EQT Opens Abu Dhabi Office, Launches Dedicated Middle East Investment Platform
Swedish private equity giant EQT has established its first Gulf presence, opening an office in Abu Dhabi’s ADGM financial centre and unveiling a new Middle East platform aimed at deepening its footprint across the region.
The move places the $389 billion asset manager alongside a growing list of global investment firms setting up shop in the emirate despite ongoing regional conflict.
The Abu Dhabi base will anchor EQT’s regional strategy going forward, supporting existing portfolio companies with Gulf operations, strengthening ties with local institutions built over more than a decade, and sourcing new investment opportunities across the GCC.
The platform combines EQT’s private equity and infrastructure investing arms under what the firm calls its “One EQT” integrated approach, drawing on capabilities from across its global operations.
Jimmy Mahtani has been named chairman of EQT’s Gulf operations, while Smiyet Belrhiti will run the Abu Dhabi office as senior executive officer.
The office will house a team spanning private capital, infrastructure investment, capital raising and business operations, marking EQT’s shift from periodic dealmaking in the region to a permanent on-the-ground presence.
“The launch of EQT’s Middle East platform reflects our conviction in the scale and momentum of opportunity across the GCC,” said Per Franzen, EQT’s chief executive and managing partner, pointing to the region’s shifting economic priorities as a draw for the firm’s expansion.
EQT’s arrival follows a wave of global private capital firms establishing physical bases in the UAE rather than simply raising funds from Gulf sovereign wealth.
Rivals including Brookfield Asset Management and KKR have similarly built up on-the-ground teams in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in recent years, drawn by the emirate’s regulatory framework and deep pools of institutional capital.
Analysts say the continued influx of major asset managers, even amid regional security concerns, reflects confidence that Gulf economies are undergoing lasting structural change rather than a temporary boom.
ADGM’s chairman has previously described such moves as reinforcing Abu Dhabi’s standing as a global financial hub capable of attracting the world’s largest investment firms.
