Capital Raising from the Middle East

Your Gateway to
GCC Capital

READ Advisors is the specialist capital raising partner for alternative asset managers seeking capital from the Middle East — across real estate, private equity, private credit, infrastructure, hedge funds and venture.

Work with us View our clients
2016 Founded
35+ Years ME Experience
200+ Active Investors
1 One Market Focus
About READ Advisors

Your experienced partner for capital raising success in the Middle East

Founded in 2016, READ Advisors was built with a single purpose: to connect the world's leading alternative asset managers with the GCC's most active and discerning investors. We are not a generalist placement agent — we know one market intimately, and we bring that depth to every mandate we represent.

Our team brings over 35 years of combined on-the-ground Middle East experience — including years spent living and working in Abu Dhabi and Dubai — and has cultivated relationships with 200+ active investors across all six GCC countries.

We work across the full alternative asset class spectrum — real estate, private equity, private credit, infrastructure, hedge funds and venture capital — raising capital through funds, separately managed accounts, joint ventures and direct deals. Our singular focus on the GCC means every investor in our network is specifically aligned to the strategies we represent.

35+
Years of collective Middle East experience
200+
Active investor relationships across GCC
One market, deeply known — the GCC. Dedicated focus, no distractions, no conflicts of interest
Our Focus

Asset Classes We Represent

READ Advisors raises capital from GCC investors across the full alternative asset class spectrum — connecting the region's most sophisticated allocators with best-in-class global managers.

Real Estate

Our core expertise. Residential, commercial, logistics, data centres, senior living and mixed-use strategies across Europe, the US and Asia.

Value AddCore+DevelopmentOpportunistic

Private Equity

Buyout, growth equity and sector-focused strategies with strong operational track records, targeting GCC family office and institutional capital.

BuyoutGrowth EquitySector Funds

Private Credit

Direct lending, mezzanine and special situations offering attractive risk-adjusted yields — well-suited to GCC investors seeking income-generating alternatives.

Direct LendingMezzanineSpecial Sits

Infrastructure

Core and value-add infrastructure including energy transition, digital infrastructure, transport and utilities — long-duration assets aligned with GCC Vision mandates.

CoreValue AddEnergy TransitionDigital

Hedge Funds

Multi-strategy, macro and liquid alternatives for GCC investors seeking diversification, capital preservation and uncorrelated returns.

Multi-StrategyGlobal MacroLiquid Alts

Venture Capital

Early and growth-stage venture with a focus on technology, fintech and emerging markets — an increasingly active allocation theme across GCC sovereign and family office portfolios.

Early StageGrowthTech & Fintech

Raising capital across any of these asset classes? Let's discuss whether your mandate is a fit for our GCC investor network.

Get in touch
Investor Network

Deep GCC Investor Relationships

Our 200+ active investor relationships span all six GCC countries and every major investor type — from royal family offices and sovereign wealth funds to regional pension funds and asset managers.

Composition of our investor base

Family Offices47%
AM / IM20%
Investment Banks13%
Sovereign Wealth Funds6%
Corporate5%
Pensions4%
Insurance & Other5%

Source: READ Advisors database / Global SWF, October 2025

Coverage across the GCC

Map of GCC countries covered by READ Advisors: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman
UAE Saudi Arabia Qatar Kuwait Bahrain Oman
How We Work

A process built around results

Preparation is the key to success in the Middle East. We work closely with clients before a single investor meeting is held — ensuring pitch materials, positioning and investor selection are calibrated to the GCC market.

Our proven methodology runs 12–24 months from engagement to close, with disciplined communication and relationship management throughout.

12–24 months from engagement to close
01
Preparation Work

Investor Selection & Strategy Review

  • Review Manager's investment presentation material
  • Position product for the GCC market
  • Pitch and materials review
  • Select and pre-qualify target investors
02
Capital Raising

Roadshow & Investor Meetings

  • Organise roadshow and investor meetings
  • Accompany Manager to investor meetings
  • Share initial investor feedback with Manager
03
Capital Raising

Investor Engagement

  • Arrange follow-up calls and meetings
  • Ensure regular updates and communications from Manager
  • Cultivate relationship between Manager and Investors
04
Capital Raising

Follow Up & Close

  • Provide investor feedback to Manager
  • Due diligence and soft commitments from investors
  • Close and capital commitment
Selected Clients

Trusted by leading managers

READ Advisors has been appointed to raise capital for a diverse range of vehicles — from flagship value-add funds to bespoke joint ventures and separately managed accounts.

