Gulfmena will introduce a public equities fund next quarter

Gulfmena Alternative Investments (Gulfmena), a fund and asset manager specialised in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) markets, will launch a new fund next quarter, said a company statement.

The firm will introduce its flagship investment strategy through “Gulfmena Arab Opportunities Fund”, a macro-directional (market-directional) absolute return public equities fund.

The first Mena hedge fund of its kind, the Fund seeks to adopt Global Investment Performance Standards (Gips) from the start.

The company has been granted licence by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) to operate as an asset management company from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

Marc Hambach, Gulfmena’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We believe we have a proposition for a unique non-traditional investment strategy and an unparalleled risk management platform that better meets the challenges and opportunities of today’s Mena markets.

“For that purpose, we are delighted to be headquartered in DIFC which has proven to be the hub for specialist regional managers. Given that alternative investment management within regional markets remains a pioneering concept, we look forward to aligning interests with a progressive partner such as DIFC and working together to create the region’s alternative investment space”

Dr Omar bin Sulaiman, Governor of DIFC, said: The Mena region has long been a part of the emerging markets portfolio of major global funds. And over the years, it has provided significant returns as the region’s economies revitalised themselves and grew rapidly.

“Now with the shift in the world’s economic centre of gravity to the East, speeded up by the financial crisis in the West, the Mena region offers even greater potential for economic growth and wealth creation. DIFC is ideally located as the gateway to not just the Mena.”

Haissam Arabi, Gulfmena’s Founder, CEO and Fund Manager, said: “The changing landscape within the asset management industry and rapidly growing investor sophistication, especially following the credit crunch, places regulation and compliance at the heart of any successful investment strategy.

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