A QIB personal loan is, in Shariah terms, a personal finance contract: QIB buys and sells a commodity so that you receive cash and repay a fixed price in instalments. On 20 September 2026 Qatar's four Islamic banks published very different amounts about that product. QIIB publishes a rate card, 5.60% to 5.85% by customer segment. AlRayan Bank publishes a formula in its retail tariff, the QCB QMR overnight lending rate plus 1.5%, which was 6.10% on the day. QIB and Dukhan Bank publish caps, eligibility and fees but no rate. The Qatar Central Bank fixes the ceiling for all four: QAR 2 million including profit for Qataris and QAR 400,000 for residents. Our Islamic bank accounts guide for Qatar covers the salary account you will need first.
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What the Qatar Central Bank fixes before any bank quotes you
Three numbers sit above every personal finance offer in Qatar, and none of them belongs to the bank. The first is the cap. AlRayan Bank's online calculator states it plainly: the maximum finance amount including profit payable is QAR 2,000,000 for Qataris and QAR 400,000 for non-Qataris, and the maximum eligible finance is regulated by the QCB. QIB's personal finance page repeats the same two figures, with the same words, including profit rate. That phrase matters. A resident cannot borrow QAR 400,000 and then add profit on top; the QAR 400,000 is the total you repay.
The second is the instalment ceiling. QIB publishes it as a maximum monthly instalment of 75% of basic salary and social allowance for Qatari nationals and 50% of total salary for residents. The third is the benchmark. QCB's homepage on 20 September 2026 showed the QMR lending rate at 4.60%, the QMR deposit rate at 4.10% and the repo rate at 4.35%. AlRayan prices against the first of those, so when the QCB moves, AlRayan's quoted rate moves with it. AlRayan's calculator also states that salary transfer to the bank is mandatory for eligibility, which is the fourth, unwritten rule at all four banks. Our explainer on QCB financing caps goes through the instructions behind these numbers.
QIB personal finance: what the page publishes and what it does not
QIB presents personal finance as a same-day, app-first product. The minimum finance is QAR 15,000 for both Qataris and residents. The maximum is the QCB cap. Age limits are 18 to 65 for Qataris and 21 to 60 for residents, employment must be confirmed, and the employer must be approved and accredited by QIB. No guarantor is required; the page says the unsecured finance is issued against your salary certificate. The FAQ states that no processing fees or administrative charges apply, that a three-month grace period is available in emergencies, and that top-ups are available subject to credit eligibility.
Two features are specific to QIB. Credit Shield Takaful covers the finance in case of death or permanent disability, and the page lists it as a feature rather than a fee, so ask whether it is bundled into the price. The second is the instalment postponement option: when you take a new finance, QIB lets you postpone the next three months' instalments, with the new finance's payments beginning only after the current one ends. Debt buyout from another bank requires a liability letter addressed to QIB plus six months of statements. What QIB does not publish is the rate. The page promises an attractive profit rate, and the in-app calculator produces a figure once you log in, so the only way to see QIB's price is as a customer.
Dukhan Bank: murabaha, 24-hour approval, free takaful, no published rate
Dukhan Bank is the only one of the four that names the contract on its personal finance page: Murabaha, approved by its Shari'ah Supervisory Committee. The page promises financing of up to six years, approval in less than 24 hours after you submit the application and documents, free takaful cover on the financed amount, and low processing fees with no additional charges and no hidden costs. The processing fee is described, not quantified, and the Dukhan tariff guide we extracted covers accounts and cards rather than finance fees, so ask for the fee in riyals before you sign.
The document list is longer than QIB's. Salaried applicants provide a salary transfer undertaking; self-employed applicants provide the commercial registration, signatory card, articles of association and two years of audited statements. New customers add a six-month bank statement, and everyone provides post-dated cheques for the tenor plus life takaful cover. One offer is worth watching: the page says eligible Faseel savings account customers can, for a limited time, obtain personal finance at a reduced rate without presenting a salary certificate. Dukhan's vehicle finance page sets QAR 10,000 as the minimum salary for cars, but the personal finance page does not state a salary floor. Applications go through 800 8555 or the main branch on Grand Hamad Street.
