SWF Radar QIA

The Telegraph reports that, “Sumitomo, Japan’s second biggest bank, may invest about £490m in Barclays. The UK bank has also successfully courted the Qatar Investment Authority. The other two investors are Temasek, owned by the Singaporean government, and China Development Bank (CDB), which together bought 5pc of Barclays last year.”

The Financial Times reports that, “Singapore’s Temasek Holdings and the Qatar Investment Authority are among the sovereign wealth funds considering backing a share issue by Barclays as the UK bank seeks to raise more than £4bn from investors.”

Gulf Times reports that, “The [prime ministers of Qatar and Turkey on Wednesday] witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on investment co-operation between the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and the Turkish government.”

The Peninsula reports that, “A study carried out by the Saudi British Bank (SABB) says Qatar’s Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), controlled a whopping $65bn in assets at the end of the first quarter this year. Moreover, the study estimates with growing oil and gas revenues, by 2010, QIA will have assets amounting to $105bn.”

The Telegraph writes that, “Paul Taylor’s investment fund [Three Delta] is preparing to divorce its Gulf paymasters [the Qatar Investment Authority].”

Emirates Business 24/7 reports that, “Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund [the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA)] controlled nearly $65 billion (Dh238.74bn) in assets at the end of the first quarter of 2008 and a surge in its oil and gas income will boost the assets to nearly $105bn in 2010, according to a Saudi bank.”

The Financial Times reports that, “The relationship between the Qatar Investment Authority and Three Delta, its UK investment adviser run by Paul Taylor, has broken down and the sovereign wealth fund is working on buying out his interest in Four Seasons, the nursing home operator. The potential split between QIA and Mr Taylor, which made an abortive takeover bid for the J Sainsbury's supermarket chain last year, could lead to the sovereign wealth fund's buying out all four investments made since Three Delta's creation two years ago.”

The Financial Times reports that, “Clara Furse, chief executive of the London Stock Exchange, on Tuesday held talks with officials in Qatar, home to the exchange's second largest shareholder, amid continuing investor concern over the LSE's wilting share price. People familiar with the situation said the talks were likely to include progress on a months-old plan to help the Doha Securities Market expand its trading platform, and develop the emirate's capital market in the wider Gulf region. They would not confirm whether Ms Furse would be meeting the Qatar Investment Authority, the emirate's sovereign wealth fund, which holds a 14.93 per cent stake in the LSE.”

Financial News reports (subscription required) that, “Two Gulf states that bought almost half of the London Stock Exchange last year are sitting on paper losses of up to £400m (€500m), after the bourse’s stock was buffeted by panicky markets and the rise of rival venues.”

Gulf Times reports that, “Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company [ a wholly-owned arm of Qatar Investment Authority] is exploring opportunities in the fields of health, education and industries in Palestine, a week after it announced a first investment of $245mn in that country.”