Barings Opens Office in Abu Dhabi to Strengthen Middle East Presence
Barings, one of the world’s leading alternative investment managers, today announced the opening of its new office in Abu Dhabi. This strategic expansion underscores Barings’ commitment to the Middle East and its confidence in the region’s long-term growth, resilience, and investment opportunities.
The Abu Dhabi office follows the successful launch of Barings’ Dubai office in 2024 and reflects the firm’s ambition to deepen relationships with institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, and family offices across the Gulf.
Mike Freno, Chairman and CEO of Barings, said, “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.”
Waleed Zamel, Managing Director, Head of Middle East, Global Client Group at Barings, added, “This expansion marks an important milestone in our strategy to build a strong presence in the region and reaffirms our commitment to our trusted partners. Abu Dhabi is a key financial hub and a growth pillar of Barings’ Middle East strategy, and having a local office allows us to engage more closely with clients and deliver tailored investment solutions that meet their evolving needs.”
Arvind Ramamurthy, Chief Market Development Officer at ADGM, said, “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.”
The new office will operate within ADGM, the international financial centre of Abu Dhabi, the Capital of the United Arab Emirates, providing Barings with proximity to leading regional investors and a robust regulatory environment. The firm continues to see strong appetite for strategies in public credit, private credit, and real estate among Middle Eastern investors.
Contacts
mediarelations@barings.com
About Barings
Barings is a $481 billion* global alternative asset manager that partners with institutional, insurance, and wealth clients, and supports leading businesses with flexible financing solutions. The firm, a subsidiary of MassMutual, seeks to deliver excess returns by leveraging its global scale and capabilities across credit, real assets and capital solutions.
*Assets under management as of 31 March 2026
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