Global investment bank Goldman Sachs is exploring the possibility of joining the race to set up a Middle East-focused fund.
While the bank did not specifically comment on the fund, Fadi Abuali, co-chief executive of Goldman Sachs for the Middle East and North Africa, told The National on Tuesday that it is "continuing to expand" its "presence in the Middle East across divisions”.
“This reflects our ambition to provide a dedicated local service and bring investment opportunities to our global client base, capitalising on the growth and dynamism across the Mena region."
Goldman Sachs has held talks with investors in the region about raising money for the fund, according to a Bloomberg report. Talks are continuing and the fund’s final size has not been decided yet, it said.
The move ties in with the fact that Goldman Sachs became the first Wall Street bank to secure a licence in Saudi Arabia to set up its regional headquarters there.
Goldman Sach’s plans for the Middle East fund to follow similar moves made recently by rivals including US asset manager BlackRock and Bahrain’s alternative asset manager Investcorp, as well as investments in the region by New York-listed Brookfield Asset Management.
All have been joining forces with the sovereign wealth funds in the region to raise money to invest across global markets.
Investcorp, which counts Mubadala Investment Company as its biggest shareholder, teamed up with China’s sovereign wealth fund in April to launch a $1 billion fund that will invest in high-growth companies in Saudi Arabia, other GCC countries and China.
The Investcorp Golden Horizon platform will be anchored by institutional and private investors from the GCC, and the China Investment Corporation, Investcorp said at the time.
Also in April, BlackRock signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund to accelerate growth of capital markets in the kingdom by launching a Riyadh-based, multi-asset investment management platform.
BlackRock Saudi Arabia and the PIF expressed the intention at the time to establish BlackRock Riyadh Investment Management, which will encompass investment strategies across a range of asset classes.
Brookfield, with more than $925 billion in assets under management, has also been exploring raising dedicated funds specifically for investments in the Middle East.
Last month, a consortium led by Brookfield Asset Management signed a binding agreement to invest in Dubai-based private school provider Gems Education, with the deal’s completion expected in the third quarter of 2024.
In the same month, Brookfield teamed up with UAE-backed Alterra, a $30 billion climate fund, to raise up to $5 billion for a climate finance-focused fund that will invest in clean energy projects in emerging markets.
Alterra, a private investment vehicle launched during Cop28, aims to raise $250 billion globally in the next six years to create a fairer climate finance system.
Habib Saikaly, a 13-year veteran of JPMorgan, will be joining Goldman Sachs as head of the bank’s fundamental equity business across the Mena region, and is expected to oversee the fund’s development, Bloomberg reported.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Everything Now
Arcade Fire
(Columbia Records)
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Scotland v Ireland:
Scotland (15-1): Stuart Hogg; Tommy Seymour, Huw Jones, Sam Johnson, Sean Maitland; Finn Russell, Greig Laidlaw (capt); Josh Strauss, James Ritchie, Ryan Wilson; Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist; Simon Berghan, Stuart McInally, Allan Dell
Replacements: Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, D'arcy Rae, Ben Toolis, Rob Harley, Ali Price, Pete Horne, Blair Kinghorn
Coach: Gregor Townsend (SCO)
Ireland (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack Conan, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Quinn Roux; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy
Replacements: Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Ultan Dillane, Josh van der Flier, John Cooney, Joey Carbery, Jordan Larmour
Coach: Joe Schmidt (NZL)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
Bio
Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
He likes all kinds of adventure movies that relate to his work.
His dream is a safe and preserved environment for all humankind.
His favourite book is The Quran, and 'Maze of Innovation and Creativity', written by his brother.
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
