Blackstone commits $250 million in Abu Dhabi payments platform in first UAE investment since Iran war

Blackstone has committed $250 million to Advanced Digital Gaming Technology (ADGT), an Abu Dhabi‑headquartered payments and compliance platform formed with Raya Holding, NRT Technology and Sightline Payments, the firm said on Thursday. The investment, one of the first announced into the UAE since the outbreak of the Iran war, will back ADGT’s effort to build payments and compliance infrastructure for regulated digital markets across the UAE, the wider Middle East and Africa, and select international corridors.

Direct quote

Jon Gray, president and chief operating officer at Blackstone, said: “We see significant opportunity to deploy capital at scale in the UAE to build companies that can grow both domestically and internationally, despite near-term headwinds.”

Context and deal details

ADGT has been structured as a strategic partnership between Blackstone and Abu Dhabi-based Raya Holding, with technology partners NRT Technology and Sightline Payments. Blackstone described the platform as aiming to create payments and compliance technology tailored to regulated digital markets globally.

In the UAE, ADGT is already the premier payments and compliance technology provider to the country’s commercial gaming market and, according to Blackstone, is currently the only licensed platform able to contract directly with both land-based venues and online digital platforms. The firm said ADGT will initially concentrate on the UAE, markets in the broader Middle East and Africa region, and selected international corridors.

• Investment: $250 million from Blackstone
• Platform: Advanced Digital Gaming Technology (ADGT)
• Partners: Raya Holding, NRT Technology, Sightline Payments
• Target markets: UAE, Middle East and Africa, and select international corridors
• Blackstone assets under management: $1.3 trillion

The commitment highlights continued inward investment into the UAE amid regional tensions. Blackstone, which has maintained a presence in the UAE since 2010, said it sees the country as a place to “deploy capital at scale.” The firm has been active in the region in recent years, partnering with Abu Dhabi-based Lunate last October to create Gulf Logistics Infrastructure Development Enterprise (Glide), a platform targeting $5 billion of logistics assets across six Gulf countries. In September, Blackstone and Permira invested $525 million in Dubai-based Property Finder.

Outlook

Sheikh Mohammed bin Sultan, who heads Raya Holding, framed the deal as part of a broader effort to build a regional technology hub from Abu Dhabi. “With a progressive regulatory framework and strong institutional support, the UAE continues to create an environment where global technology platforms can be built and scaled,” he said. “From Abu Dhabi, we are developing a platform designed not only to serve the UAE, but to support the evolution of regulated digital markets globally.”

Blackstone’s investment positions ADGT to capitalise on regulatory openings in the UAE’s commercial gaming market and on cross‑border payments and compliance needs across the MENA region and beyond. The transaction also serves as a signal of confidence in the emirates’ ability to attract large-scale private capital despite geopolitical uncertainty in the Gulf.