The commercial registration and licences department at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) issued some 1,351 new commercial registrations last month.
One-person companies topped the registrations with 494 licences (53% of the total number issued), followed by companies with limited liability with 379 (41%), and solidarity companies with 56 (6%).
The most commercial registrations in April were for contracting companies (27%), followed by building materials trade (12%), detergents (9%), eateries, fast food and vegetables and fruits (7%), groceries (5%), and other companies and activities (40%).
Some 50% of the new registrations were issued for Al Rayyan Area, followed by Doha (38%), Wakrah (5%), and Umm Salal (4%).
Regarding the most active new commercial licences in April, contracting companies were ahead with 50% of the overall new number, followed by media, printing and advertising companies (25%), building materials trade (11%), detergents (8%) and catering companies (6%).
Meanwhile, the intellectual property rights protection department at the MEC received 57 new applications for patents during April. It also renewed 109 patent applications last month. Six certificates of author's rights and other related rights were issued. The number of trademarks registered at the department in April was 2,688, with 22% of them new.
Qatar made some 34 contracts with foreign companies last month for more than QR12bn, according to statistics provided by the ministry.