Private Capital Summit, Dubai Draws Over 300 Dealmakers to The Lana as the Gulf Moves to Finance and Exit Its Own Deals

The Summit brought the region's lenders, buyers and advisers together at The Lana, with a keynote from BlueFive Capital founder Hazem Ben-Gacem.

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, September 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- For much of the past decade the Gulf was a place where capital arrived from elsewhere. The Private Capital Summit, Dubai, held yesterday at The Lana, was convened on the premise that this has now changed, and that the region finances its own transactions, provides its own routes out of them and increasingly writes the rules under which they are done. More than 300 senior professionals attended, among them the lenders, buyers, lawyers and administrators who build these deals, and they spent the day working through how private capital in the region is structured, financed and unwound.

That shift was visible in last year's deal figures, when regional mergers and acquisitions reached a record of 106.1 billion dollars across 884 transactions, according to EY, as owners sold stakes to one another and raised liquidity through private markets rather than waiting on the public listing window. Across the day, delegates returned to the same conclusion, that this is not a market slowing down but one changing shape.

The summit was organized by CapLink Group, and it drew confirmed participants from BlackRock, Permira, Warburg Pincus, Investcorp, Tikehau Capital, Ares Management, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, HPS Investment Partners, StepStone and HarbourVest, alongside more than thirty additional institutions across private equity, private credit, venture capital, secondaries and professional advisory.

Most private capital events in the region are hosted by a fund and built around its view, but this summit was structured differently. The firms that structure, finance, administer and advise on transactions took the chair and put the questions to the institutions that put the money to work. Across the main stage sessions and five parallel roundtables, three themes surfaced with particular consistency.

Private credit has moved to the centre of the Gulf's capital markets

As the region increasingly lends to itself, some panels covered how direct lending and non-bank financing have established themselves as core instruments for leveraged buyouts, infrastructure transactions and growth capital, and how both regional institutions and global credit managers are expanding their presence. Roughly 4.1 billion dollars of structured private debt has been underwritten across the GCC startup and mid-market ecosystem, against a regional alternative asset base holding over 2 trillion dollars, according to EY and ecosystem data. Much of the discussion turned on how the Gulf can now support complex financing structures that would previously have required a London or New York process.

The Middle East secondary market has moved from emerging to established

On exits, where owners are increasingly selling to other owners, the discussion of GP-led continuation vehicles, LP portfolio sales and NAV financing reflected a market that has reached meaningful scale. Panellists noted that the volume and complexity of secondary transactions in the region have accelerated materially through 2025 and 2026, driven by LP liquidity needs and GP demand for flexible exit structures. Some panels also examined how the next generation of regional funds is being built across jurisdictions.

AI is moving from conversation to deployment in portfolio management

The summit's dedicated AI session and several roundtables reflected a shift from theoretical interest to active implementation. Participants from DAMAC Capital, Wafra, Partners Capital and Miras Investments discussed practical applications in revenue forecasting, due diligence workflow, supply chain optimization and knowledge management, alongside the governance and cybersecurity considerations that accompany large scale AI adoption in regulated investment environments.

The afternoon keynote featured Hazem Ben-Gacem, Founder and Chief Executive of BlueFive Capital, in conversation on the investment outlook for the second half of 2026 and on where private capital sees the most compelling opportunities to deploy. Speaking on the day, Ben-Gacem said:

"The centre of gravity in global capital is shifting, and the Gulf is no longer on the receiving end of that shift but helping to drive it. For the second half of 2026 and beyond, the most interesting opportunities are where regional ambition meets global expertise, and that is precisely the conversation this summit convened."

The day was chaired by Matthew Benson, MENA Private Capital Leader at EY-Parthenon. Reflecting on the discussions, Nawshad Noorkhan, Founder and Managing Director of CapLink Group, said:

"What struck me most was the tenor of the conversations across the room. Regional institutions are no longer waiting to be led; they are setting the agenda, and international partners are aligning alongside them to deepen the opportunity in the MENA private capital ecosystem. Over 300 C-suite decision-makers gathered for this inaugural edition, one of the strongest private capital gatherings the region has seen in recent years, signalling that Dubai is ready to lead the next phase of its growth. CapLink Group is delighted to be part of that process, and to facilitate the conversations that will shape the region's private capital ecosystem."

The Private Capital Summit, Dubai 2026 was supported by EY-Parthenon as Headline Partner, with Clifford Chance, White & Case, A&O Shearman, Akin, Gibson Dunn, Skadden, DLA Piper and Alvarez & Marsal as Platinum Sponsors and FAB Bank, Abacus and Cleary Gottlieb as Gold Sponsors. The Financial Times served as Official Media Partner and Preqin, a part of BlackRock, as Official Data Partner.

Media enquiries should be directed to NorthStar Insights at press@northstar-insights.com.

ENDS

About CapLink Group

CapLink Group is a peer-to-peer private capital network producing senior-level summits, invitation-only dinners and original content for the global private markets community. Its events have convened over 2,000 delegates and 250+ speakers. Visit caplink-group.com.

About the Private Capital Summit, Dubai

The Private Capital Summit, Dubai is a senior-level, one-day forum for private capital funds, investors, dealmakers and advisers, held at The Lana, Dubai. The 2026 edition took place on September 15 and is produced by CapLink Group alongside its New York and European summits.

About NorthStar Insights

NorthStar Insights is a senior-led, AI-powered strategic communications firm advising financial institutions, fintechs and technology companies through high-stakes moments such as IPOs, M&A and defining reputation events, headquartered in Dubai with offices in London and Mumbai.

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