,909
21,592
(414)
(21,264)
2,176,282

10,958
37,393
-
-
-
48,351

48,351
39,629
-
-
(211)
87,769

136,704
8,108
-
(6,008)
(3,091)
135,713

1,115,533
83,933
-
(9,520)
(5,142)
1,184,804

1,184,804
135,713
79,056
6,067
-
-
(12,014)
(11,000)
(20,282)
(11,820)
118,960 1,231,564

114,283
6,899
-
(5,977)
(1,881)
113,324

890,261
107,246
-
(8,206)
(3,793)
985,508

113,324
4,424
-
(7,652)
(6,711)

985,508
84,534
-
(11,687)
(14,018)
103,385 1,044,337

4,560
1,666
-
(1,364)
(37)
4,825

4,825
456
-
(905)
(217)
4,159

3,216
854
-
(745)
(31)
3,294

3,294
640
-
(901)
(168)
2,865

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Capital 
work in 
progress

Total

414,011
3,652
-
-
-
417,663

3,667,953
98,877
-
(17,085)
(8,281)
3,741,464

417,663
8,641
-
-
-

3,741,464
272,129
21,592
(24,333)
(53,583)
426,304 3,957,269

-
-
-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-
-
-

1,018,718
152,392
-
(14,928)
(5,705)
1,150,477

1,150,477
129,227
-
(20,240)
(21,108)
1,238,356

1,950,108
2,088,513

22,389
15,575

199,296
187,227

1,531
1,294

417,663 2,590,987
426,304 2,718,913

149

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued15.  INTANGIBLE ASSETS

Cost
Balance at 1 January 2017
Additions / transfers
Acquisitions
Disposals
Exchange differences
Balance at 31 December 2017

Balance at 1 January 2018
Additions / transfers
Acquisitions
Disposals
Exchange differences
Balance at 31 December 2018

Amortisation and Impairment
Balance at 1 January 2017
Amortisation during the year
Acquisitions
Impairment during the year
Exchange differences
Balance at 31 December 2017

Balance at 1 January 2018
Amortisation during the year
Acquisitions
Impairment during the year
Exchange differences
Balance at 31 December 2018

Net carrying amounts
Balance at 31 December 2017
Balance at 31 December 2018

Customer 
relationship

Brand

Core 
deposit

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Internally 
developed 
software

Total

86,405
6,722
-
-
(5,264)
87,863

87,863
5,001
-
-
(23,463)
69,401

45,910
3,982
-
-
(2,952)
46,940

46,940
3,449
-
-
(12,360)
38,029

279,295
-
-
-
7,184
286,479

286,479
-
-
-
(15,718)
270,761

110,682
36,894
-
-
-
147,576

147,576
36,894
-
-
-
184,470

72,915
-
-
-
963
73,878

73,878
-
-
-
(6,165)
67,713

24,969
8,323
-
-
-
33,292

33,292
8,323
-
-
-
41,615

21,535
7,751
-
-
(986)
28,300

28,300
9,301
-
(188)
(7,418)
29,995

14,501
6,411
-
-
(958)
19,954

19,954
6,083
-
-
(4,881)
21,156

729,226
14,473
-
-
(15,959)
727,740

727,740
14,302
-
(188)
(123,735)
618,119

245,862
55,610
-
-
(3,910)
297,562

297,562
54,749
-
-
(17,241)
335,070

Goodwill

269,076
-
-
-
(17,856)
251,220

251,220
-
-
-
(70,971)
180,249

49,800
-
-
-
-
49,800

49,800
-
-
-
-
49,800

201,420
130,449

40,923
31,372

138,903
86,291

40,586
26,098

8,346
8,839

430,178
283,049

150

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued15.  INTANGIBLE ASSETS (continued)

Impairment testing for CGU containing goodwill
For the purpose of impairment testing, goodwill is allocated to the Group’s CGU-ABank. A discount rate of 23.0% and a 
terminal growth rate of 2.75 % were used to estimate the recoverable amount of ABank.

The recoverable amount for the CGU has been calculated based on the ‘Value in Use Method’, determined by discounting 
the future cash flows expected to be generated from the continuing use of the CGU. The discount rate was a pre-tax 
measure based on the Government Bonds10 year yield TL, adjusted for an equity market risk premium and equity beta.

