Sweden’s EQT AB, France’s Eurazeo and UK-based Pollen Road Capital are amongst these establishing in Abu Dhabi, in response to a Bloomberg report after talking to individuals accustomed to the matter. In the meantime, New York-headquartered Baron Capital Administration, and Silver Level Capital Administration, primarily based in Greenwich, Charlotte, have not too long ago established a presence in Dubai.
The report mentioned that these corporations have been undeterred by the latest tensions within the area due to the Israel’s operations in Gaza after which the Israel-Iran struggle. After years of tapping the Gulf primarily as a fundraising supply, a few of the greatest names within the enterprise, Brookfield Asset Administration and KKR & Firm, have pivoted to deploying funding professionals on the bottom and are actively searching for to speculate capital within the area.
The shift comes as excessive rates of interest and sluggish deal pipelines within the US and Europe push managers to hunt faster-growing markets – and to deepen relationships with Gulf sovereign funds and rich households, who’ve turn out to be essential restricted companions, Bloomberg added.
UAE emerges as personal fairness hub
The rising presence of personal fairness corporations within the UAE comes alongside a wave of enlargement by hedge funds and different different asset managers.
EQT is a purpose-driven world funding organisation centered on lively possession methods. It has a observe document of greater than three many years of creating corporations throughout a number of geographies, sectors and methods. The corporate has EUR273 billion (US$322 billion) in complete property below administration as of 31 March 2025, inside two enterprise segments – Personal Capital and Actual Property.
EQT, which has its headquarters in Stockholm, is planning to have funding professionals on the bottom in Abu Dhabi and is planning on doing offers within the area, the sources informed Bloomberg. It might additionally open places of work in different regional cities.
Eurazeo plans to open an workplace in Abu Dhabi this yr with new hires and employees relocations and is contemplating increasing into different regional markets.
Bloomberg mentioned the Paris-based asset supervisor is not only concentrating on the area for fundraising; it additionally intends to speculate domestically. The hassle is being led by Adrien Pinelli, a managing director within the agency’s investor relations group.
Eurazeo has greater than US$43.4 billion in property below administration with 13 places of work worldwide. It has over 20 years of expertise in managing devoted funds, and gives institutional traders with tailor-made entry to personal markets by way of three funding methods – commitments to major funds, secondary transactions, and direct fairness co-investments.
Pollen Road Capital can be within the early levels of creating a presence within the Center East. The choice asset supervisor, which oversees over $7 billion, not too long ago registered in Abu Dhabi.
Bloomberg reached out to representatives of the corporations, however they declined to remark.
Baron Capital, which has registered in Dubai, has practically US$41 billion below administration. Silver Level Capital has deployed near US$155 billion in capital.
Final month, Swiss-based Companions Group, one of many largest corporations within the world personal markets business with round 1,800 professionals and over US$150 billion in property below administration, expanded its presence within the Center East with the opening of a brand new regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi. It already had an workplace in Dubai since 2010.
