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Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saoud Al Thani, governor of the Qatar Central Bank, held a meeting with Chia Der Jiun, managing director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, according to a statement from the Qatar Central Bank. The discussion took place on the sidelines of the 2026 annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group. Al Thani and Chia Der Jiun examined prominent aspects of bilateral relations between Qatar and Singapore in the financial and banking fields.
The two sides explored avenues to strengthen collaboration in those sectors during the session held in Bangkok, Thailand. Al Thani also chairs the Qatar Investment Authority, which positions him to address broader investment matters in such dialogues. Qatar News Agency reported that the encounter formed part of a series of engagements by the governor at the international gathering.
Al Thani conducted separate meetings with Standard Chartered Group Chair Maria Ramos, Euroclear Group Chairman Francesco Vanni d’Archirafi and an accompanying delegation, as well as Lloyds Bank Corporate Markets Chief Executive Carla Antunes da Silva. Qatar Tribune reported that those conversations addressed key developments in global financial and investment markets along with other topics of mutual interest. The central bank governor’s schedule reflected the breadth of Qatar’s financial sector connections.
The IMF and World Bank Group annual meetings are taking place in Bangkok from October 12 to 18, convening policymakers, central bankers and financial executives to examine the international economy and financial architecture. Qatar’s delegation included Minister of Finance Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, who joined Al Thani in a dedicated session for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan region. The Ministry of Finance stated that the MENAP meeting, chaired by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva, covered regional economic growth prospects, anti-inflation policies, sustainable finance and innovation support.
The latest engagements with Singaporean authorities build upon earlier bilateral reviews between the two countries. Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs documented a September 2026 visit by Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to Doha for the third Implementation Monitoring Mechanism meeting, which assessed cooperation across information technology, security, business, legal, sustainability and social development areas. Those discussions occurred under the Qatar-Singapore High-Level Joint Committee framework.
Central bank governors from the region used the Bangkok platform to align on shared challenges in the global financial system. Al Thani’s participation aligns with Qatar Central Bank’s ongoing emphasis on regulatory frameworks that balance stability with technological advancement in finance. The series of meetings concluded without announcement of specific new agreements.
