Author
Harsh Batra
Harsh Batra
Not every busy week feels important. This one did.
Across utilities, digital infrastructure and financial platforms, dealmakers weren’t chasing speed – they were choosing durability. Long contracts, hard assets and regional platforms took centre stage, pointing to where conviction is really forming.
Three deals that capture the mood:
- A 27-year signal from Ruwais: The ADNOC and TAQA utilities deal with TA’ZIZ shows how industrial ambition in the Gulf is being backed by patient, long-dated infrastructure.
- Digital infrastructure turns concrete: Cerberus took majority ownership in Datawave to fund the SING subsea cable linking the Gulf, India and Singapore, while Syntys expanded hyperscale capacity in Qatar via the Q Data acquisition.
- Selective risk comes back: A fresh Mubadala-led round into Property Finder sits alongside Estithmar’s planned entry into Syrian banking, hinting at a cautious reopening of frontier markets.
Open the full wrap up and see every deal in our tracker.
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Deals Tracker
M&A Abroad
- UAE | Mubadala has sold its minority stake in US-based Arcadia as Bansk funds took control.
- UAE | India’s competition regulator has cleared Emirates NBD’s planned buy of 60% of RBL Bank.
- UAE | EGA and Century Aluminium have struck a JV deal to build a new primary aluminium plant in the US.
- UAE | Dubai Holding has acquired the Jumeirah Mallorca hotel in Spain.
- UAE | ADNOC’s XRG is increasing its stake in Rio Grande LNG by buying an additional 7.6% in Trains 4 and 5.
- Saudi Arabia | SABIC is selling two overseas business units to AEQUITA and Mutares as part of a portfolio reshuffle.
- Qatar | Carlyle and Qatar Investment Authority are buying a majority stake in BASF’s coatings business, with BASF keeping 40%.
- Kuwaiti | Bader Nasser Al-Kharafi has bought a 3% stake in Italy’s Ferretti.
The rumour mill
- Yemen | Abu Dhabi-based GSU has handed over two operational solar plants totalling 173 MW to Yemen’s state utility as it exits the country
- UAE | Ras Al Khaimah is courting investors from China and Hong Kong for real estate and green sectors as it targets 3.5m tourists a year by 2030
- UAE | dnata’s CEO says the Dubai aviation-services group is talking to around 40 targets, hunting small-to-mid acquisitions with South America high on the list
- UAE | Barq Group and Elroy Air signed an initial framework for a USD 200m Abu Dhabi JV to manufacture and service autonomous cargo aircraft
- Saudi Arabia | With IPO routes looking tougher, Saudi venture capital firms expect startup exits to lean more heavily toward M&A
- Saudi Arabia | Theeb has terminated its non-binding MoU to invest in a smart-technology firm after failing to reach final terms
- Lebanon | Al Habtoor Group says it will shut down operations in Lebanon and dismiss all staff amid an ongoing investment dispute
- Egypt | China’s Sany is in talks with Egypt’s electricity ministry over building the country’s first wind-turbine factory and transferring technology locally
- Bahrain | BBK has kicked off due diligence on a potential merger with National Bank of Bahrain, moving the long-discussed tie-up forward
Job moves
- UAE | Reed Smith has named Anders Nilsson as managing partner of its Middle East offices, overseeing Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Riyadh
- UAE | Pérez-Llorca is opening its first Middle East hub in Abu Dhabi, appointing Gonçalo Capela Godinho to lead
- Saudi Arabia | Eversheds Sutherland has hired veteran banking and finance partner Zaid Al-Farisi to strengthen its Riyadh practice
IPOs
Fundraising
- UAE | Property Finder has raised USD 170m from UAE sovereign wealth funds to fund regional growth and consolidation
- Saudi Arabia | Jadwa Investment is raising up to USD 200m for its first private credit fund to capitalise on rising M&A demand
- Saudi Arabia | Derayah has made a strategic investment in Alpaca, teaming up to expand global access to Saudi stocks via brokerage infrastructure
