Barings Opens Office in Abu Dhabi to Strengthen Middle East Presence

Barings has opened a new office in Abu Dhabi, the firm announced on April 16, 2026, marking a strategic expansion of its Middle East footprint following the launch of its Dubai office in 2024. The office will operate within Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and is intended to deepen Barings’ relationships with institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, and family offices across the Gulf. Barings said the move reflects its confidence in the region's long-term growth, resilience and investment opportunities and will provide closer proximity to leading regional investors within a robust regulatory environment.

Direct quote

"The opening of our Abu Dhabi office reaffirms Barings' commitment to the Middle East and our belief in the region's growth trajectory. Being on the ground enables us to better serve our clients and partner with them to unlock opportunities across global credit markets," said Mike Freno, Chairman and CEO of Barings.

Context and details

Barings frames the Abu Dhabi office as a continuation of its Gulf expansion after establishing its Dubai presence in 2024. Waleed Zamel, Managing Director, Head of Middle East, Global Client Group at Barings, described the new office as "an important milestone in our strategy to build a strong presence in the region" and said it "reaffirms our commitment to our trusted partners." Zamel emphasized Abu Dhabi's role as "a key financial hub and a growth pillar of Barings' Middle East strategy," adding that a local office will enable the firm to "engage more closely with clients and deliver tailored investment solutions that meet their evolving needs."

The office will be based within ADGM, positioning Barings inside Abu Dhabi’s international financial centre. Arvind Ramamurthy, Chief Market Development Officer at ADGM, welcomed the firm and highlighted the jurisdiction’s appeal: "We are pleased to welcome Barings to ADGM's ecosystem. Their decision underscores the continued interest from leading global firms choosing Abu Dhabi for regional and international growth. With a strong regulatory framework and deep connectivity to regional capital, ADGM continues to support asset and wealth managers as they expand their presence and access opportunities across the region and beyond."

• Location: Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Follow-up to: Barings' Dubai office launched in 2024
• Target clients: Institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, family offices
• Strategic focus areas cited: Public credit, private credit, real estate

Outlook

Barings signalled that the new Abu Dhabi office is intended to enhance client engagement and delivery of bespoke investment strategies across credit and real estate. The firm said it continues to see "a strong appetite for strategies in public credit, private credit, and real estate among Middle Eastern investors," positioning the Abu Dhabi presence as a platform to expand relationships and deploy solutions tailored to the region’s institutional capital. With ADGM’s regulatory framework and connectivity to regional capital markets highlighted by local officials, Barings’ move underscores a broader trend of global asset managers formalising on-the-ground operations in the Gulf to better serve regional investor demand.