Fund (CPP III)
Clearbell Capital
Clearbell Property Partners III LP
UK Multi Asset · Value Add & Opportunistic
£400m
Fund (LHIF III)
Long Harbour
Long Harbour Income Fund III
UK PRS / Multifamily · Development
$500m
Fund JV
Capital Bay
Senior Living Platform
Germany Core+ & Value Add
€500m
Joint Venture
Kingbird IM
Workforce & Student Housing
US Direct Investment · Value Add
$100m
SMA / Fund
Capital Bay
Sustainable Modular Living
Germany Development
€500m+
Fund (AGREF)
Asia Green Real Estate
Offices & Residential, Growth Asian Cities
Asia Core / Core+ / Forward Deals
$400m+ (open)
SMA
Asia Green Real Estate
Asian Thematic — Office, Residential & Logistics
Asia Core / Core+ / Forward Deals
$300m+
Fund V
Iron Point Partners
Data Centres, Logistics, Resi
US Opportunistic · Value Add & Development
$750m+
Featured Case Study

Capital Bay × Gulf Islamic Investments

READ Advisors advised Capital Bay to expand their client base in the MENA region, resulting in a strategic joint venture with Gulf Islamic Investments to establish a EUR 500 million Senior Living Real Estate Investment Platform in Europe — the first of its kind.

Platform size €500m
Strategy Senior Living
Geography Germany
Structure Joint Venture
Client Testimonials

Building long-term, trusted relationships

"Our meetings were all pre-qualified with investors genuinely interested in our strategies."
Rob West
Managing Partner, Clearbell Capital
"We were able to cut through the opaque nature of the Middle Eastern market with the insight and contacts that READ provided us with."
Lei Farrand
Managing Director, Kingbird Investment Management
"The strength of investor relationships and the depth of understanding of our products has been incredibly helpful in communicating our strategies in the Middle East."
Severin Butz
Investor Relations, Asia Green Real Estate
"Our roadshows have been meticulously planned with excellent meetings and flawless logistics."
Managing Director
Iron Point Partners
"We have been working with READ for over 6 years and look forward to continued success in raising capital in the region."
Rolf Engel
CEO, Capital Bay Fund Management
"READ was instrumental in developing new relationships in the Middle East for our platform."
Christophe de Taurines
Senior Advisor, Long Harbour
Market Insights

GCC Capital Markets Intelligence

Perspective from the people who know the Middle East alternatives market best.

Report

GCC Sovereign Wealth: 2025 Alternatives Outlook

How PIF, QIA and ADIA are deploying into global real estate, private equity, infrastructure and credit — and what this means for managers seeking GCC capital.

Q4 2025 Request report →
Insight

Why Family Offices Dominate GCC Alternative Allocations

47% of READ's investor base — and why the family office channel is the most important relationship to get right in the Middle East.

Q3 2025 Read more →
Case Study

Structuring a GCC Joint Venture: Lessons from Capital Bay × Gulf Islamic Investments

How READ advised on the formation of a €500m senior living platform between a European manager and a leading GCC institution.

2024 Read more →
Market Note

Senior Living in Germany: The GCC Investment Case

Demographic tailwinds, yield premium and ESG alignment make German senior living one of the most compelling real asset pitches for GCC investors today.

Q2 2025 Read more →
The Team

Experienced leadership

Two decades of GCC investor relationships, backed by a combined career spanning Central London, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Rupert Capel Bowen-Jones, Founder & CEO, READ Advisors

Rupert Capel Bowen-Jones

Founder & CEO
rupert@readadvisors.com

Rupert is the Founder and CEO of READ Advisors, which he established to connect alternative asset managers — across real estate, private equity, private credit, infrastructure, hedge funds and venture — with the GCC's most active investors.

He has developed long-standing relationships with GCC investors since 2008 when he moved to the region. His 25+ years of industry experience spans 8 years in Central London and 17 years working with Middle Eastern investors — including 7 years living and working in Abu Dhabi, where he was based at CBRE providing a local interface for family offices and institutional investors across global markets.

Edward Carnegy, Senior Advisor, READ Advisors

Edward Carnegy

Senior Advisor
edward@readadvisors.com

Edward is a Senior Advisor at READ Advisors. He spent seventeen years in the Middle East — latterly seven years as Head of Office in Abu Dhabi for Savills PLC, where his role included acting as a conduit for outbound investment to European and US markets. Prior to this he worked for a leading specialist Build to Suit developer and CBRE in Dubai.

Edward has established key relationships with a number of Middle East institutional investors and family offices over the course of his career, with a particular in-depth insight into investment culture in the region. He has covered GCC, Morocco and Iraq, with clients ranging from Royal Family offices to Sovereign Wealth Funds.

Get in Touch

Start a conversation

Whether you are raising a fund, an SMA or exploring a joint venture — we would welcome a conversation about whether your strategy is a good fit for our GCC investor network.

The Middle East is a relationship market. The earlier we speak, the better we can position your strategy for success.

Rupert Capel Bowen-Jones
Founder & CEO
rupert@readadvisors.com
Edward Carnegy
Senior Advisor
edward@readadvisors.com

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