30 September 2026
Temasek, the Singapore state investment company with a net portfolio value of SGD 518 billion (about USD 401 billion, or AED 1.47 trillion) as at 31 March 2026, announced on 30 September 2026 that it will open offices in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, the first Temasek offices in the Middle East. The offices are expected to be operational in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals. They will serve as strategic hubs for Temasek and its portfolio companies, some of which plan to co-locate there, and they will take the Temasek network from 13 offices in nine countries to 15 offices across 11 countries. Temasek will also actively engage institutions in Qatar and other markets in the region.
What Temasek announced
The announcement covers two cities and one timetable. Temasek plans to establish offices in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, and in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Both are expected to start operating in the first half of 2027, once the local authorities have approved them. The announcement names the cities, but not the licensing jurisdiction or the address of either office.
Temasek describes the two offices as strategic hubs. Several of its portfolio companies plan to co-locate in them, and the stated aim is to collaborate closely, deepen local engagement, build long-term partnerships and pursue investment opportunities. Beyond the two host countries, Temasek will actively engage institutions in Qatar and other regional markets, and it says a presence in the Gulf will also strengthen its access to opportunities across Central Asia and Africa.
The company links the decision to the economic transformation under way in the region, driven by national development and diversification plans. It says its global investment experience, its networks and its partnership-led approach, together with the domain expertise of its portfolio companies, can contribute to that growth, and it presents the move as a long-term commitment to the region.
Who leads the Middle East push
Chia Song Hwee, Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Global Investments, was appointed Chairman, Middle East and Africa, with effect from 1 September 2026. He will provide senior leadership and oversight of Temasek’s engagement and long-term growth in these markets. Ankit Khemka, Managing Director for the region, will continue to drive the Temasek strategy and expansion there.
“The Middle East is an important part of Temasek’s global network. The pace and ambition of economic transformation across the region are remarkable, and its long-term fundamentals remain highly attractive,” said Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara, Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings. He added that the relationships of Temasek across the Middle East, particularly in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, have been built over many years through partnerships, co-investments and portfolio companies. “This expansion is a natural next step, and it will help us create compelling partnerships to grow together,” he said.
“Being on the ground in the Middle East will strengthen engagement with our partners and enhance access to investment opportunities for Temasek and our portfolio companies throughout the region and beyond to Central Asia and Africa,” said Chia Song Hwee. “Equally, it allows us to bring complementary expertise from across our ecosystem to these markets, expanding pathways to create lasting value with like-minded partners.”
Temasek at a glance
| Indicator | Figure |
|---|---|
| Net portfolio value, 31 March 2026 | SGD 518 billion, about USD 401 billion or AED 1.47 trillion |
| Headquarters | Singapore |
| Offices today | 13, in nine countries |
| Offices in 2027 | 15, in 11 countries, with Abu Dhabi and Riyadh |
| Start of operations in the Gulf | First half of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals |
| Other markets in the region | Qatar and other markets, through engagement with local institutions |
| Chief Executive Officer, Temasek Holdings | Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara |
| Chairman, Middle East and Africa | Chia Song Hwee, from 1 September 2026 |
| Managing Director for the region | Ankit Khemka |
The 13 current offices are Beijing, Hanoi, Mumbai, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Singapore in Asia, and Brussels, London, Mexico City, New York, Paris, San Francisco and Washington, DC outside Asia. AED amounts are converted at the fixed peg of AED 3.6725 to USD 1.
Temasek is already active in the Gulf
The new offices formalise relationships that already exist. In 2025 Seviora, the Temasek-owned asset management group, opened an office in Abu Dhabi, and it has a co-investment partnership with Mubadala Capital, the alternative asset management arm of the Abu Dhabi sovereign investor Mubadala.
On 14 May 2026, Global Infrastructure Partners, part of BlackRock, announced that it will partner with L’IMAD, ADNOC and Temasek to launch an infrastructure investment partnership for the GCC and Central Asia that targets USD 30 billion of investments, about AED 110 billion. The partnership plans to raise a mix of equity and debt and look at energy, transportation, logistics, digital infrastructure, water and waste management, with select investments in the wider Middle East and North Africa.
There is one structural difference between Temasek and most of the global firms that have recently come to Abu Dhabi. Temasek invests its own portfolio rather than managing money for clients, and its announcement frames the Gulf offices around partnerships, co-investments and portfolio companies, not around fundraising from regional investors.
Abu Dhabi keeps adding global investors
Temasek made its announcement on the same day that Pantheon, a London private markets investor with about USD 84 billion under management, opened its first Abu Dhabi office in ADGM. A week earlier, on 23 September 2026, EQT opened its first Middle East office in ADGM. According to The National, in recent months the UAE capital has also attracted Blue Owl Capital, Vista Equity Partners, Man Group, Barings, Bain Capital, Cantor and Adapt Investment Managers.
