Assets under management in the Middle East, which increased 52 per cent over the past three years, are set to grow further as oil and gas prices continue to rise.
A rally in oil prices, up more than 60 per cent over the past year and hovering above $100 a barrel, along with soaring natural gas prices are helping to drive private capital's improved fortunes in the Middle East, alternative assets industry data and analytics specialist Preqin said in a report on Thursday.
Natural gas prices in the US soared to a 14-year high this month and they surged in Europe as a result of the Russia-Ukraine war, now in its third month.
Preqin said: "The ongoing conflict in Ukraine alongside the continued post-pandemic economic resurgence is pushing commodity prices higher, creating short-term opportunities.
"But in the long-term, Europe’s governments are looking to reduce reliance on imported hydrocarbons. Efforts to increase energy independence and step away from imported hydrocarbons have major implications for the Middle East."
After contracting in 2015-2016 following the oil price slump that started in 2014, assets under management in the Middle East have rebounded since the end of 2019, increasing 52 per cent to $35 billion, with Saudi Arabia and the UAE recording improvements.
The UAE accounts for about 57 per cent of AUMs in the region as of the third quarter of 2021, Preqin says. Saudi Arabia accounts for about 24 per cent, while Bahrain has about 13 per cent of the region's AUM market.
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