Qatar buys 5% stake in Bharti Airtel for $1.26b

The deal is being channelled through Qatar Foundation Endowment (QFE) and a source close to QFE said it would be an active investor in Bharti Airtel, securing a board seat at the world’s fourth-biggest mobile phone company by customers.

“QFE is in for the long-term,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

According to Thomson Reuters data, India’s inbound M&A now totals $9.83 billion so far this year, compared with China’s $7.7 billion and Australia’s $6.9 billion.

Qatar’s first major investment in a listed Indian company provides Bharti Airtel with much-needed capital that strengthens its balance sheet and future growth.

The investment by QFE, a recently-established arm of the Qatar Foundation, is in line with the gas rich state’s strategy of picking minority stakes in large global companies such as Royal Dutch Shell, Tiffany & Co and Siemens.

Those deals were made through Qatar Holding, the investment arm of the state sovereign wealth fund, which has emerged as one of the world’s most prolific investors with stakes in companies such as London miner Glencore Xstrata and Swiss banking giant Credit Suisse.

Bankers close to the sovereign fund say it has an appetite for $30-$40 billion in global investments annually.