Five years of cash flows are included in the discounted cash model. A long term growth rate into perpetuity has been 
determined as the lower of the nominal GDP rates for the country in which CGU operate and the long term compound 
annual profit before taxes, depreciation and amortization growth rate estimated by the management. The key assumptions 
described above may change as economic and market conditions change.

No impairment loss is recognized in 2018 nil (2017: nil) as the recoverable amount of this CGU was determined to be higher 
than its carrying amount.

16.  OTHER ASSETS

Interest receivable and accrued income
Prepaid expenses
Accounts receivable
Repossessed collateral*
Positive fair value of derivatives (note 37)
Clearing cheques
Others

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

1,127,511
60,366
392,869
2,605,213
371,716
218,861
642,109
5,418,645

892,709
94,354
352,874
2,139,591
462,483
249,711
236,460
4,428,182

*This represents the value of the properties acquired in settlement of debts and subsequent additions, which have been 
stated at their carrying value net of any allowance for impairment and credit enhancement. The estimated market values 
of these properties at the end of the reporting period are not materially different from the carrying values.

17.  DUE TO BANKS

Balances due to central banks
Current accounts
Placements with banks
Repurchase agreements with banks

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

561,311
323,873
6,773,721
6,161,638
13,820,543

281,625
811,754
6,570,486
5,852,007
13,515,872

151

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
18.  CUSTOMER DEPOSITS

a)  By type

Current and call deposits
Saving deposits
Time deposits

b)  By sector

Government
Government and semi government agencies
Individuals
Corporate
Non-banking financial institutions

19.  DEBT SECURITIES

EMTN unsecured Programme – Senior unsecured notes *
Senior Notes*
Subordinated Notes *
Others#
Total

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

16,310,290
4,389,075
50,622,085
71,321,450

17,630,840
4,394,576
55,607,917
77,633,333

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

10,610,571
8,641,978
22,064,871
26,865,471
3,138,559
71,321,450

12,426,816
12,540,523
21,494,057
27,491,521
3,680,416
77,633,333

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

7,809,032
2,888,175
3,441,222
1,860,110
15,998,539

5,540,548
1,130,570
3,431,969
1,501,803
11,604,890

152

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued19.  DEBT SECURITIES (continued)

* The following table provides the breakdown of the Debt Securities as at close of 31 December 2018.

Instrument

Issuer

Issued amount

Issued on Maturity

Coupon

EMTN - Senior notes

Subordinate notes

CBQ Finance Ltd
CBQ Finance Ltd
CBQ Finance Ltd
CBQ Finance Ltd
CBQ Finance Ltd
CBQ Finance Ltd
CBQ Finance Ltd
Alternatif Bank

USD 750 million*
USD 750 million*
USD 155 million*
USD 500 million*
CHF 335 million*
CHF 100 million*
USD 600 million*
USD 297 million

Alternatif Bank

USD 50 million

Jun-14
Jun-16
Apr-18
May-18
Mar-18
Oct-18
Nov-09
Apr-16

Jun-15

Senior Notes
Senior Notes

Alternatif Bank
Alternatif Bank
Alternatif Bank
Alternatif Bank
Alternatif Bank
Alternatif Bank
Alternatif Bank
Alternatif Bank
Alternatif Bank
Alternatif Bank
Alternatif Bank
* Issued for and Guaranteed by the Bank
** Guaranteed by the Bank
# Others include Commercial Papers and certificate of deposits issued by the bank.

USD 250 million**
TL 66 million
TL 77 million
TL 50 million
TL 33 million
TL 53 million
TL 65 million
TL 84 million
TL 84 million
TL 26 million
TL 6 million

Jul-14
Oct-18
Nov-18
Dec-18
Dec-18
Dec-18
Dec-18
Oct-18
Nov-18
Dec-18
Dec-18

Movements in debt securities are analysed as follows:

Balance at 1st January
Additions
Repayments
Amortisation of discount and transaction cost
Other movement
Exchange difference
Balance at 31 December

Jun-19
Jun-21
Apr-19
May-23
Mar-21
Oct-22
Nov-19
Apr-26

Jun-25

Jul-19
Jan-19
Jan-19
Mar-19
Mar-19
Mar-19
Mar-19
Jan-19
Feb-19
Mar-19
Mar-19

Fixed Rate 2.875%
Fixed Rate 3.25%
Fixed Rate 3.25%
Fixed Rate 5.00%
Fixed Rate 0.707%
Fixed Rate 1.125%
Fixed Rate 7.50%
Fixed Rate 8.75%
Floating Rate LIBOR 
+6.00%
Fixed Rate 3.13%
Fixed Rate 27.00%
Fixed Rate 26.00%
Fixed Rate 23.75%
Fixed Rate 23.50%
Fixed Rate 23.70%
Fixed Rate 23.61%
Fixed Rate 11.00%
Fixed Rate 10.90%
Fixed Rate 24.00%
Fixed Rate 24.00%

