Earlier on Tuesday, Qatari Acting Finance Minister Ali Al Kuwari said the Gulf country would not need to return to debt markets anytime soon, although it may choose to profit from debt rates. ‘low interest. Speakers for the morning session include Swiss Re AG chairman Sergio Ermotti, billionaire investor Michael Novogratz and Binance Holdings CEO Changpeng Zhao.

The three-day event kicked off on Monday, with billionaire investor Ray Dalio and former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers telling the Forum that the United States is heading into a period of overheating and inflation that could threaten the recovery. .

The Qatar Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Qatar Investment Promotion Agency and Media City Qatar are the underwriters of the Qatar Economic Forum, powered by Bloomberg.

Years of fierce price competition have left only “two and a half operators” in India’s telecom industry and it would be “tragic” if it comes down to two, Sunil Mittal, chairman of Bharti Airtel Ltd., the India’s second largest wireless network operator, the forum said.

While billionaire Mittal’s company has gained market share, it lags behind Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. by Mukesh Ambani, India’s largest network by number of subscribers. A third player, Vodafone Idea Ltd., is hanging by a thread, with senior executives warning in the past that it could go bankrupt.

It wouldn’t be a good outcome for the telecommunications industry or Indian consumers, Mittal said. “India is a very big country. It deserves to have three private sector players.

India’s best private employer sees more flexibility

The world of work will not return to pre-Covid standards, said Tata Sons Pvt Ltd President Natarajan Chandrasekaran, while insisting that the office remains a critical hub and staff will gradually return. Chandrasekaran, head of India’s largest private sector employer, said workplaces would benefit from more staff flexibility thanks to technology.

When the pandemic hit India in early 2020, the 150-year-old conglomerate of steel and airlines rushed to adjust to the lockdown restrictions. Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. – its largest company in terms of number of employees and profitability – nearly half a million workers have switched to working from home.

Google sees AI driving cloud business

Google expects artificial intelligence and data analytics to create opportunities in its cloud business, its chief financial officer said.

“What really excites us are the investments and opportunities in our cloud business,” said Ruth Porat in an interview with the Qatar Economic Forum. “Our cloud business really benefits from amazing data analytics, the AI ​​behind it, and then we brought in some talent to focus on very industry specific solutions. “

Porat noted how Google’s cloud business has prioritized targeting financial services and retail to gain more business, after being asked what sets the company apart from competitors such as Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc.

Qatar could pull out of Gulf debt crisis

One of the largest and highest-rated borrowers in the Gulf won’t need to return to the debt market anytime soon, although he may choose to take advantage of low interest rates.

“The only time we might need financing is just to improve our financial situation,” such as refinancing overdue debts cheaply, said Ali Al Kuwari, acting finance minister of Qatar and minister of trade and commerce. ‘Industry. A rise in global energy prices helped the small country generate a Qatari 200 million riyal ($ 54 million) surplus in the first quarter from the 54 billion riyal deficit it had anticipated.

If the situation continues, investors should expect Qatar to exploit the bond markets “only to be opportunistic,” he said in an interview with the Qatar Economic Forum which will be broadcast in full on Tuesday.

(With help from Shaji Mathew, Simone Foxman, Farah Elbahrawy, Erik Schatzker and Saritha Rai)