The recent Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) license received by Arcapita marks a new phase of this Shariah compliant firm’s expansion and long-term commitment to the UAE, Head of MENA Investments and Managing Director Yousif Al Abdulla told IFN Investor.
“Arcapita has been an active investor in the UAE since 2010, establishing itself as a key player in the country’s private equity and real estate investment landscape,” with approximately US$1 billion of enterprise value.
Arcapita’s focus has been on “scalable technology-enabled private companies that provide essential services that are non-discretionary and mission critical in nature”.
Among its key investments within the UAE are the 2017 entry into NAS Neuron Health Services in partnership with Bahrain sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat. Arcapita exited this provider of outsourced medical claims processing services in the GCC in 2020 through a sale to a US-based Fortune 500 company.
In 2023, the firm invested in the DataFlow Group, which provides pre-employment verification services in collaboration with regulatory bodies. Laying claim to a global network of over 160,000 issuing authorities across 190 countries, this outfit primarily services GCC regulators and institutions.
Arcapita also obtained a majority stake in UAE payment solutions provider NeoPay as part of a consortium with DgPays in a US$385 million deal completed in December 2024.
Stating the UAE’s private equity landscape continues to present high-growth opportunities, Yousif said this outlook led to the new Abu Dhabi office launch and is part of Arcapita’s strategic focus globally to target asset-light, technology-enabled B2B companies that provide essential, mission-critical services.
On the real estate front, Arcapita currently manages a US$1 billion logistics portfolio of over 30 industrial properties spanning 3.5 million square feet. Catering to over 80 tenants, including blue-chip international companies and regional leaders, the assets are located in industrial hubs, such as the Dubai Investments Park – an integrated industrial, commercial and residential zone – and Dubai South – a purpose-built logistics zone next to Al Maktoum International Airport.
“Arcapita also recently announced the development of a state-of-the-art 30,000 square meter build-to-suit warehouse, in partnership with DSV, a global logistics leader, in Jebel Ali Free Zone.”
Yousif said the UAE’s logistics sector is still experiencing strong growth due to rising demand for e-commerce services and increased consumer spending – reflected by continued investments seen pouring into infrastructure plus the government’s focus on growth in industrial and logistics sector.
Noting a supply demand mismatch for grade A industrial assets, Yousif said Arcapita is strategically positioned to capitalize on these trends, continuing its investment focus on what it identifies as being high-demand industrial real estate assets.
“Since launching this strategy over seven years ago, Arcapita has globally completed seven acquisitions, 10 add-on acquisitions and three successful exits.”
