EQT, Europe's largest private markets investment firm with roughly $389 billion in assets under management, has opened its first Middle East office at Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), alongside the formal launch of its new Middle East Platform targeting growth opportunities across the Gulf Cooperation Council.
CEO and managing partner Per Franzen said the launch "reflects our conviction in the scale and momentum" of opportunities across the GCC. Jimmy Mahtani has been appointed chairman of EQT's Gulf operations, while Smiyet Belrhiti will serve as senior executive officer leading the ADGM office.
The move continues a pattern seen in recent months as major international asset managers, including Blue Owl, have set up permanent operations in Abu Dhabi, underscoring growing investor confidence in the emirate's stability despite ongoing regional tensions. ADGM has built a reputation over recent years as a magnet for global capital, offering an independent common-law legal framework and competitive incentives that appeal to international financial institutions.
EQT's new platform is expected to focus on sectors undergoing structural transformation, aligning with Abu Dhabi's broader economic diversification agenda. Industry observers note that access to Gulf sovereign wealth funds and regional institutional investors remains the primary draw for firms establishing a permanent presence in the emirate.
For Abu Dhabi, the expansion reinforces its ambitions to become a leading regional hub for private capital, bringing in specialised expertise and deeper pools of investment alongside the wave of global firms that have chosen the city as their regional base in 2026.