The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) has announced a strategic partnership with global private investment firm Bain Capital to support the company’s regional expansion. The collaboration coincides with the launch of the Fintech, Insurance, Digital and Alternative Assets (FIDA) cluster.
Unveiled during Abu Dhabi Finance Week 2025 (ADFW 2025), the FIDA cluster is a major initiative aimed at developing next-generation financial infrastructure across sectors including fintech, alternative investments, digital assets, long-term savings, transition finance and SME capital platforms.
FIDA is expected to contribute an additional AED56 billion to direct GDP, generate around 8,000 skilled jobs and attract no less than AED17 billion in investments.
With more than 40 years of investment experience across private equity, venture capital, credit and real estate, Bain Capital offers significant expertise and a global network that will enhance the FIDA cluster.
Through this partnership, ADIO and Bain Capital will work together to establish Abu Dhabi-based alternative investment platforms, helping build a locally driven asset management ecosystem that will enable regional capital deployment and broaden investment portfolios through targeted opportunities across the region.
Both parties will collaborate on co-investment opportunities in Abu Dhabi and the wider region, partnering with local entities and sovereign institutions to deploy capital in transformative projects. The partnership will engage ecosystem stakeholders, including institutional investors and academic institutions, to strengthen a financial environment that attracts capital to Abu Dhabi’s priority sectors such as infrastructure, transition finance and innovation.
The collaboration will also enhance talent development by aligning with FIDA’s strategy to create pathways for research and skills training in areas such as alternative investments, risk management and asset advisory, ensuring financial expertise is built and scaled within the local ecosystem.
Badr Al Olama, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Investment Office, said, “Through this collaboration with Bain Capital, we are creating strategic channels for financial innovation that serve institutional needs, while giving global investors a stable base in Abu Dhabi to originate, structure and deploy capital across the region.”
David Gross, Co-Managing Partner at Bain Capital, commented, “Abu Dhabi’s strategic location, business-friendly environment, and commitment to innovation make it an ideal base for expanding our regional footprint. We look forward to working with ADIO to identify compelling investment opportunities and contribute to the development of a world-class financial services sector that benefits investors, entrepreneurs, and communities across the region.”
By enabling scalable financial services across alternative investments, digital infrastructure, ESG finance and long-term savings, the FIDA cluster supports Abu Dhabi’s economic diversification and its transition toward a knowledge- and innovation-driven economy. FIDA joins the SAVI (Smart and Autonomous Vehicles Industry), AGWA (AgriFood Growth and Water Abundance) and HELM (Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine) clusters in advancing Abu Dhabi’s unified, cluster-led economic transformation strategy.
(Inputs from WAM)
