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Qatar QCB AI Guidelines

Qatar Central Bank AI Guidelines for Licensed Financial Institutions

Binding AI governance requirements for Qatar's financial sector. Mandates board-level accountability, risk assessments, human-in-the-loop for high-impact decisions, and prior QCB approval for high-risk AI systems.

Jurisdiction

Qatar

QA

Enacted

Sep 4, 2024

Effective

Sep 4, 2024

Enforcement

Qatar Central Bank (QCB)

Binding for all QCB-licensed financial institutions

Who Must Comply

This law applies to:

  • • All QCB-licensed financial institutions
  • • Banks operating in Qatar
  • • Financial services providers using AI

Capability triggers:

● financialDecisions (required)
● Required ◐ Increases applicability

Who bears obligations:

Deployer

This regulation places direct obligations on deployers (organizations using AI systems).

Safety Provisions

  • • Board-level accountability and robust AI strategy aligned with risk appetite
  • • Mandatory risk assessment for all AI systems
  • • Human-in-the-loop for high-impact decisions
  • • Registration: entities must maintain updated register of all AI arrangements
  • • Prior QCB approval required for new/materially changed high-risk systems
  • • Customer transparency: disclosure and consent when AI used in customer-facing products

Compliance Timeline

Sep 4, 2024

Guidelines effective for all QCB-licensed entities

Dec 31, 2025

Phase 1: Foundation - governance, consultations, pilots

Dec 31, 2026

Phase 2: Sectoral implementation

Dec 31, 2027

Phase 3: Full deployment, Gulf-regional alignment

Enforcement

Enforced by

Qatar Central Bank (QCB)

Penalties

license revocation

License revocation

Regulatory enforcement by QCB; specific penalties not published but include license conditions

Quick Facts

Binding
No
Mental Health Focus
No
Child Safety Focus
No
Algorithmic Scope
Yes

Why It Matters

Only binding AI requirements in Qatar/GCC outside Saudi Arabia. Financial sector specific but sets precedent. Human-in-the-loop requirement for high-impact decisions.

Recent Developments

Issued September 2024. Part of Qatar's phased AI implementation (2024-2027). Complemented by voluntary NCSA Guidelines for Secure AI Adoption (February 2024). Qatar following European regulatory approach.

What You Need to Comply

Financial institutions must: establish board-level AI governance; conduct risk assessments for all AI; maintain AI register; obtain prior approval for high-risk systems; ensure human oversight for high-impact decisions; provide customer disclosure.

NOPE can help

Cite This

APA

Qatar. (2024). Qatar Central Bank AI Guidelines for Licensed Financial Institutions. Retrieved from https://nope.net/regs/qa-qcb-ai-guidelines

BibTeX

@misc{qa_qcb_ai_guidelines,
  title = {Qatar Central Bank AI Guidelines for Licensed Financial Institutions},
  author = {Qatar},
  year = {2024},
  url = {https://nope.net/regs/qa-qcb-ai-guidelines}
}

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