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

11,604,890
9,508,091
(5,055,194)
29,119
-
(88,367)
15,998,539

11,717,260
3,845,587
(3,968,148)
19,776
-
(9,585)
11,604,890

153

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
19.  DEBT SECURITIES (continued)

The table below shows the maturity profile of debt securities:

Up to 1 year
Between 1 and 3 years
Over 3 years
Balance at 31 December

20.  OTHER BORROWINGS

Syndicated loans
Others
Total

Movements in other borrowings are as follows:

Balance at 1 January
Additions
Repayments
Fair value adjustment on consolidation of Alternatif Bank
Amortisation of discount and transaction cost
Other movement
Exchange difference
Balance at 31 December

The table below shows the maturity profile of other borrowings:

Up to 1 year
Between 1 and 3 years
Over 3 years
Balance at 31 December

154

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

7,885,098
4,679,586
3,433,855
15,998,539

1,837,344
5,801,290
3,966,256
11,604,890

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

4,848,032
3,453,796
8,301,828

5,065,654
4,237,711
9,303,365

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

9,303,365
6,583,404
(6,634,330)
(37,291)
13,724
-
(927,044)
8,301,828

10,777,242
4,161,023
(5,414,984)
(37,291)
10,556
-
(193,181)
9,303,365

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

3,474,304
4,093,799
733,725
8,301,828

7,029,324
935,090
1,338,951
9,303,365

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
21.  OTHER LIABILITIES

Interest payable
Accrued expense payable
Other provisions (note i)
Negative fair value of derivatives (note 37)
Unearned income
Cash margins
Accounts payable
Directors’ remuneration
Social & sports activities support fund (“Daam”) (note 24)
Dividend payable
Managers’ cheque and payment order
Unclaimed balances
Due for trade acceptances
Deferred tax liabilities
Income tax payable
Others
Net impairment losses on loan commitments and fiancial guarantees
Total

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

601,527
291,899
215,723
353,499
228,529
652,083
443,407
18,500
41,580
19,640
28,164
11,010
1,751,994
12,123
26,634
828,646
103,972
5,628,930

462,071
306,682
225,099
355,614
209,891
520,427
267,194
18,500
15,091
16,009
38,255
43,087
2,156,937
33,822
24,465
676,929
-
5,370,073

(i)  Other provisions

Provident 
fund (a)

Pension 
fund (b)

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
Total 
Total
 2018
2017

Balance at 1 January
Provision made during the year (note 32)
Earnings of the fund
Provident fund – staff contribution
Transferred to state retirement fund authority
Payment during the year
Exchange difference
Balance at 31 December

223,789
8,369
5,968
6,950
-
(29,838)
(2,216)
213,022

1,310
10,999
-
5,852
(15,460)
-
-
2,701

225,099
19,368
5,968
12,802
(15,460)
(29,838)
(2,216)
215,723

235,658
27,240
6,051
13,235
(16,770)
(39,789)
(526)
225,099

(a)  The provident fund includes the Group’s obligations for end of service benefits to expatriate staff per Qatar labour law 

and the employment contracts.

(b)  Pension fund contributions in respect of the national staff are paid to the State administered retirement fund at the 
end of each month. The Group has no further payment obligations once the contributions have been paid. The 
contributions are recognized when they are due.

155

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
22.  EQUITY

(a)  Share capital

The issued, subscribed and paid up share capital of the Bank is QAR 4,047,253,760 (2017: QAR 4,047,253,760) divided 
into 404,725,376 (2017: 404,725,376) ordinary shares of QAR 10 each.

In thousands of shares

On issue at the beginning of the reporting period
Right issued
Bonus shares issued
In issue at 31 December

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

404,725
-
-
404,725

326,629
58,823
19,273
404,725

The Extraordinary General Assembly of the Bank was held on 16 November 2016 to resolve the increase of issued share 
capital of the Bank from QAR 3,266,292,100 to QAR 3,854,527,390 by way of offering 58,823,529 new ordinary shares for 
subscription at a price of QAR 25.50 (Twenty-five Qatari Riyals and fifty Dirhams) each (including premium per share of 
QAR 15.5) (the Rights Issue). This resulted in an increase in the share capital by QAR 588.24 million and legal reserve by 
QAR 911.76 million (share premium) and in total by QAR 1,500 million. The Rights Issue exercise was closed on 25 January 
2017.