The numbers behind the trend come from ADGM itself. In the first half of 2026 assets under management in the centre grew 54 per cent year on year, the number of fund and asset managers reached 190, up from 154, and the managers that set up during the half oversee more than USD 2.1 trillion worldwide, about AED 7.7 trillion. We covered those results in our report on ADGM results for the first half of 2026.
What the move means for business in the UAE
No rule, fee or licensing threshold changed on 30 September 2026, and the offices are not expected to open before the first half of 2027. The announcement matters to three groups, in different ways.
The first group is UAE institutions, family groups and large companies that look for partners and co-investors. Temasek names partnerships and co-investments as the way it has built its Gulf relationships, so a team in Abu Dhabi gives these counterparties a direct channel to Temasek in their own time zone.
The second group is the portfolio companies that plan to co-locate in the Abu Dhabi hub, and the firms that will serve them. A company that moves a regional team to Abu Dhabi needs a licensed entity, an office, a corporate bank account and visas for its staff, and each of those steps has its own lead time. Our guide to company formation in the UAE walks through the choice between mainland and free zone structures and the steps involved.
The third group is professionals in investment, finance and corporate development. A Temasek office and the regional teams of its portfolio companies add senior roles in Abu Dhabi, and each hire needs a work permit and a residence visa through the employing entity.
Checklist: opening a regional office in Abu Dhabi
- Define what the Abu Dhabi entity will do. A representative or support office, an operating company that signs contracts in the UAE and an investment holding are different activities with different licences.
- Check whether the activity is regulated. Managing or advising on third party money in ADGM requires authorisation from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA), which is a separate process from registering the company.
- Choose the jurisdiction for the purpose. ADGM offers common law courts and a financial regulator; a mainland or free zone licence usually suits trading and service companies better.
- Build approval time into the plan. Temasek announced its offices in September 2026 and expects them to open in the first half of 2027, after regulatory approvals.
- Prepare corporate documents for the bank early: constitutional documents, an ownership chart, source of funds and board resolutions, legalised where the bank requires it.
- Plan visas before the start date: work permits and residence visas for staff, and Golden Visas for investors and specialists who qualify.
How Atlant Capital can help
We handle company formation in the UAE on the mainland and in free zones, including holding structures and regional offices of foreign groups. We open corporate and personal accounts and prepare the documents that banks actually ask for, a process we explain step by step in our guide to opening a bank account in the UAE and deliver through our bank account opening service. We also arrange work permits and residence visas for founders and staff, and Golden Visas for those who qualify.
Two boundaries are worth stating plainly. FSRA authorisation for regulated financial activities is run by licensed compliance consultants, and we do not provide it. Accounting, audit and tax filing are done by licensed accounting firms from our partner network. Tell us what your Abu Dhabi office will do and we will map the structure to it.
The bottom line
Temasek, with a net portfolio value of SGD 518 billion, about USD 401 billion, will open its first Middle East offices in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh in the first half of 2027, subject to approvals, and some of its portfolio companies plan to move in with it. It already works in the UAE through Seviora and through the USD 30 billion infrastructure partnership with GIP, L’IMAD and ADNOC. For the UAE, the immediate effect is one more global investor with a local team to come and a group of companies preparing to set up in Abu Dhabi.
Source: The National, Khaleej Times, CNBC, Global Infrastructure Partners.
FAQ
When will Temasek open its offices in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh?
Temasek announced on 30 September 2026 that its Abu Dhabi and Riyadh offices are expected to be operational in the first half of 2027, subject to regulatory approvals. They will be the first Temasek offices in the Middle East and will serve as strategic hubs for Temasek and its portfolio companies, some of which plan to co-locate there.
How big is Temasek?
Temasek, headquartered in Singapore, had a net portfolio value of SGD 518 billion, about USD 401 billion or AED 1.47 trillion, as at 31 March 2026. It has 13 offices in nine countries, and with Abu Dhabi and Riyadh its network will grow to 15 offices across 11 countries in 2027.
Is Temasek already present in the UAE?
Temasek has no office of its own in the Middle East yet, but it is active in the UAE. Seviora, its asset management group, opened an office in Abu Dhabi in 2025 and has a co-investment partnership with Mubadala Capital. In May 2026 Global Infrastructure Partners announced a GCC and Central Asia infrastructure partnership with L’IMAD, ADNOC and Temasek that targets USD 30 billion of investments.
What does the Temasek expansion mean for companies in the UAE?
No rule or fee has changed, and the offices are expected to open only in the first half of 2027. The practical effect is on UAE institutions and large companies looking for partners and co-investors, on Temasek portfolio companies that plan to co-locate in the Abu Dhabi hub and will need licences, bank accounts and visas, and on finance professionals as new roles appear.
