The Gulf’s private capital tide is rising, with the UAE emerging as the region’s top investment destination.
Private capital is flowing steadily into the Gulf, with the UAE emerging as the region’s leading destination as investor confidence rises. A new report by BlackRock’s Aladdin platform ('Market Evolution: The Middle East') found that Middle Eastern sovereign wealth funds now allocate 43% of their investments to private capital, while 83% of regional LPs have a positive outlook on private equity: up from 70% in 2019. Family offices are also driving the surge, accounting for around half of active private capital investors in the region and showing their strongest appetite for private equity, followed by real estate and private credit. The shift marks a broader change from the Gulf being primarily an exporter of capital to becoming an increasingly attractive home for investment itself. With GCC countries expected to deploy around $2.1 trillion by 2030, the Gulf Stream of private capital looks set to keep flowing.
James is an experienced financial journalist and editor with over 20 years experience covering private markets and alternatives. He is host of the Clockwork CIO podcast.
