QAR: Qatari Riyal

The Qatari Riyal (QAR) is Qatar's legal tender, issued and regulated by the Qatar Central Bank (QCB). The QCB is the monetary authority responsible for maintaining currency stability, overseeing monetary policy, and regulating the banking sector in Qatar.\n\nThe QAR is pegged to the US dollar. This peg means the exchange rate between the QAR and USD is held at a fixed level by the QCB rather than floating freely on currency markets. A fixed peg reduces day-to-day exchange rate volatility between the two currencies, which has practical consequences for how assets denominated in QAR behave relative to USD-denominated holdings.\n\nThe riyal is subdivided into 100 dirhams (not to be confused with the UAE dirham, which is a separate currency). Banknotes and coins are issued by the QCB. For the current and authoritative exchange rate and monetary policy details, see the QCB's official website at qcb.gov.qa.

For English-speaking expats living or working in Qatar, salaries, rents, and everyday expenses are typically settled in QAR. Because the QAR is pegged to the USD, expats who earn in QAR and hold savings or investments in USD face minimal currency conversion risk between those two currencies. However, expats whose home currency is the British pound, euro, or another non-dollar currency should be aware that QAR/USD stability does not eliminate exchange rate exposure between QAR and those currencies.\n\nExpats remitting money home or investing internationally should factor in the currency of the destination account. When investing through brokers accessible from Qatar, fund prices are often quoted in USD or GBP. Confirm the base currency of any fund or account before investing, and check whether your broker applies a foreign exchange conversion fee on top of the stated fund costs. The QCB's regulatory framework governs banks and payment services operating in Qatar; for investment services, the relevant capital markets regulator is the Qatar Financial Markets Authority (QFMA).