Prague, Czech Republic – Qatar Development Bank (QDB) and SACE S.p.A., Italy’s export credit agency and one of the world’s leading Export Credit Agencies (ECAs), signed an export credit reinsurance agreement on June 11, 2026, on the sidelines of TXF Global 2026: Export, Agency & Project Finance, held in Prague, Czech Republic.

The agreement establishes a framework for both institutions to support joint export transactions involving Qatari and Italian exporters in third-country markets, helping companies from both countries pursue larger projects in international markets with stronger risk-mitigation support and greater confidence.

Welcoming the agreement and the opportunities it creates for Qatari exporters, Mr. Khalid Abdullah Al-Mana, Vice President of Enterprise Development at Qatar Development Bank and Executive Director of Qatar Exports, said: “This agreement represents a significant extension of QDB’s export-support capabilities and reinforces our commitment to equipping Qatar-based companies with the tools they need to grow beyond local markets. Through this framework with SACE, Qatar-based exporters will be better positioned to pursue larger cross-border opportunities alongside Italian partners, with stronger institutional backing and a clearer mechanism for managing risk, reflecting QDB’s broader role in strengthening the ability of Qatar’s private sector to expand its presence in international markets and contribute to a more diversified and competitive economy in line with the priorities of Qatar’s Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030.”

Mr. Mario Melillo, Chief Network Officer at SACE, said: “We are pleased to partner with Qatar Development Bank through an agreement that creates a practical platform for stronger cooperation between Italian and Qatari companies in third markets and provides a concrete framework to support export transactions involving Italian and Qatari content. What makes this agreement particularly valuable is its ability to give companies from both countries a stronger basis to pursue opportunities together in competitive international markets, while supporting a deeper and more structured economic relationship between Italy and Qatar.”

The agreement introduces a streamlined structure for supporting joint export contracts between Qatari and Italian companies, particularly in projects where companies from both countries supply goods or services to buyers outside their home markets. Aligned with established international export credit practices, the framework allows one institution to lead the coverage, while the other supports the portion linked to its national exporters. This coordinated arrangement is designed to make joint export transactions easier to support and more manageable from a risk perspective, with each transaction to be assessed and approved separately as it arises.

A key feature is the Sharia-compliant basis for QDB’s participation. Under this approach, QDB’s support will be provided in line with Islamic finance principles. For SACE, the agreement marks its first participation in a fully Sharia-compliant reinsurance arrangement, underscoring the growing role of Islamic finance principles in international export credit cooperation.

The signing builds on QDB’s continued efforts to deepen Qatar’s export-support infrastructure through specialized solutions and strategic cooperation with international export credit agencies and financial institutions. Through Qatar Exports, QDB provides companies with access to export development, market intelligence, financing, insurance, and risk-mitigation solutions designed to help them turn international market opportunities into commercially viable export growth. This integrated approach reflects QDB’s broader role in strengthening Qatar’s non-hydrocarbon export base and enabling a more competitive, resilient, and globally connected private sector.

About Qatar Development Bank

Established in 1997 as a government-affiliated development institution, Qatar Development Bank aims to strengthen the national business landscape, fostering and driving the economic diversification of the private sector in Qatar.

Throughout more than twenty-five years of economic development, Qatar Development Bank has achieved notable successes, cementing its position as a major contributor to the national entrepreneurship ecosystem, the private sector and a diversified and knowledge-based economy.

Qatar Development Bank’s strategy is aligned with Qatar National Vision 2030, the Third National Development Strategy, and the Third Financial Sector Strategic Plan, with a focus on building a promising future for businesses in Qatar and empowering entrepreneurs to lead a sustainable and prosperous future.

Qatar Development Bank anchors its support framework on three interconnected pillars, beginning with the promotion of innovation by embracing and accelerating entrepreneurial ideas and investing in startups, developing local businesses by providing financial and advisory support, and enabling the export ecosystem to bolster Qatari exports and raise the competitiveness of Qatari products in global markets, in collaboration with partners from the governmental entities.

The bank's efforts are centred around diversifying support mechanisms to foster social and economic development, leveraging available resources to advance environmental, social and institutional governance and digital transformation efforts, and promoting innovation and creativity, with a focus on forging impactful local and global partnerships.

For more information, visit QDB website.

 About SACE

SACE is Italy’s Export Credit Agency, wholly owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. It specializes in supporting the growth of Italian companies through a wide range of instruments and solutions to foster exports and competitiveness, including risk management and protection, financial guarantees, factoring, advisory services, and business matching. With a network of export advisors across 23 offices in Italy and in high-potential markets for Made in Italy, SACE manages a portfolio of insured operations and guaranteed investments worth around €290 billion across 200 markets worldwide.

SACE | Press Office | ufficiostampa@sace.it