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Investcorp

Investcorp Overview

The late Nemir Kirdar, an Iraqi banker and financier, founded private equity and investment firm Investcorp in Bahrain’s capital of Manama in 1982.

Renowned as one of the founding fathers of the sector, the business, which had four other co-founders, had reportedly made him a billionaire by the time he died in 2020 at the age of 83.

Investcorp’s success is based on connecting investors in the Gulf to investment opportunities in the West.

Among the shareholders in Investcorp are reportedly a number of Middle Eastern ruling families and wealthy businesspeople from the region, while the UAE’s Mubadala reportedly has a 20 per cent stage in the firm.

The firm has invested in businesses including luxury goods brands Tiffany & Co. and Gucci, as well as convenience store chain Circle K.

Investcorp has 12 global offices across India, Asia, the US, Middle East and Europe.

Since 2015 it has rapidly expanded in Asia and the US in particular through diversification and acquisitions. These increased from $10 billion in assets under management to $25 billion in 2017 and more than $50 billion. It aims to double that to $100 billion in the longer term.

In November 2023, Investcorp floated 32.85 per cent of its Investcorp Capital Plc investment vehicle on Abu Dhabi’s stock exchange, raising $450 million.

The entire group’s portfolio of assets are held in six divisions, in real estate and infrastructure investment, hedge funds, strategic capital, credit management and absolute return investment.

Investcorp News

Bahrain's alternative investment manager, Investcorp, is among the potential suitors for PAL Cooling Holding

More suitors vie for Abu Dhabi’s district cooling business

KKR and I Squared Capital are among global asset managers bidding for a district cooling business owned by Abu Dhabi’s Multiply Group, part of a $1.5 trillion empire overseen by one of the UAE’s most powerful sheikhs. District cooling plants, which deliver chilled water via insulated pipes to cool offices, industrial and residential buildings, have […]

Last year Investcorp unveiled a new $526 million venture to acquire industrial real estate assets in the US

Investcorp Capital earns 40% profit on sale of US industrial assets

Abu Dhabi-listed Investcorp Capital has sold its US industrial real estate portfolio, generating a high return on investment. The US National I portfolio, spanning six investments across six states and 2.3 million square feet, was sold for $360 million, a 40 percent gain over its initial purchase price of $262 million less than four years […]

Mohammed Alardhi, executive chairman of Investcorp, has welcomed Donald Trump's return to power, saying: 'We think the new administration is pro-growth'

Investcorp chairman weighs IPO or deal with strategic investor

Investcorp is considering a tie-up with a strategic investor or an initial public offering in the next few years, its executive chairman has said.  Mohammed Alardhi said the Bahrain-based alternative asset manager had streamlined its strategy and reshuffled its leadership and management teams.  For its next period of growth, Investcorp may look to outside investment, […]

Epipoli owns the largest customer relationship management and loyalty programme in Italy, with over six million customers

Bahrain’s Investcorp agrees to buy Italy’s Epipoli

Bahrain’s Investcorp has finalised a deal to acquire Epipoli, an Italian alternative payments company. The asset will be purchased from London-headquartered private equity Bregal Milestone and Epipoli founder and CEO Gaetano Giannetto. Giannetto will continue to hold a significant minority stake and lead the company. No terms of the transaction were disclosed. Epipoli owns the […]

Bahrain's Investcorp Capital is to invest in the $4.2 billion redevelopment of New York’s JFK International Airport’s Terminal 6

Middle East investors turn to airports for safe returns

Middle Eastern money is making its way into airports around the world as investment in aviation assets continues to catch the eye. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (Adia), the UAE’s largest sovereign wealth fund, is the latest headline-grabber as its estimated $4 billion takeover bid as part of a consortium for Malaysia’s Airports Holdings was confirmed […]

Gulf UAE Saudi PPPs

Gulf still struggling to attract private cash for public projects

Lower oil prices are driving Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE, to involve private companies in financing critical infrastructure projects worth tens of billions of dollars. Despite some successes, the expansion of public-private partnerships (PPPs) is being hampered by inconsistent project delivery and changing regulatory frameworks that are holding back investor confidence, experts […]

Grocery business Mair Group listed on ADX this week. UAE IPOs raised over $6bn last year

ADX ripe for international investment, say asset managers

The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange remains a sleeping giant for international investors despite the huge sums raised from recent ADX listings, speakers said this week at the emirate’s annual financial showcase. There have been 23 notable initial public offerings of UAE companies since the start of 2021 – 14 on the ADX and nine on […]

Investcorp Capital will help fund the $4.2bn redevelopment of JFK Airport in New York City

Investcorp Capital invests $280m in growth sectors

Bahrain’s Investcorp Capital has announced investments exceeded $280 million across various asset classes in the last six months. These potential growth sectors included real estate, infrastructure and corporate investments. The funding aligns with the company’s strategy to pay at least 8 percent dividends in semi-annual instalments, the company said in a bourse filing on Monday. […]

Investcorp's Saudi MD tells AGBI about the Bahrain investor's plans Video length: 03:54

Investcorp refocuses on inward GCC investment

Bahrain’s Investcorp is involved in investment-related initiatives worth $4 billion, the latest of which is a commercial partnership with Awaed, the first commission-free Saudi trading platform. After investing heavily in the US and Europe, it is now focusing more to GCC opportunities. AGBI spoke to Investcorp’s Saudi Arabia MD Mashaal AlJomaih in the video above.