Asian Institutional Fund Platform Giant Gordian Capital Plans Expansion to Dubai

Gordian Capital DIFC announce its plan for expansion into the Middle East, subject to DFSA approval. The firm plans to bring its Asia-based fund platform success to the Middle East, offering regulated market access for institutional managers entering Dubai’s financial ecosystem.

“The Dubai International Financial Centre, (“DIFC”) has seen and continues to experience strong growth in the number of managers across alternatives and traditional strategies establishing an operation” Mark Voumard Founder of the group and CEO of Gordian Capital Singapore Private Limited noted”. He commented “Going cross border can have its challenges, primarily in terms of speed to market, as well as meeting rigorous initial and ongoing operational and regulatory standards.  This is where, provided we obtain regulatory approval, with the group’s history of success and growth in Asia over the last 20 years, we plan to provide, a highly regulated market entry pathway and infrastructure for institutional quality GP’s and managers seeking to establish a regulated presence in DIFC”. 

Gordian Capital is Asia’s only fully licensed institutional fund platform operating in Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo, Asia’s three key financial centers and is fully licensed and regulated with MAS (Singapore), SEC (USA), SFC (Hong Kong), FSA (Japan), NFA as a CTA (USA) and ASIC (Australia). The group is also required to meet guidelines and registration requirements with SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India), CSRC, (China Securities Regulatory Commission) and CBI (Central Bank of Ireland) as both an investor and investment manager. 

The firm has launched over 115 funds across both private and public strategies, including Private Equity, Real Estate, Venture Capital, Private Credit, Infrastructure, Trade Finance, multiple Hedge Fund strategies as well as long only and absolute return strategies, including activism. It works with some of the words largest GP’s and asset managers supporting them as they both invest and expand into Asia. 96% of its USD17bn AUM is from institutional investors. 

The Gordian Capital DIFC Expansion reflects growing demand for regulated, institutional-grade platforms in Dubai’s thriving financial center.

Gordian’s planned Fund Platform offering in DIFC, which is subject to approval by the DFSA, would leverage Gordian Capital’s 20 plus years of expertise acting as the Manager, for experienced investment professionals, who require an institutional level regulated, physical and operational fund infrastructure where Gordian Capital handles the business and operational management of each fund allowing the investment professionals on our platform to concentrate on investing. 

Gordian Capital as a key regulated infrastructure provider, is already part of the ecosystem of prime brokers, executing brokers, fund administrators, legal, tax and audit firms with operations in Asia and, subject to regulatory approval, expects to also become a key market provider in, and help expand the DIFC ecosystem.  This concatenation creates a continuous string of combined values thereby further differentiating the position of DIFC as a global hub for hedge funds and other alternative asset managers.  

Salmaan Jaffery, Chief Business Development Officer at DIFC Authority commented “We are pleased that Gordian Capital, Asia’s leading independent institutional fund management platform, has announced its intention to establish a presence in Dubai International Financial Centre. Their decision reflects the strength of DIFC as the region’s leading financial hub with unparalleled depth in asset management, attracting new firms and business models that access the fast-growing markets of the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. We look forward to welcoming Gordian Capital to our ecosystem and supporting their expansion into the region.”

Gordian Capital’s clients include global institutional asset managers, Multi strategy/pod platforms, Family Offices, GPs, Hedge funds and Corporates across multiple strategies and structures across private equity, real estate, venture capital, infrastructure, hedge, absolute return and long only strategies.  

Established in 2004 by capital markets professionals and alternatives industry veterans active in Asia since the 1980s, Gordian Capital initially launched its first operating subsidiary in Singapore in 2005. The group now boasts a regulated presence in Singapore, Japan, and Australia, with both its Singapore and Tokyo operations registered with the U.S. SEC as Registered Investment Advisers and representative offices in Melbourne and Shanghai.

Voumard also commented “We have been given a warm welcome by the pro-business, market friendly, and highly professional team at DIFC and, subject to receiving regulatory approval, expect to work closely with them to help develop DIFC even further as an asset management centre.  

With the Gordian Capital DIFC Expansion, the company aims to repeat its success in Asia by helping fund managers who want to work in the Middle East through DIFC.