Aldar Properties, Abu Dhabi’s biggest listed developer, has sold 71 new plots of land at its Al Gurm development in the capital as demand for its prime projects surge amid the continued recovery of the property market.
The plots in the second phase of the waterfront community, which comprises a series of archipelago-style islands on the south-western side of Abu Dhabi’s main island, were exclusively available for purchase by Emiratis, the company said on Sunday.
“We continue to see demand for a wide range of real estate investment opportunities in Abu Dhabi, as evidenced by multiple sell-out launches of turnkey developments on Yas Island and Saadiyat Island in recent months and now the completion of land plot sales at Al Gurm," said Rashed Al Omaira, Aldar Development's chief commercial officer.
Aldar had launched the sale in July, offering buyers plot sizes that ranged in size from 900 square metres to 4,400 square metres, with each having access to beaches in three distinct areas of the development – The Beach, The Canal and The Island.
The development's first phase was completed in 2010 and the construction of the second phase is scheduled to begin in September, with handovers expected from March 2024, according to Aldar.
The Abu Dhabi developer has unveiled several projects this year as the property market continues to recover from the coronavirus-induced slowdown on the back of economic stimulus measures and a rapid mass vaccination programme.
Last month Aldar sold all 83 villas at its Saadiyat Island development, Saadiyat Reserve, The Dunes, to customers from 14 countries, with Emiratis as main buyers.
This followed the success of villa plot sales in Saadiyat Reserve’s first two phases, the company said at the time.
Villa prices in Dubai and Abu Dhabi grew by 3.9 per cent and by 2.2 per cent respectively on a quarterly basis at the end of the first quarter, property consultancy Chestertons said in a report earlier this year.
Aldar plans to unveil five new projects in 2021 on Reem, Saadiyat and Yas Islands as it aims to equal or surpass its 2020 sales of Dh3.6 billion ($980 million), Jonathan Emery, chief executive of Aldar Development, told The National in an interview in May.
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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