Suhail Albaz,Chairman Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia at Partners Group. Photo: Partners Group
Suhail Albaz,Chairman Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia at Partners Group. Photo: Partners Group
Suhail Albaz,Chairman Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia at Partners Group. Photo: Partners Group
Suhail Albaz,Chairman Middle East, Africa, and Central Asia at Partners Group. Photo: Partners Group

Swiss asset manager Partners Group sets up ADGM office in regional expansion push


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Partners Group, a Switzerland-based private market investment company with $150 billion in assets under management, is expanding its presence in the Middle East with the opening of a new regional headquarters in Abu Dhabi financial centre ADGM.

The push to broaden its regional footprint is part of the company’s strategy to tie up with institutional investors to capitalise on opportunities within the technology-led transformation of industries, “often with a nexus to the region”, it said in a statement on Tuesday.

The move is about breaking bread with investors, being close and enabling a deeper partnership to invest globally, Partners Group's regional managing director told The National.

"We cut out the noise," Suhail Albaz said. "We try and make our decisions based on our strategic priorities. We appreciate that there are people that you know, are trying to come over here and have short-term goals, but that's not us."

Steffen Meister, executive chairman of the board, said Abu Dhabi is "increasingly becoming a centre of gravity for global advancements in technology, energy, next-generation manufacturing and digital services".

“It is attracting increasing amounts of capital, drawn to the regional investment opportunities and the chance to partner with Abu Dhabi’s cutting-edge investors on global transactions," he added.

Expansion to the UAE capital has increased the number of global offices operated by the company to 22. Partners Group joins a growing list of asset managers, insurers, financial institutions and investment houses that have chosen to set up a base in the financial hub and use it as a platform for their regional expansion.

Last week, Harrison Street, a $56 billion US-based real estate and infrastructure investment manager, said it is entering the Middle East market with the opening of an office at ADGM, after it received a financial services licence from ADGM's regulator, the Financial Services Regulatory Authority.

In February, German asset manager Patrizia was granted approval by the FSRA to start operations at ADGM. The Augsburg-based company, which has about €55 billion ($57.7 billion) in assets under management, plans to arrange and advise real estate investments for clients in the region.

The two real estate managers add to a stream of companies that are eager to tap into the Middle East's growing investment market. New York-based BlackRock, the world's top asset manager with nearly $11.5 trillion in assets under management, in November received a commercial licence to operate at ADGM.

In September, ADGM welcomed its first trillion-dollar asset managers – PGIM, the global asset management business of the New York Stock Exchange-listed Prudential Financial, and Chicago investment firm Nuveen, with both aiming to expand their operations and client bases in the Middle East.

The flurry of new additions has pushed the number of companies in ADGM higher during the first quarter of this year, with assets under management also increasing by 33 per cent annually, the financial hub said this month.

The total number of entities operating at ADGM rose by 43 per cent annually to 2,781 in the first three months of this year, it said in a statement. At the end of last year, the financial zone had 2,381 operational entities.

Partners Group has maintained a presence in the Middle East since the opening of its Dubai office in 2010. The firm’s investment mandate span private equity, private credit, infrastructure and real estate among other asset classes.

Education and health care have been the leading investment themes, said Mr Albaz, given they have natural demand drivers around them, making them an easier entry point into the Middle East.

Its current regional portfolio of companies employ more than 2,000 people and many are expanding their footprint. International School Partnerships, founded by Partners Group in 2013, has recently acquired its 10th school in the Middle East, it said.

Partners Group is actively assessing investment opportunities in renewables and luxury retail sector companies with solid fundamentals, targeting $1 billion to $1.2 billion equity investment. Mr Albaz said.

“The Middle East is a key growth area for Partners Group and we plan to significantly develop our business in the GCC and across the broader region,” said Mr Albaz, who also leads the Abu Dhabi office.

"Not only are we focused on deepening our network of regional clients and business partners, but we are also actively pursuing the growing opportunities for transformational investing offered to our portfolio of businesses and assets by establishing themselves in the Middle East.”

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Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania ​​​​​​​
Verdict: 4 Stars

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

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The seven points are:

Shakhbout bin Sultan Street

Dhafeer Street

Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)

Salama bint Butti Street

Al Dhafra Street

Rabdan Street

Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)

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Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

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Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

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Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
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Abu Dhabi traffic facts

Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road

The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.

Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.

The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.

The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.

Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019

 

UAE Falcons

Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.

 
Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

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Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
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Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735

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Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

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Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
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What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

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Price: From Dh117,059

'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap​​​​​​​
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal​​​​​​​
Rating: 3.5/5

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Squad

Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas) 

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Napoleon
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Match info:

Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')

Morocco 0

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Results

Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent

Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent

Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
Karwaan

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Akarsh Khurana

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar

Rating: 4/5

Key recommendations
  • Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
  • Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
  • Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
  • More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Dubai World Cup prize money

Group 1 (Purebred Arabian) 2000m Dubai Kahayla Classic - $750,000
Group 2 1,600m(Dirt) Godolphin Mile - $750,000
Group 2 3,200m (Turf) Dubai Gold Cup – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Turf) Al Quoz Sprint – $1,000,000
Group 2 1,900m(Dirt) UAE Derby – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Dirt) Dubai Golden Shaheen – $1,500,000
Group 1 1,800m (Turf) Dubai Turf –  $4,000,000
Group 1 2,410m (Turf) Dubai Sheema Classic – $5,000,000
Group 1 2,000m (Dirt) Dubai World Cup– $12,000,000

Updated: June 17, 2025, 12:46 PM`