Non-QFC Parties And QFC Arbitration: A Quiet But Important Clarification

A recent judgment of the Qatar Financial Centre Civil and Commercial Court (First Instance Circuit), delivered by Justice Fritz Brand, L v M [2025] QIC (F) 67, offers useful clarity on a question that still arises with surprising frequency: can parties who are not QFC entities nevertheless anchor their arbitration in the QFC framework and seek assistance from the QFC Court?

The answer is yes, but the approach taken is crucial.

The issue in outline

The parties in L v M were both operating entities in Qatar outside the QFC. Their contract contained an arbitration clause referring disputes to arbitration under the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA) Rules, with the seat stated as the Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Centre in the Qatar Financial Centre. Litigation in the local courts was ultimately overturned for lack of jurisdiction. That, in turn, prompted an application to the QFC Court for the appointment of an arbitrator.