Qatar National starts Swiss private banking unit

DUBAI, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Qatar National Bank QNBK.QA, one of the Gulf region's largest banks by market value, on Tuesday said it had launched a Swiss private banking subsidiary.

The lender said the Geneva launch will offer "further market capabilities to QNB's longstanding Qatari customers looking to expand their investments internationally".

QNB Banque Privee Switzerland recently received regulatory approval to start operations there, it said in a statement.

The parent company, QNB Private, already offers private banking services in Europe through its Paris and London offices. QNB said only a handful of Gulf-based financial institutions are active in Switzerland. (Reporting by Nicolas Parasie; Editing by Greg Mahlich)