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Qatari banking · · 3 min read

QNB: The Region’s Front-Runner in Applying ESG

Leading the field with a comprehensive strategy: net zero by 2050, a USD 11.34 billion sustainable finance portfolio, and external assurance over financed Scope 3 emissions - a Qatari bank setting its own bar above the regulatory one.

WRITTEN BY

ESG Qatar Editorial

Hawkama International

QNB’s headquarters in Doha, a glass-clad building carrying the bank’s logo and name across the upper facade
Photograph: Trinidade. Cropped for this page and offered under the same licence,CC BY-SA 3.0source (opens in a new tab)

Key takeaways

  • QNB is, on its own account, the first Qatari bank to set a net-zero-by-2050 target.
  • Its sustainable finance portfolio reached about USD 11.34 billion at end-2025, up 21% year on year.
  • It issued a EUR 750 million green bond, the largest of its kind for a Middle East bank at the time of issuance.
  • It reports independent external assurance over portfolio-wide financed Scope 3 emissions, aligned with IFRS S1 and S2.
  • The sustainability framework rests on three pillars: sustainable finance, sustainable operations, and “beyond banking”.
  • Board-level oversight is split: the Risk Committee owns environmental and social issues, Audit and Compliance owns governance.

Qatar National Bank (QNB) stands as a leading model for the application of ESG standards across the region. Its role does not stop at compliance: the bank aims to be at the forefront of sustainable financial institutions in the Middle East and Africa, with an explicit commitment to transparency and to measurable performance indicators.

Regional leadership, internationally recognised

The bank leads the field on the strength of a comprehensive strategy that has drawn wide international recognition. Among its most notable achievements on this front:

  • A pre-emptive carbon-neutrality commitmentThe bank announced its ambition to reach net zero emissions by 2050, making it the first Qatari bank to set that strategic target.
  • Leadership in sustainable financeIts sustainable finance portfolio reached approximately USD 11.34 billion at the end of 2025, an annual growth rate of 21%, which earned it the title of “Sustainable Lender of the Year” at the 2026 Middle East Transition Finance Awards.
  • Landmark issuancesIt issued a green bond of EUR 750 million, the largest of its kind for a bank in the Middle East at the time of issuance.
  • Strong credit ratingsIt has maintained strong ratings from the global agencies (S&P: A+, Moody’s: Aa2) and holds the highest ESG assessments among its regional peers from agencies such as MSCI (AA) and S&P Global ESG.

Reporting transparency above the regulatory floor

QNB sets new benchmarks in transparency and disclosure, going beyond the baseline regulatory requirements:

  • Alignment with global standardsThe bank is the first in the Middle East to obtain independent external assurance over financed Scope 3 emissions at the level of the entire portfolio, in line with the international disclosure standards IFRS S1 and IFRS S2.
  • Credibility in reportingIt is the only bank in the region to obtain external assurance over its reporting against the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards and its key sustainability performance indicators.
  • Regular publicationThe bank publishes comprehensive annual sustainability reports, the most recent being its 2025 report, in which it reaffirmed its carbon-neutrality commitment.

An integrated strategy for impact

The bank takes a structured approach through a sustainability framework built on three core pillars:

  • Sustainable financeIntegrating ESG criteria into financing and lending activity, through an Environmental and Social Risk Management (ESRM) framework that excludes thermal coal financing, and a Sustainable Finance and Products Framework (SFPF) that classifies transactions as sustainable or transitional.
  • Sustainable operationsStrengthening ethical practice and reducing the carbon footprint of internal operations and the supply chain, with a focus on diversity and inclusion and on Qatarisation, where the proportion of Qatari nationals has reached 60%.
  • Beyond bankingDirecting corporate social responsibility activity towards community support, with an emphasis on education and financial literacy, and participation in national and international events that advance the dialogue on global challenges.

Investing in expertise and governance

The bank underpins its ambitions by strengthening governance and building internal capability:

  • An advanced governance structureThe board’s Risk Committee holds responsibility for oversight of environmental and social issues, while the Audit and Compliance Committee oversees governance issues - a split that reflects the rising weight of climate risk.
  • Recruiting the expertiseThe bank advertised a senior specialist post - Assistant Vice President, Climate Risk - to develop frameworks for measuring and managing climate and nature risk and to prepare reporting against standards such as IFRS S1 and S2, which indicates a serious investment in specialist expertise.

On this record, Qatar National Bank does not merely disclose its ESG practices: it is leading a transformation in the region’s financial sector through explicit commitments such as carbon neutrality, tangible financing, transparency reinforced by external assurance, and investment in governance and skills - which makes it a model for embedding sustainability at the core of a banking business strategy.

Disclosure: QNB Group is the strategic partner of the 3rd ESG Qatar Conference. This article was prepared by the ESG Qatar editorial team from the bank’s own published disclosures.

TOPICS

  • QNB sustainability report
  • sustainable finance Qatar
  • financed Scope 3 emissions assurance
  • net zero banking 2050
  • ESG ratings Middle East banks

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