At  31  December  2018,  the  authorised  share  capital  comprised  404,725  thousand  ordinary  share  (2017:  404,725 
thousand).

The holders of ordinary shares are entitled to receive dividends as declared from time to time and are entitled to one vote 
per share at shareholders’ Annual/Extra-ordinary General meeting of the Bank.

(b)  Legal reserve

The legal reserve of Commercial Bank and Alternatif Bank are QAR 9,652 million (2017: QAR 9,652 million) and QAR 89 
million (2017: QAR 86 million) respectively.

In accordance with Qatar Central Bank Law No 13 of 2012, 10% of the net profit of the Group for the year is required to be 
transferred to legal reserve. Share premium collected from the issuance of new shares also transferred to legal reserve. 
Transfer to legal reserve from net profit is mandatory until the legal reserve equals 100% of the paid up capital. This 
reserve is not available for distribution except in circumstances specified in Qatar Commercial Companies Law No 11 of 
2015 and is subject to pre-approval from QCB.

In accordance with the Turkish Commercial code, an entity is required to transfer 5% of net profit until the legal reserve is 
equal to 20% of issued and fully paid up share capital. Rate for transfer to legal reserve goes up to 10% of net profit 
allocated for distribution excluding the first 5% of the allocated profit. Share premium and proceeds from cancelled 
shares, if any net of related expenses are also transferred to legal reserve.

(c)  General reserve

As per the Bank’s Articles of Association, the general reserve may only be used in accordance with a resolution from the 
General Assembly upon the Board of Directors recommendation and after obtaining Qatar Central Bank approval.

156

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
22.  EQUITY (continued)

(d)  Risk reserve

In accordance with QCB regulations, a risk reserve should be maintained created to cover contingencies on both the 
public and private sector financing assets, with a minimum requirement of 2.50% of the total loans and advances of the 
Group inside and outside Qatar after the exclusion of the specific provisions and interest in suspense. The finance provided 
to/or secured by the Ministry of Finance or finance against cash guarantees is excluded from the gross direct finance. On 
1st January 2018, after QCB approval QAR 1,529 millions was appropriated from risk reserve for transition adjustment on 
adoption of IFRS 9. During the year QAR 525 million (2017: QAR 88 million) was transferred to the risk reserve account as 
per QCB approval.

(e)  Fair value reserve

The fair value reserve arises from the revaluation of the investment securities through FVOCI, cash flow hedges and 
change of post acquisition fair value reserve of its associates and a joint arrangement.

Fair value reserve

Balance as at 1 January
Changes due to adoption of IFRS 9:
Transfer to Amortised cost
Transfer from retained earnings
Restated balance at beginning of the year
Impact of revaluation (IFRS 9) :
- on equity securities
- on debt securities
Net amount Transferred to Income statement
Net movement in effective portion of Cash Flow hedges
Net change in fair value of investment in associates
Net change in fair value of available -for -sale investments (IAS 39)
Net movement during the year
Balance as at 31 December

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

(44,500)

(219,815)

32,980
(51,510)
(63,030)

(19,484)
2,355
(10,228)
24,436
(7,515)
-
(10,436)
(73,466)

-
-
(219,815)

-
-
(46,612)
-
8,190
213,737
175,315
(44,500)

(f)  Treasury shares

Treasury shares represent ordinary shares of The Commercial Bank (P.S.Q.C) with nominal value of QAR 10 each. These 
shares are carried at cost of QAR 27.47 each. Treasury shares are presented as a deduction from equity.

(g)  Foreign currency translation reserve

The translation reserve comprises all foreign exchange differences arising from the translation of the financial statements 
of foreign operations.

157

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
22.  EQUITY (continued)

(h)  Other reserves

This includes the Group’s share of profit from investment in associates and a joint arrangement and non-distributable 
profit of subsidiaries, net of cash dividend received, as required by QCB regulations as follows:

Balance as at 1 January
Transition adjustments on adoption of IFRS 9 on 1 January 2018
Share of result of associates and a joint arrangement (note 12)
Dividend from associates and a joint arrangement (note 12)
Net movement
Balance as at 31 December

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

1,064,189
(78,442)
170,738
(76,627)
94,111
1,079,858

997,767
-
147,876
(81,454)
66,422
1,064,189

(i)  Proposed dividend

The Board of Directors has proposed a cash dividend of 15 % for the year 2018 (2017: 10% cash dividend). This proposal 
is subject to approval at the Annual General Assembly.

