13 September 2026
The Private Capital Summit, Dubai meets on Tuesday 15 September 2026 at The Lana, Dorchester Collection, on Marasi Drive in Business Bay: a one-day forum produced by CapLink Group, with EY-Parthenon as headline partner, for more than 300 senior decision-makers from private capital funds, institutional investors, dealmakers and service providers. The backdrop is the regional deal market. According to the EY MENA M&A Insights 2025 report, the Middle East and North Africa recorded 884 mergers and acquisitions worth USD 106.1 billion (AED 389.7 billion) in 2025, 26% more deals and 15% more value than in 2024, with the six GCC states accounting for 685 deals worth USD 102.1 billion (AED 375.0 billion). The first half of 2026 was slower, at 390 deals worth USD 46.7 billion (AED 171.5 billion), before deal value recovered in the second quarter. Panels on the day include First Abu Dhabi Bank, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Ares Management, Coller Capital, StepStone, HarbourVest and the Emirates Investment Authority. CapLink Group announced the line-up in a press release on Sunday 13 September 2026.
2025 in numbers: 884 deals worth USD 106.1 billion
EY released its full-year MENA review on 11 February 2026. Deal volume rose from 701 transactions in 2024 to 884 and total value from USD 92.3 billion to USD 106.1 billion, which EY attributed to enabling regulations, economic diversification programmes and disciplined deal-making. The summit’s press release calls 2025 a record M&A year; EY’s own release speaks of strong growth and resilience and does not use the word record.
| Indicator | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| MENA deals | 701 | 884 | +26% |
| MENA deal value | USD 92.3 billion (AED 339.0 billion) | USD 106.1 billion (AED 389.7 billion) | +15% |
| GCC deals and value | Not stated in the release | 685 deals, USD 102.1 billion (AED 375.0 billion) | 77% of MENA deals, 96% of value (our calculation) |
| Inbound deals into MENA | USD 11.4 billion (AED 41.9 billion) | USD 25.4 billion (AED 93.3 billion), 223 deals | Value more than doubled, deals +37% |
| Outbound deals by MENA buyers | Not stated in the release | USD 39.2 billion (AED 144.0 billion), 256 deals | 37% of total value, deals +29% |
| Cross-border share | Not stated in the release | 54% of volume, 61% of value | Dominant segment |
Source: EY MENA M&A Insights 2025, press release of 11 February 2026. AED amounts are converted at the fixed rate of AED 3.6725 per US dollar.
The UAE was at the centre of the year. The region’s three largest transactions were UAE deals: OMV and its subsidiary Borealis acquired a 64% stake in Borouge for USD 16.5 billion (AED 60.6 billion), L’IMAD Holding Company, owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi, acquired 84.76% of Modon Holding for USD 13.8 billion (AED 50.7 billion), and Multiply Group acquired a 42.2% stake in 2PointZero for USD 7.7 billion (AED 28.3 billion). With 131 transactions the UAE led domestic deal activity in MENA, and together with Saudi Arabia it attracted 59% of the region’s investments as a target market. Sovereign wealth funds such as ADIA, Mubadala and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund remained among the main catalysts.
2026 so far: a slower first half, a stronger second quarter
EY’s mid-year update of 12 August 2026 shows 390 deals worth USD 46.7 billion (AED 171.5 billion) in the first half of 2026, against 434 deals worth USD 58.8 billion (AED 215.9 billion) a year earlier, a moderation EY linked to geopolitical developments. The second quarter turned the trend: deal value reached USD 25 billion (AED 91.8 billion), up from USD 12.2 billion in the second quarter of 2025, with May and June accounting for 61% of the quarter’s volume and 79% of its value. Transactions above USD 500 million contributed nearly three quarters of total value between March and June, and EY again named the UAE as the preferred destination for inbound investment in MENA. Matthew Benson, MENA Private Capital Leader at EY-Parthenon, who chairs the summit, said in the announcement that geopolitical developments “moderated inbound investment activity during the first half of 2026” but that the region “remained resilient”.
