- Niklas Ponnert, Partner, eWTP Arabia Capital
- Ghada Abdelkader, Senior VP of CE-Invests, Crescent Enterprises
More and more countries and state funds from the oil-rich Gulf are looking at opportunities abroad, especially in Asia, as they look to diversify their investments, driven by the need to shift their focus to a wide range of sectors including tech. The region’s largest sovereign wealth funds, which together account for easily over $3.5 trillion in AUM, have been expanding their investments across Asian markets through both fund and direct investments. Middle Eastern LPs are becoming a growing base for Asian fund managers as they raise new vehicles. This trend has sent a ripple effect across several investment firms and even Chinese and South & SE Asian startups, who are looking to expand to the Middle East, as cross-border deal activities rise. How are Middle Eastern firms viewing the Asia opportunity? What are the challenges they face while operating in diverse markets of south and SE Asia and Greater China?