(j)  Dividends

A cash dividend of 10% for the year 2017 (2016: 5% bonus share), was approved at the Annual General Assembly held on 
21 March 2018 and distributed to shareholders.

(k)  Revaluation reserve

This represents the surplus on revaluation of land and buildings that are used in Group’s operations and is not available for 
distribution until the related assets have been disposed off or used.

(l) 

Instruments eligible for additional capital
In December 2013 the Bank raised tier 1 capital by issuing unsecured perpetual non-cumulative unlisted Tier 1 notes for an 
amount of QAR 2 billion. The distributions (i.e. coupon payments) are discretionary and non-cumulative and priced at a 
fixed rate of 6% per annum, payable annually until the first call date (i.e. 30 December 2019), and thereafter to be reset at 
a prevailing sixth year mid-swap rate plus margin every sixth year.

In February 2016 the Bank raised additional tier 1 capital by issuing unsecured perpetual non-cumulative unlisted Tier 1 
notes for an amount of QAR 2 billion. The distributions (i.e. coupon payments) are discretionary and non-cumulative and 
priced at a fixed rate of 6% per annum, payable annually until the first call date and thereafter to be reset at a prevailing 
sixth year mid-swap rate plus margin every sixth year. As per amendments required by Qatar Central Bank the first call 
date was amended from 27 February 2022 to 31 December 2021.

The Notes are ranked junior to the Bank’s existing unsubordinated obligations including existing subordinated debt and 
depositors, pari passu to all current and future subordinated obligations and senior to the ordinary shares issued by the 
Bank.

The  Notes  have  no  fixed  redemption  date  and  the  Bank  can  only  redeem  the  Notes  in  the  limited  circumstance  as 
mentioned in the term sheet i.e. regulatory / tax redemption and other general redemption conditions solely at the Bank’s 
discretion. The Bank might be required to write-off the proposed Capital issue, if a “loss absorption” event is triggered and 
the Bank has non-discretionary obligation to deliver cash or financial assets. These notes have been classified under 
equity.

158

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
23.  OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

Changes in fair value of investments in debt securities designated at FVOCI (IFRS 9) 
and (Available-for-sale investments for 2017):
Positive change in fair value
Negative change in fair value
Net change in fair value
Net amount transferred to profit or loss*
Foreign currency translation differences for foreign operation
Share of other comprehensive income of associates and a joint arrangement
Net changes in FV of Cash Flow hedges

Net changes in fair value of equity investments designated at FVOCI (IFRS 9):
Foreign currency translation differences for foreign operation
Net changes in FV of equity investments – FVOCI
Share of other comprehensive income of associates and a joint arrangement
Revaluation Reserve
Total other comprehensive income

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

68,543
(66,415)
2,128
(10,001)
(432,940)
(2,092)
24,436
(418,469)

-
(19,484)
(5,423)
19,126
(424,250)

261,900
(48,163)
213,737
(46,612)
-
-
-
167,125

(124,119)
-
8,190
-
51,196

*Net amount transferred to profit or loss includes a positive change in fair value of QAR 10.4 million (2017: QAR 50.0 
million) and a negative change in fair value of QAR 0.4 million (2017: QAR 4.0 million).

24.  CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIAL AND SPORTS ACTIVITIES SUPPORT FUND (“DAAM”)

Pursuant to Law No. 13 of 2008, the Bank made an appropriation of QAR 41.6 million (2017: QAR 15.1 million) from retained 
earnings for its contribution to the Social and Sports Activities Support Fund (“Daam”) of Qatar. This amount represents 
2.5% of the net profit of the Group for the year ended 31 December 2018.

25.  INTEREST INCOME

Loans and advances to customers
Debt securities
Amounts deposited with banks
Amounts deposited with central banks

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

4,811,277
895,035
321,830
49,180
6,077,322

4,163,011
670,313
277,739
27,858
5,138,921

The amounts reported above include interest income, calculated using the effective interest method, that relate to at 
amortized cost QAR 5,763 million (2017 : 4,469 million) and at fair value QAR 314 million (2017: QAR 670 million)

159

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
26.  INTEREST EXPENSE

Customer deposits
Debt securities
Other borrowings
Amount deposited by central banks and other banks

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

2,291,014
591,718
364,976
347,292
3,595,000

1,689,441
436,558
293,660
200,962
2,620,621

The  amounts  reported  above  include  interest  expense,  calculated  using  the  effective  interest  method,  on  financial 
liabilities at amortised cost.

