A New Era for Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds?

On October 14, AGSIW, in partnership with ABANA, hosted a discussion examining the role of Gulf sovereign wealth funds in the world economy. Speakers: Zubaid Ahmad, Founder and Managing Partner, Caravanserai Partners Omar Syed, Chief Investment Officer – Strategic Investments, Mumtalakat Rachel Ziemba, Founder, Ziemba Insights; Adjunct Fellow, Center for a New American Security Robert Mogielnicki, Senior Resident Scholar, AGSIW (Moderator) Government-owned or controlled investment vehicles, known as sovereign wealth funds, are increasingly important players in the world economy. Some of the largest sovereign wealth funds are those in Gulf Cooperation Council countries, with estimates of assets under management exceeding $3 trillion. Gulf sovereign wealth funds have sought to capitalize on industries impacted by the coronavirus pandemic-induced economic downturn, like tourism and technology, which are key areas of the region’s economic diversification push. However, several factors, including the decline in oil prices in recent years and the pandemic, have presented a number of obstacles to growth and other challenges for Gulf sovereign wealth funds. How are Gulf sovereign wealth funds balancing international, regional, and local investment opportunities? What is the geographic distribution of Gulf sovereign wealth fund investments, and how has this changed over time? How are Gulf sovereign wealth funds leveraging funds of funds and other means to support local entrepreneurs? What are key differences in investment strategies among Gulf sovereign wealth funds, and to what degree do political considerations underpin Gulf sovereign wealth fund operations and access to investment capital? agsiw.org