Middle East

Abraaj Collapse Reverberates Through GCC Private Equity Markets

As recently as 2016 the Abraaj Group was flying high: with around USD13.6bn of assets under management globally, the investment firm was one of the biggest in the region and blazed the trail for GCC private equity investors to expand into the growth markets. Two years on, abandoned by its founder Arif Naqvi, it is facing USD1.2bn in debt, multiple lawsuits and an unprecedented level of attention and scrutiny from authorities, threatening to send shockwaves through Middle East’s financial markets.