27.  FEE AND COMMISSION INCOME

Loans and advances
Credit and debit card fees
Indirect credit facilities
Banking and other operations
Investment activities for customers

28.  FEE AND COMMISSION EXPENSE

Credit and debit card fees
Brokerage services
Others

29.  NET FOREIGN EXCHANGE GAIN

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

327,352
438,709
180,091
137,962
33,851
1,117,965

314,412
406,628
151,380
113,750
43,163
1,029,333

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

269,986
23,805
66,936
360,727

245,560
3,344
60,081
308,985

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

Dealing in foreign currencies & revaluation of spot assets

202,247

162,641

160

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
30.  INCOME FROM INVESTMENT SECURITIES

Net gain on disposal of investment securities measured at fair value
Net Change in Fair-value of Investment securities measured at fair value through 
icome statement
Dividend income

31.  OTHER INCOME

Rental and other income

32.  STAFF COSTS

Salary and allowances
Health care and medical insurance expenses
Staff end of services and pension fund contribution (note 21 (i))
Training and education

33.  OTHER EXPENSES

Marketing and advertisement
Professional fees
Communication, utilities and insurance
Board of Directors’ remuneration
Occupancy, IT consumables and maintenance
Travel and related costs
Printing and stationery
Outsourcing service costs
Others

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

10,267

(34,398)

5,305
(18,826)

39,339

(2,635)

11,986
48,690

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

85,576

79,296

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

637,954
16,997
19,368
2,147
676,466

664,902
17,132
27,240
4,198
713,472

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

38,021
25,671
50,232
18,500
68,328
1,800
6,498
46,361
57,482
312,893

32,126
44,509
59,430
18,500
103,005
1,970
8,185
98,830
37,038
403,593

161

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued34.  EARNINGS PER SHARE

Earnings per share of the Bank is calculated by dividing profit for the year attributable to the equity holders of the Bank by 
the weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue during the year:

Profit for the year attributable to the equity holders of the Bank
Less: Dividend on instruments eligible for additional capital
Profit for EPS calculation

Weighted average number of outstanding ordinary shares in thousands
Earnings per share (QAR)

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

1,663,179
(240,000)
1,423,179

603,648
(240,000)
363,648

404,725
3.52

400,040
0.91

The weighted average number of ordinary shares in thousands have been calculated as follows:

Qualifying ordinary shares at the beginning of the period
Effect of bonus share issue
Effect of right issue
Weighted average number of ordinary shares for the period

35.  CONTINGENT LIABILITIES AND CAPITAL COMMITMENTS

a)  Contingent liabilities
Unutilized credit facilities
Guarantees
Letters of credit
Total

b)  Capital commitments

Total

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

404,725
-
-
404,725

326,629
19,273
54,138
400,040

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

4,373,836
22,057,901
2,148,781
28,580,518

5,948,621
20,823,314
2,700,146
29,472,081

157,569

178,472

Unused facilities
Commitments  to  extend  credit  represent  contractual  commitments  to  make  loans  and  revolving  credits.  The  total 
contractual amounts do not necessarily represent future cash requirements, since commitments may expire without 
being drawn upon. Guarantees and Letters of credit Guarantees and letters of credit commit the group to make payments 
on behalf of customers in the event of a specific event. Guarantees and standby letters of credit carry the same credit risk 
as loans.

162

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
36.  CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

Cash and balances with central banks *
Due from banks up to 90 days

*Cash and balances with central banks exclude the mandatory cash reserve.

