Discover the future of
global investment across The Middle East

Welcome to the fourth edition of Ocorian's Global Asset Monitor, with an additional Middle East focus

The Middle East is entering a new phase in its evolution as a centre for private capital, and Ocorian has chosen to invest with conviction, scale, and long-term intent. Our expansion across the region reflects what we are seeing first-hand from clients. Asset managers, investors, and entrepreneurs are not simply exploring the Middle East as an option, they are committing capital, relocating teams, and building robust platforms.

Ocorian’s strategic expansion and local expertise

Ocorian is positioned for growth in the Middle East. Along with our long-standing private client and corporate offering, we have made a strategic acquisition expanding our local regulatory and compliance solutions, secured our Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) funds licence and hired expert local and international talent. This allows us to support firms even before they enter the region, engage with regulators and establish their operating presence. For clients moving into the Middle East for the first time, this early-stage guidance is critical. We support asset managers across the full lifecycle of their fund, from initial set up and launch, to ongoing administration of the fund and portfolio companies, to the return of capital to investors.

Aligning with the UAE’s ambition and market demand

This integrated capability aligns closely with the UAE’s ambition to attract global talent and capital. As more firms relocate and establish regional hubs, the demand for full-service, institutional-grade asset servicing is accelerating. The size and scale of private capital we are seeing in the region is new and the pace of growth is exceptional. In the UAE the demand is arriving all at once, creating an urgent need for experienced providers who can bring depth, resilience, and consistency.

Ocorian commissioned 5iresearch to produce the Global Asset Monitor which considers eight main asset classes that make up the vast bulk of the world’s assets. Four of these are in public markets, namely listed equities and three categories of listed bonds (corporate, sovereign, and other which include municipal and agency bonds). The other four are in private markets, namely funds investing in private equity, private debt, infrastructure and real estate. We recognise there are other kinds of assets out there in the world, such as residential and commercial property, commodities, art and so on. But we have chosen ours to represent the easily investable universe: investors can buy public assets on exchanges and they can participate in private markets via funds.

All data is converted to USD at prevailing spot rates. Currency fluctuations may therefore make an impact in the short term, but over the long-term the effect of exchange rates tends to even out almost entirely at the global level. No account has been taken of inflation.