Middle East Data Insight (Mid-Year 2019)

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The private capital space in the Middle East has undergone a transformation over the past decade. Traditional private equity activity has become relatively subdued as the industry continues a process of consolidation and renewal. In its stead, venture capital (VC) fund managers have ramped up deals in the region’s burgeoning technology ecosystem. Even with the increasing focus on VC, activity in the infrastructure segment still has an outsize effect on regional investment totals, with GPs tapping into established energy opportunities in the region. In the first half of 1H 2019, KKR and Blackrock together contributed USD1 billion to the buyout of UAE-based ADNOC Oil Pipelines in the largest disclosed Middle East private capital investment on record at EMPEA. Amidst the rise of VC, deals like ADNOC demonstrate how GPs still find opportunities in the region’s traditional strengths.