The firm’s announcement comes at a time when a number of firms have been setting up shop in Dubai and neighbouring Abu Dhabi.

Hamilton Lane, a private markets investment management firm, has just opened its newest office in the Middle East in order to meet the needs of regional clients more effectively. The new office builds on Hamilton Lane’s 20-year presence in the region.

With 22 offices globally, the new office in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) brings the team closer to clients and strengthens relationships built in the region over the last two decades.

The new office increases the firm’s presence in the EMEA region to seven offices, the first of which opened in London in 2004. EMEA continues to be a key area of growth, with roughly a 150 per cent increase in headcount since 2020, over 25 per cent of which are senior professionals. It has an established investor base among both institutional and private wealth investors across the full spectrum of private markets strategies, including direct equity, infrastructure, secondaries and more.

A number of firms have set up shop recently in Dubai and neighbouring Abu Dhabi, exploiting the rising level of demand for wealth management, for instance inter-generational wealth and business transfer advisory work. Last November, Rothschild & Co opened a new wealth management office in Dubai, serving ultra-high net worth families, entrepreneurs, charities and foundations. In May, Zurich-headquartered boutique NPB Neue Privat Bank secured DIFC authorisation to set up its local entity, NPB Middle East Limited.

“As demand for private markets continues to grow globally, we are seeing more interest from investors across both institutional and private wealth channels in the Middle East,” Richard Hope, head of EMEA at Hamilton Lane, said. “We are delighted to strengthen our presence in the region, bringing our experience of 33 years in private markets closer to this important audience.”

Headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, Hamilton Lane has offices in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. It has $956 billion in assets under management and supervision, composed of nearly $135 billion in discretionary assets, and more than $821 billion in non-discretionary assets.