QIA is a sovereign fund whose prime objective is to achieve revenue diversification for the state of Qatar over the next 10 to 15 years from its establishment date. As a result of its stated strategy to minimize risk from Qatar's reliance on energy prices, the fund predominantly invests in international markets (USA, Europe and Asia) and within Qatar outside the energy sector. The fund focuses on three asset classes; real estate, private equity and investment funds.

In the real estate, QIA established Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment CompanyQatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company as a platform to handle several significant investments in local as well as international markets including Morocco, Egypt, Oman and Syria. In the UK, QIA's investments include the acquisition of four of the largest nursing home chains in the UK for approximately USD5 billion. In addition, QIA has a significant direct interest in the Canary Wharf Estate in London; it also owns and is developing a large prime location retail mall in Kuala Lumpur. QIA also directly owns 100% of Qatar National Hotels CompanyQatar National Hotels Company.

In private equity, QIA has direct stakes in several Qatari blue chip companies like QNBQNB and QtelQtel and co-invests alongside them. QIA's private equity also looks after local Private Equity and Venture Capital initiatives such as the Qatar FoundationQatar Foundation.

QIA?s international investments include stakes in the UK-based Four Seasons Healthcare, London Stock Exchange, Nordic Exchange OMX, Lagardere of France, Jordan's Housing Bank for Trade and FinanceHousing Bank for Trade and Finance, and Singapore's Raffles Medical Group. It was also a co-investor in Dubai International CapitalDubai International Capital's purchase of a 3.12% stake in European Aeronautic, Defence and Space Company (EADS).

QIA is backed by surplus funds (after meeting domestic budgets) originating from the sale of 800,000 barrels of oil/day. Some estimates put the current fund size at USD60 billion, an amount that will significantly increase by 2011 as the state completes its expansion projects to become the world's largest LNG exporter with 77 million tons output capacity.