Figures from different advisers are not directly comparable, because each applies its own rules on which transactions count and which values are disclosed. Grant Thornton’s review, covered in our article on the UAE share of GCC deal value in H1 2026, put the first half at USD 65.1 billion for the GCC alone. Both data sets show fewer transactions and the UAE in the lead; they differ on value, which EY shows falling and Grant Thornton rising.
What happens at The Lana on 15 September
CapLink Group runs private capital summits in New York, Europe and Dubai and says its events have convened more than 2,000 delegates and over 250 speakers. The Dubai edition is a single working day in which sessions are chaired by the firms that structure, finance, administer and advise on transactions, putting questions to the institutions that invest. Working sessions cover continuation vehicles, net asset value (NAV) financing, operational due diligence and fund structuring. “This is not a market slowing down but a market changing shape,” said Nawshad Noorkhan, founder and managing director of CapLink Group.
| Session | Institutions named by the organiser |
|---|---|
| Private lending panel | First Abu Dhabi Bank, Ares Management, HPS Investment Partners, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, Ruya Partners |
| Secondaries panel | Coller Capital, StepStone, HarbourVest, Lexington Partners, Patria |
| Roundtable on continuation vehicles and GP liquidity | Convened by the law firm Akin |
| Fund structuring panel | Senior legal and compliance leaders of the Emirates Investment Authority, BlueFive Capital, BC Partners, Habtoor Group and Abacus Group |
| Afternoon keynote | Hazem Ben-Gacem, founder and chief executive of BlueFive Capital, on the investment outlook for the second half of 2026 |
| Chair of the day | Matthew Benson, MENA Private Capital Leader, EY-Parthenon |
Source: CapLink Group press release published on Zawya on 13 September 2026. EY-Parthenon is headline partner; Clifford Chance, White & Case, A&O Shearman, Akin, Gibson Dunn, Skadden, DLA Piper and Alvarez & Marsal are platinum sponsors; First Abu Dhabi Bank, Abacus and Cleary Gottlieb are gold sponsors; the Financial Times and Preqin, part of BlackRock, are the media and data partners.
Three themes on the agenda
Private credit: the region lends to itself
The lending panel seats a UAE bank next to global credit managers, and that is the organiser’s point: more financing for Gulf transactions now comes from inside the region and from non-bank lenders. The press release cites EY and ecosystem data: roughly USD 4.1 billion (AED 15.1 billion) of structured private debt underwritten across the GCC startup and mid-market ecosystem, projections for regional private credit to clear USD 12 billion (AED 44.1 billion) in targeted deal flow, and a regional alternative asset base managed by entities holding more than USD 2 trillion (AED 7.3 trillion). The underlying reports are not named, so these figures are best read as indicative.
Secondaries: owners selling to other owners
According to Jefferies, global secondary market volume reached USD 240 billion (AED 881.4 billion) in 2025, up 48% and the largest year on record. LP-led deals, in which investors sell their fund interests, totalled USD 125 billion; GP-led deals, in which a manager moves assets into a new vehicle, reached USD 115 billion, or 48% of the total, mostly through continuation vehicles with an average size of about USD 900 million. This is the mechanism behind the organiser’s observation that owners increasingly exit through private markets instead of waiting for a public listing window.
Fund rules: governance built in-house
According to the release, regulators across the region are overhauling investment fund frameworks on parallel tracks, and institutions are appointing senior legal and compliance officers rather than waiting for the outcome. The organiser’s event page points to EU AIFMD II, ESG disclosure and the evolving frameworks in the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Neither document names a specific new UAE rule or an effective date.
What this means for a business in the UAE
The summit is designed for funds and institutional investors, but the shifts on its agenda reach the owners of UAE companies directly.