AlRayan Bank: the only published pricing formula in the market
AlRayan Bank's personal finance product page is a short general paragraph, but its retail tariff PDF, linked from the Tariff and Charges page, is the most complete fee disclosure of the four. For personal finance against salary the profit rate is the QMR overnight lending rate plus 1.5%. With the QCB rate at 4.60% on 20 September 2026, that is 6.10% a year. Finance against a fixed deposit is priced at 2% above the deposit's rate. Feasibility and documentation fees are free. A commodity fee of QAR 91.25 applies, which is the cost of the commodity trade that gives the tawarruq contract its cash leg. Takaful is charged at up to 1.281% of the finance amount, or as approved by the bank.
The service fees are itemised. Cancellation after approval is QAR 100, replacing a guarantor is QAR 100, changing repayment cheques is QAR 50, and customer-requested letters such as clearance or obligation certificates are QAR 25. Late instalments attract a commitment-to-donate charge of QAR 100, which goes to charity rather than to the bank's income. The line headed early settlement through other banks profit refund reads 0% for personal finance. Our explainer on early settlement and ibra in Qatar discusses how to read that line; the short version is that it concerns buyouts and does not tell you the rebate on unearned profit if you settle from your own funds. AlRayan's salary floors for a current account with salary transfer, which is the gateway to its finance, are QAR 4,000 for Qataris and QAR 10,000 for non-Qataris, rising to QAR 15,000 if your employer is not on AlRayan's approved list.
QIIB: a fixed rate card by customer segment
QIIB publishes the rate itself. Its personal finance page lists a fixed profit rate through the finance period: 5.60% for Wajaha customers, 5.70% for Deyafa, 5.75% for World and 5.85% for other segments. Wajaha and Deyafa are QIIB's premium banking tiers, so most salaried applicants will fall into the other segments band. The grace period is up to six months for Qataris and three months for expatriates, counted within the financing period, and the page notes that its instalment figures are calculated without a grace period.
Documents are the original Qatari ID and a salary certificate addressed to QIIB, required for first-time applicants or when your salary has changed. Customers transferring liabilities from another bank add an outstanding liabilities letter addressed to QIIB and a signed and stamped six-month statement. QIIB's page does not state a minimum salary, a minimum finance amount or a processing fee, and its online finance calculator asks you to enter the APR yourself rather than filling it in, so the rate card is the number to type in. For how QIIB prices its other retail products, our Islamic personal financing guide for Qatar explains the structures that sit behind these rates.
The four banks side by side
| Item | QIB | Dukhan Bank | AlRayan Bank | QIIB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Published rate | Not published | Not published | QMR O/N lending + 1.5% (6.10% on 6 Oct 2026) | 5.60% to 5.85% by segment, fixed |
| Minimum finance | QAR 15,000 | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Maximum tenor | Not stated on page | Up to 6 years | Not stated | Not stated |
| Processing fee | None | Low, not quantified | Feasibility and documentation free; commodity fee QAR 91.25 | Not stated |
| Takaful | Credit Shield Takaful listed as a feature | Free takaful on financed amount | Up to 1.281% of finance amount | Not stated on page |
| Grace period | Up to 3 months | Not stated | Not stated | 6 months Qataris, 3 months expats |
| Contract named | No | Murabaha | Commodity fee implies tawarruq | No |
Every cell marked not stated is a question for the branch, not a sign the bank does not have a rule. QCB's caps and the instalment ceilings apply at all four regardless of what the page says. The pattern is clear enough: QIIB and AlRayan let you price the finance before you apply, QIB lets you price it inside its app, and Dukhan prices it at the desk.
A worked example at QAR 100,000 over four years
Take a resident who wants QAR 100,000 over 48 months, well inside the QAR 400,000 cap. At AlRayan's formula rate of 6.10%, a reducing-balance schedule gives an instalment of about QAR 2,353 and total profit of about QAR 12,950, plus the QAR 91.25 commodity fee and takaful of up to QAR 1,281. At QIIB's other segments rate of 5.85%, the same schedule gives about QAR 2,342 a month and about QAR 12,400 of profit. If either bank applies the rate on a flat basis, meaning profit is calculated on the original amount for the whole term, the instalments rise to roughly QAR 2,590 and QAR 2,570 and total profit nearly doubles. Neither page states which method it uses, so the repayment schedule, which QIB promises by email and the others issue with the contract, is the document that settles it.
