#AbuDhabi Becomes ‘Daily Davos’ as Asset Managers Hunt for Cash - Bloomberg

Abu Dhabi Becomes ‘Daily Davos’ as Asset Managers Hunt for Cash - Bloomberg

Some of the world’s top alternative asset managers have been flooding the Middle East in search of cash — and they’re not stopping at state money, according to one family office executive in the region.

A number of these firms have widened the scope of potential investors to include family offices, according to Amine Bouchentouf, the chief investment officer of Atlas Holdings, an Abu Dhabi-based family office that invests in global alternative asset managers.

“Ten years ago we used to meet one good manager every four weeks,” Bouchentouf said in an interview. “Now we meet four great managers almost daily. It’s becoming like a daily Davos.”

Those names include billionaires such as Trian Fund Management’s Nelson Peltz, Brevan Howard Asset Management founder Alan Howard, Guggenheim Capital’s Alan Schwartz and TCI Fund’s Chris Hohn, according to Bouchentouf.

Guggenheim and Brevan Howard declined to comment. Trian and TCI didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Some alternative asset managers are increasing their fund sizes to cater to investors in the region, who have to write bigger checks for their investments to have an impact, said Bouchentouf, whose office opened in Abu Dhabi in 2009.