Buyout firm Ardian to open in Abu Dhabi to tap sovereign wealth

Buyout firm Ardian to open in Abu Dhabi to tap sovereign wealth

Paris-based buyout firm Ardian SAS is opening an office in Abu Dhabi to tap opportunities across the region where cash-rich sovereign wealth funds are becoming increasingly influential investors.

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Ardian’s team in the United Arab Emirates’ capital, which will be led by François Aissa-Touazi, will build on existing partnerships with sovereign funds such as Mubadala Investment Co. and will help existing portfolio companies expand regionally.

It will also invest directly in companies across the Middle East, with two hydrogen-related deals in the pipeline.

“Abu Dhabi is very much advanced in planning some green hydrogen projects and we will certainly go with them in some partnership for some hydrogen development here in this region, president and founder Dominique Senequier said in an interview with Bloomberg News.

Ardian, with $25 billion of assets and $8 billion of capital in the region, will start with 10 employees in Abu Dhabi and may look to hire more, she said.

In December, Ardian — which has been active in the UAE and the region for two decades — inked a $2.1 billion partnership with Mubadala Capital, the asset management arm of Mubadala Investment, that will involve the French