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

3,184,658
6,799,888
9,984,546

2,978,132
7,343,303
10,321,435

37.  DERIVATIVES

At 31 December 2018
Derivatives held for trading:
Interest rate swaps
Forward foreign exchange 
contracts and others
Derivatives held for  
fair value hedges:
Interest rate swaps
Derivatives held for  
cash flow hedges:
Forward foreign exchange 
contracts and others
Interest rate swaps
Total

At 31 December 2017
Derivatives held for trading:
Interest rate swaps
Forward foreign exchange 
contracts and others
Derivatives held for fair value 
hedges:
Interest rate swaps
Total

Notional / expected amount by term to maturity

Positive  
fair value

Negative 
fair value

Notional 
amount

within  
3 months

3 - 12 
months

1-5 years

More than 
5 years

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

210,529

147,758

119,502

6,905,474

66,489

271,270

3,647,959

2,919,756

158,232 42,587,267

26,254,574

7,742,516

8,476,634

113,543

13,309

625

3,857,446

120

72,371

1,395,891

-

-

168,379

1,239,795

2,449,272

92,094

1,303,797

-

-
371,716

282,479

178,437

2,769

-
353,499 55,159,143 26,321,063 8,274,259 15,081,250 5,482,571

413,065

413,065

-

-

174,367

7,888,900

68,185

251,668

4,036,997

3,532,050

160,427 35,902,206 22,337,907

7,410,907

6,019,374

134,018

1,567
462,483

-
20,820 3,090,986
355,614 46,882,092 22,406,092

-
7,662,575

105,646
10,162,017

2,985,340
6,651,408

163

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
37.  DERIVATIVES (continued)

The bank maintains strict control limits on net open derivative positions, i.e. the difference between purchase and sale 
contracts, by both amount and term. At any one time the amount subject to credit risk is limited to the current fair value of 
instruments that are favourable to the bank (i.e. assets) which in relation to derivatives is only a small fraction of the contract 
or notional values used to express the volume of instruments outstanding. This credit risk exposure is managed as part of 
the overall lending limits with customers, together with potential exposures from market movements. Collateral or other 
security is not usually obtained for credit risk exposures on these instruments, except where the bank requires margin 
deposits from counter-parties.

At 31 December 2018, the Group held the following derivatives as hedging instruments:-

Cash Flow Hedges:

Hedged item

Description

Currency

Notional in 
currency

Average 
Rate

Hedging instrument

Interest Rate Swaps

Cross Currency Swaps

Customer 
Deposits
Bond Issuance

Fixed for 
floating
CHF to USD

Cross Currency Swaps

JPY Bond

JPY to USD

TRY

USD
CHF
USD
JPY

600,000,000

23.81%

459,390,408
435,000,000
25,300,443
2,800,000,000

4.34%
0.78%
2.77%
0.10%

Hedging instrument

Fair value Hedges:

Hedged item

Description

Currency

Notional in 
currency

Average 
Rate

Interest Rate Swaps

Govt Bonds

Loans

Fixed for 
floating
Fixed for 
floating

USD

TRY

260,000,000

2.79%

110,000,000

22.59%

38.  FUND MANAGEMENT

As  at  the  end  of  the  reporting  date,  the  Group  holds  QAR  357  million  (2017:  QAR  314  million)  worth  of  international 
investment securities on behalf of its customers. Out of this amount, investment securities with a value of QAR 306 million 
(2017: QAR 258 million) are held with an international custody and settlement house. The remaining investment securities 
are held with the financial institutions through whom the securities were purchased. These financial institutions are industry 
leaders in their respective fields. The Group has established maximum limits for such holding with each financial institution 
according to its risk management policy

164

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
39.  RELATED PARTIES

The Group carries out various transactions with subsidiaries, associates and joint arrangement companies, members of 
the Board of Directors and the executive management or companies in which they have significant interest or any other 
parties of important influence in the Group’s financial or operations decisions.   The balances at the year end with these 
accounts were as follows:

Board members of the bank
- Loans, advances and financing activities (a)
- Deposits
- Contingent liabilities and other commitments
- Interest and fee income
- Interest paid on deposits accounts of board members
- Remuneration

Associates and joint arrangement companies
Due from banks
Due to banks
Deposits
Contingent liabilities
- Interest earned from associates
- Interest paid to associates

Senior management of the bank
- Remuneration and other benefits
- Loans and advances

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)
2018
2017

1,604,135
729,255
13,307
36,683
12,017
18,500

436,800
24,333
14,602
782,138
26
2,271

1,568,573
933,329
59,200
25,625
12,433
18,500

91,000
31,353
10,663
766,360
3,049
2,424

46,710
4,636

46,925
5,286

(a)  A significant portion of the loans, advances and financing activities’ balance at 31 December 2018 and 31 December 
2017 with the members of the Board and the companies in which they have significant influence are secured against 
tangible collateral or personal guarantees. Moreover, the loans, advances and financing activities are performing 
satisfactorily honouring all obligations.