- The next investor may be a fund or another owner. A founder who sells a stake or brings in a partner through a private deal faces institutional due diligence, starting with the licence, the shareholder register and the constitutional documents and moving on to audited accounts, contracts and banking history. The same logic applies to the expected handover of USD 1 trillion (AED 3.67 trillion) of Gulf family business assets, covered in our article on private equity and Gulf family businesses.
- Merger control is part of the timeline. Since 30 July 2026, a transaction in which the parties’ combined annual sales in the relevant UAE market exceed AED 300 million, or their combined market share exceeds 40%, must be notified and cleared before closing, as set out in our guide to UAE merger control.
- Private credit adds lenders, not shortcuts. A fund lending to a mid-sized company still asks for a transparent structure, reliable financial reporting and a documented source of funds.
Deal-readiness checklist for a UAE company
- The trade licence covers the activities the company actually carries out and remains valid through the transaction.
- The shareholder register, the memorandum and articles of association and the ultimate beneficial owner records match the current ownership.
- Audited financial statements are available; where the merger control thresholds are met, the filing requires the last three years.
- Corporate bank accounts are active, and the bank’s KYC file reflects the current shareholders and managers.
- Corporate documents issued abroad for foreign shareholders, such as certificates of incorporation and powers of attorney, are legalised for use in the UAE.
- Residence visas of owners and key managers and the employment records of staff are in order.
How Atlant Capital can help
We handle the corporate groundwork that an investor or a transaction relies on. Our team manages company formation on the mainland and in the free zones, including the choice of structure and licence, supports corporate and personal bank account opening with the KYC package and the source of funds file, arranges legalisation of foreign documents for UAE authorities and banks, and obtains residence and employment visas for owners, managers and their families. Accounting, audit, VAT and corporate tax filings are handled by licensed accounting firms from our partner network. Valuation, deal terms, legal due diligence and financing remain with the parties’ investment advisers, law firms and lenders.
Conclusion
On 15 September more than 300 private capital professionals spend a working day at The Lana on how Gulf deals are financed, structured and exited, against 884 MENA transactions worth USD 106.1 billion in 2025 and a slower first half of 2026 at USD 46.7 billion. The agenda points to private credit, secondaries and fund governance as the places where the market is changing shape. For companies in the UAE the practical conclusion is preparation: a structure, documents and accounts that stand up to an investor’s due diligence and, for larger deals, to merger control review.
FAQ
When and where is the Private Capital Summit Dubai 2026?
The Private Capital Summit, Dubai takes place on Tuesday 15 September 2026 at The Lana, Dorchester Collection, on Marasi Drive in Business Bay, Dubai. It is a one-day forum produced by CapLink Group with EY-Parthenon as headline partner, for more than 300 senior decision-makers from private capital funds, institutional investors, dealmakers and service providers.
How much were mergers and acquisitions in MENA worth in 2025?
EY counted 884 mergers and acquisitions in the Middle East and North Africa in 2025, worth USD 106.1 billion (AED 389.7 billion). That is 26% more deals than the 701 of 2024 and 15% more value than USD 92.3 billion. The GCC accounted for 685 deals worth USD 102.1 billion, and the three largest deals of the year were in the UAE.
How did MENA deal activity perform in the first half of 2026?
EY recorded 390 MENA deals worth USD 46.7 billion (AED 171.5 billion) in the first half of 2026, compared with 434 deals worth USD 58.8 billion a year earlier, and linked the slowdown to geopolitical developments. Momentum improved in the second quarter, when deal value reached USD 25 billion against USD 12.2 billion in the second quarter of 2025.
Does the Private Capital Summit change any rules for companies in the UAE?
No. The summit is an industry event and changes no law, fee or licensing requirement. The rule that does apply to larger UAE transactions is merger control: since 30 July 2026, deals where the parties’ combined annual sales in the relevant UAE market exceed AED 300 million, or their combined market share exceeds 40%, must be notified and cleared before closing.