- Check the instalment against your ceiling: a resident on a QAR 8,000 total salary cannot exceed QAR 4,000 a month across all finance, so QAR 2,353 leaves room for a car but not much else
- Ask whether the quoted rate is applied to a reducing balance or flat, and request the full schedule showing the profit in each instalment
- Add the one-off items: commodity fee, takaful, and any processing fee the bank describes as low
- Ask for the early settlement formula in writing before signing, because none of the four pages publishes it for self-funded settlement
- Confirm the grace period is a deferral of instalments and not an extension of profit, and get the answer in the contract
Who should apply where
If your salary is between QAR 10,000 and QAR 15,000, QIIB is the first stop, because you can read the rate before applying and the grace period is generous. AlRayan comes second if your employer is on its approved list, since the formula rate was only 0.25 points above QIIB's standard band on the day and the fees are published. If you earn above QAR 15,000 and already bank with QIB, the in-app calculator and same-day disbursement are hard to beat, and the three-month postponement is useful if you are consolidating. Dukhan suits a customer who already holds a Faseel account and wants the reduced-rate offer, or a self-employed applicant with audited accounts, since its document list is written for both.
By purpose: for debt consolidation, apply to the bank that already receives your salary and use the buyout document list above. For a wedding or education, where the amount is modest and the timeline short, QIIB's fixed rate or QIB's instant finance work best. For travel, consider whether you need finance at all; the profit on a QAR 30,000 trip over 24 months is small but real. Use our bank comparison tool to shortlist by salary, then take the printed terms from this page into the branch. Facts checked against qib.com.qa, dukhanbank.com, alrayan.com, qiib.com.qa, qcb.gov.qa on 20 September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum salary for a QIB personal loan?
QIB's personal finance page does not state a minimum salary. It states a minimum finance amount of QAR 15,000, an instalment ceiling of 75% of basic salary and social allowance for Qataris or 50% of total salary for residents, and a requirement that your employer be approved by QIB. In practice the instalment ceiling sets the floor: the smaller your salary, the smaller the finance QIB can approve.
Which Qatari Islamic bank publishes its personal finance rate?
QIIB publishes a fixed rate card: 5.60% for Wajaha, 5.70% for Deyafa, 5.75% for World and 5.85% for other segments. AlRayan Bank publishes a formula in its retail tariff, the QMR overnight lending rate plus 1.5%, which equalled 6.10% on 20 September 2026. QIB and Dukhan Bank describe their rates as attractive but do not print a figure on their pages.
How much can an expat borrow as personal finance in Qatar?
The QCB cap for non-Qataris is QAR 400,000 including profit, as stated on both QIB's page and AlRayan's calculator. The instalment must also stay within 50% of total salary. Qatari nationals are capped at QAR 2 million including profit with instalments up to 75% of basic salary and social allowance. Salary transfer to the financing bank is required at all four banks.
Does Islamic personal finance in Qatar have processing fees?
It depends on the bank. QIB states that no processing or administrative charges apply. AlRayan Bank lists feasibility and documentation as free but charges a QAR 91.25 commodity fee and takaful of up to 1.281% of the finance amount. Dukhan Bank describes its processing fees as low without a figure. QIIB's page does not mention fees, so ask at the branch.
Can I get a grace period on personal finance in Qatar?
Yes at two banks on their published terms. QIIB offers a grace period of up to six months for Qataris and three months for expatriates, within the finance period. QIB offers up to three months in emergencies and separately lets you postpone the next three instalments when you take a new finance. Dukhan and AlRayan do not publish a grace period for personal finance, so ask before signing.
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Is a personal loan from an Islamic bank in Qatar really halal?
The product is structured as a sale, usually commodity murabaha or tawarruq, in which the bank buys a commodity, sells it to you at a marked-up deferred price, and sells it on your behalf for cash. The price is fixed at signing and does not grow if you pay late; late payers owe a charity donation instead. Each bank's Shariah board approves the contract. Scholars debate organised tawarruq, so if that matters to you, ask the bank which contract it uses.
