Qatar Holding to launch new $12 bln investment firm

DOHA Feb 19 (Reuters) - Qatar Holding, a unit of the Gulf Arab state's sovereign wealth fund, will launch a new investment firm worth $12 billion to purchase assets globally, a top official said on Tuesday.

Qatar Holding vice-chairman, Hussain al-Abdullah, who is also a board member of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), said the company would be listed on the Doha stock exchange in six to eight weeks.

"You name it - shares, bonds, real estate, private equity. We will look at every sector in every country around the world," he told reporters in the Qatari capital.

Qatar Holding is the investment arm of the gas-rich state's sovereign wealth fund. With an investment appetite of about $30 billion a year, QIA has picked up stakes in high-profile Western assets such as miner Xstrata, automakers Volkswagen and Porsche, and luxury retailer Harrods.