Business /

Barings opens Abu Dhabi office, deepens Middle East push

Global asset manager expands in Abu Dhabi to tap regional investor demand

Last updated: April 16, 2026 | 18:45

Nivetha Dayanand, Assistant Business Editor

2 MIN READ

Add as a preferred source on Google

The Al Maryah Island hosts Abu Dhabi Global Market.

Supplied

Dubai: Barings has opened a new office in Abu Dhabi, expanding its presence in the Gulf as it looks to strengthen ties with institutional investors and capture growing demand for alternative investments in the region.

Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.

The move follows the firm’s entry into Dubai in 2024 and places it closer to sovereign wealth funds, family offices and other large allocators of capital based in the UAE.

Expansion builds on regional demand

The Abu Dhabi office will operate within Abu Dhabi Global Market, giving the firm access to a regulated financial centre and proximity to regional capital.

“The opening of our Abu Dhabi office reaffirms Barings’ commitment to the Middle East and our belief in the region’s growth trajectory. Being on the ground enables us to better serve our clients and partner with them to unlock opportunities across global credit markets,” said Mike Freno, Chairman and CEO of Barings.

Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.

Also Read: Bain Capital opens Abu Dhabi office to target regional capital and deals

Also Read: HSBC launches onshore asset management business in UAE, debuts 10 local funds

Also Read: Diversify globally, access locally with HSBC UAE-domiciled funds

Focus on institutional relationships

The firm is targeting deeper engagement with sovereign wealth funds and institutional investors, where allocations to private credit and alternative assets continue to rise.

Waleed Zamel, Managing Director and Head of Middle East for Barings’ Global Client Group, said the office will support closer interaction with clients and more tailored investment strategies.

“This expansion marks an important milestone in our strategy to build a strong presence in the region and reaffirms our commitment to our trusted partners. Abu Dhabi is a key financial hub and a growth pillar of Barings’ Middle East strategy, and having a local office allows us to engage more closely with clients and deliver tailored investment solutions that meet their evolving needs.”

Abu Dhabi strengthens position

The addition of Barings adds to a growing list of global asset managers establishing a base in Abu Dhabi, as the emirate positions itself as a hub for capital allocation and fund management.

“We are pleased to welcome Barings to ADGM’s ecosystem. Their decision underscores the continued interest from leading global firms choosing Abu Dhabi for regional and international growth. With a strong regulatory framework and deep connectivity to regional capital, ADGM continues to support asset and wealth managers as they expand their presence and access opportunities across the region and beyond,” said Arvind Ramamurthy, Chief Market Development Officer at ADGM.

Barings said it continues to see strong demand from Middle Eastern investors for public and private credit as well as real estate, areas that are expected to remain central to its regional strategy.

Nivetha DayanandAssistant Business Editor

Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, covering aviation, financial markets and commodities. A business and financial journalist with a strong interest in multimedia storytelling, she regularly takes complex financial and economic subjects beyond the written word, producing explainer videos that make them easier for a wider audience to understand. Nivetha has interviewed senior policymakers, business leaders and global financial figures both on and off camera. Her past guests include UAE Minister of Economy and Tourism Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, a member of the House of Saud and the founder and CEO of KBW Ventures, Jihad Azour, Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund and Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu. She has also hosted and moderated panels, conferences and awards shows, bringing her newsroom experience to live conversations on business, finance and the economy. An Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha is drawn to stories that affect people directly and to reporting that gives a platform to voices that might otherwise go unheard. She was among the first journalists to speak to Petrofac employees in the UAE about unpaid salaries, broke the news of the planned demolition of Dubai’s well-known “Toyota Building”, and helped set the record straight on widely circulated claims that a giant replica of the Moon was coming to Dubai. More recently, her exclusive interview with EDGE Group CEO Hamad Al Marar revealed how the UAE-based defence group deployed its systems along the country’s shore border and established a geofence around the UAE within 48 hours of the February 28 escalation. Prior to joining Gulf News, Nivetha worked at ITP Media, where she helped launch Finance Middle East, a new publication covering the region’s financial sector. Her role spanned reporting and editing, video production, interviews and events. Across print, digital, and video, she focuses on finding the people behind business stories and explaining why those stories matter to the audience reading or watching them.

Get Updates on Topics You Choose

Up Next