EQT Opens Abu Dhabi Base, Launches Middle East Platform
Europe's largest private markets investor, which manages $389 billion in client assets, has established an Abu Dhabi Global Market office as the headquarters for a newly launched platform targeting private equity and infrastructure opportunities across the Gulf.
Corroborating Sources: The National β "Europe's top private markets firm EQT sets up first Middle East base in Abu Dhabi" (September 23, 2026), independently confirming the $389bn assets-under-management figure, the ADGM office location, and the same executive names and quotes.
Key Takeaways
- β $389bn Global Manager Enters the Gulf: EQT, Europe's largest private markets investment firm, has opened an Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) office as the base for its newly launched Middle East platform.
- β Private Equity and Infrastructure Mandate: The platform combines EQT's private equity and infrastructure investing capabilities under one regional structure, targeting GCC sectors the firm describes as undergoing structural transformation.
- β New Regional Leadership Named: Jimmy Mahtani has been appointed Chairman of EQT's GCC operations and Smiyet Belrhiti as Senior Executive Officer leading the Abu Dhabi office, alongside CEO Per FranzΓ©n and Group Chair Jean Eric Salata.
- β No Deployment Figures Disclosed Yet: EQT has not published a specific capital target for the Middle East platform; the announcement covers the office opening and leadership structure rather than named transactions.
What EQT Announced
EQT, the Stockholm-headquartered firm that manages roughly $389 billion in client assets and ranks as Europe's largest private markets investor, has opened an office in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the emirate's international financial centre. The office serves as the headquarters for a newly launched Middle East platform that brings together EQT's private equity and infrastructure investing arms under a single regional structure, with a stated mandate to pursue opportunities across GCC markets in sectors the firm calls "undergoing structural transformation." Group Chair Jean Eric Salata said Abu Dhabi is "a place where EQT has had the privilege of developing close ties over the past three decades with senior leaders at the largest regional investors."
Who's Running It
EQT named Jimmy Mahtani β who also chairs the firm's India and Southeast Asia private capital business β as Chairman of its newly formed GCC operations, with Smiyet Belrhiti appointed Senior Executive Officer leading the Abu Dhabi office day to day. Belrhiti said the firm is "seeing a growing pool of high-quality companies in sectors central to EQT's long-term strategies" across the Middle East. CEO Per FranzΓ©n framed the launch as reflecting the firm's "conviction in the scale and momentum of opportunity across the GCC."
Why It Matters
EQT's announcement names no specific transactions or a capital target for the Middle East platform, so the near-term signal is structural rather than transactional: a $389bn global manager has now put permanent leadership and a licensed ADGM base behind its Gulf ambitions, rather than covering the region from London or Singapore. EQT's global portfolio leans heavily on infrastructure that underpins real estate development β data centres, digital infrastructure and district cooling among them β which is the segment most likely to intersect with GCC property markets as the platform starts deploying capital. Watch for EQT's first named GCC transaction as the next concrete signal of where that capital lands.