The PE cavaliers cruise into Dubai | beyondbrics – FT.com

Peering from the bow of their deluxe yachts, the super-heros of private equity see a bright future for the Middle East, as the region’s disaffected youths confront aging, corrupt regimes. Widespread unrest across the Middle East and North Africa might crimp deal flow in the short-term, they say, but the future impact will be rosy for an industry still suffering from the fall out of the global financial crisis.

Self-serving predictions are the stuff of legend among the private equity cavaliers.

During the MENA boom, major players descended on the region, predicting it would become the world’s fourth centre of private equity after the US, Europe and Asia.