165

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
40. CASH FLOW MOVEMENT IN LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

Additional disclosure for IAS 7
Cash Flow statement on Liabilities and Equity arising from Financing activities

Liabilities
Other 
Debt 
Securities
Borrowings
11,604,890 9,303,365
6,583,404
9,508,091

(5,055,194)

(6,634,330)

29,119

13,724

Share 
Capital
4,047,254
-

Legal 
Reserve
9,742,066
-

-

-

-

-

(Figures in QAR ‘000s)

Retained 
Earnings
Total
645,736 35,163,804
16,091,495

-

- (11,689,524)

-

42,843

Equity
Treasury 
Shares
(179,507)
-

-

-

-
(88,367)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
15,998,539 8,301,828 4,047,254

(37,291)
(927,044)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

-
-
-
-
-
3,086
-
-
-
9,745,152

-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
(179,507)

(412,982)
(375,691)
(1,015,411)
-
-
-
-
-
1,663,179
1,663,179
-
(3,086)
(525,000)
(525,000)
(404,725)
(404,725)
-
-
1,000,413 38,913,679

Balance at 1 January 2018
Proceeds from issue of debt 
securities/borrowings
Repayment of debt securities/
borrowings
Amortization of discount and 
transaction costs on securities/
other borrowings
Other movements
Exchange differences
Proceeds from rights issue
Bonus share issue
Profit for the year
Transfer to legal reserve
Transfer to risk reserve
Dividend paid
Treasury shares
Balance at 31 December 2018

41.  COMPARATIVES

Prior year figures have not been restated upon the adoption of IFRS 9.

166

Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements continued 
 
 
 
 
 
Supplementary  Information - Parent

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  OF THE PARENT
(a) Statement of Financial Position – Parent

As at 31 December

ASSETS
Cash and balances with central bank
Due from banks
Loans and advances to customers
Investment securities
Investment in associates and a joint arrangement and subsidiaries
Asset held for sale
Property and equipment
Other assets
TOTAL ASSETS

LIABILITIES
Due to banks
Customer deposits
Debt securities
Other borrowings
Other liabilities
TOTAL LIABILITIES

EQUITY
Share capital
Legal reserve
General reserve
Risk reserve
Fair value reserves
Treasury shares
Foreign currency translation reserve
Other reserves
Revaluation reserve
Retained earnings
TOTAL EQUITY ATTRIBUTABLE TO EQUITY HOLDERS OF THE BANK
Instrument eligible for additional capital
TOTAL EQUITY
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

2018

QAR ‘000s
2017

5,206,814
8,929,370
72,171,615
19,731,226
3,635,854
2,559,591
2,523,835
4,236,827
118,995,132

13,442,167
62,356,756
13,454,483
4,969,305
4,782,315
99,005,026

4,047,254
9,652,129
26,500
951,909
(41,084)
(179,507)
(1,771,821)
1,029,858
1,264,794
1,010,074
15,990,106
4,000,000
19,990,106
118,995,132

5,182,523
10,252,481
75,481,794
17,173,445
4,387,602
2,287,100
2,554,001
3,502,271
120,821,217

12,576,417
67,561,058
9,217,163
5,438,849
4,645,897
99,439,384

4,047,254
9,652,129
26,500
1,573,600
13,756
(179,507)
(1,121,125)
1,014,189
1,264,794
1,090,243
17,381,833
4,000,000
21,381,833
120,821,217

167

Supplementary  Information - Parent continued

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  OF THE PARENT (continued)
(b) Income Statement – Parent

For the year ended 31 December

Interest income
Interest expense
Net interest income

Fee and commission income
Fee and commission expense
Net fee and commission income

Foreign exchange gain
Income from investment securities
Other operating income
Net operating income

Staff costs
Depreciation
Amortization and impairment of intangible assets
Impairment losses on investment securities
Net impairment losses on loans and advances to customers
Net impairment reversal on other financial assets
Other expenses
Profit for the year

2018

4,348,781
(2,262,088)
2,086,693

967,658
(311,412)
656,246

171,946
(6,599)
87,508
2,995,794

(494,179)
(118,874)
(47,339)
(399)
(822,184)
111,108
(236,041)
1,387,886

QAR ‘000s
2017

3,737,021
(1,715,729)
2,021,292

894,560
(273,587)
620,973

213,360
58,309
76,975
2,990,909

(542,469)
(141,080)
(47,339)
(46,484)
(1,525,644)
-
(291,946)
395,947

168

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