Nahda Capital Partners appoints Anders Moberg and Ahmed Al Naqbi to its investment committee as the firm advances its proprietary GCC pipeline

GCC private equity market projected to surpass AED 25 billion by 2032

Dubai, UAE; 22 April 2026 - Nahda Capital Partners, the Abu Dhabi Global Market based private equity platform, has announced the appointment of two senior independent Investment Committee members, Anders Moberg and Ahmed Al Naqbi, strengthening the firm's governance as it advances its inaugural GCC focused strategy.

According to market research and consulting firm Prescient & Strategic (P&S) Intelligence, the GCC private equity market is valued at AED 16.52 billion in 2025 and projected to reach AED 25.34 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5% during 2026-2032 . This projected growth underscores the GCC's accelerating shift toward alternative investments, fueled by economic diversification agendas, rising sovereign and institutional capital deployment, and a stronger appetite for long-term value creation.

Nahda is anchored by an experienced investment team with a historical track record independently reviewed by Grant Thornton, showing a gross IRR of 36.35 percent and a multiple on invested capital of 2.65x across prior transactions.
Anders Moberg is a globally recognised operator and board leader. He joined IKEA at the age of 19 and spent nearly 30 years with the group, including serving as CEO between 1999 and 2009 during a period of significant international expansion. He has since held CEO roles at Home Depot International, Royal Ahold, and Majid Al Futtaim in Dubai, and currently serves as Chairman of Byggmax Group and ITAB Shop Concept, bringing extensive governance experience across numerous boards and institutions.

Ahmed Al Naqbi is CEO of Emirates Development Bank and brings more than 20 years of senior leadership experience across the UAE banking sector, including Managing Director roles at First Abu Dhabi Bank and National Bank of Abu Dhabi. At Emirates Development Bank he leads a large scale mandate supporting priority industrial sectors and the growth of UAE businesses.

The appointments follow the Investment Committee's first formal meeting, held recently, at a moment when many businesses in the region are navigating an unusually demanding environment. It authorised the investment team to concentrate resources on a first high priority opportunity that fits Nahda's thesis, a defensible GCC platform with clear operational levers, strong fundamentals, and a credible path to scaling.

Alongside the governance build, the firm is advancing a proprietary origination engine designed to deliver predominantly off market opportunities. Nahda expects most of its deal flow to be sourced directly through systematic relationship building and targeted outreach rather than competitive auctions. The team is active across multiple chambers of commerce and industry networks, and meets regularly with founders and chief executives to understand sector pain points and priorities.

Commenting on the appointments, Iñigo de Luna, CEO of Nahda Capital Partners, said: "We built Nahda to be an institutional platform from day one. Despite ongoing global and regional uncertainties, the UAE continues to demonstrate exceptional resilience and long-term investment appeal. The strength of its regulatory environment, economic diversification strategy, and ability to attract international capital makes it one of the most compelling markets for investors today.

The UAE's leadership has consistently shown a clear playbook in times of stress by prioritising people, maintaining continuity, and acting with speed and precision. That clarity helps reduce uncertainty, reinforces market confidence, and gives businesses a dependable framework to operate within. Anders and Ahmed bring rare complementary perspectives, combining deep global operating and governance experience with strong local institutional leadership, working alongside our investment partners with a highly aligned approach."

Nahda's strategy targets majority, control-oriented investments in mid-market GCC businesses, with an operational value creation model focused on professionalisation, governance strengthening, commercial scale up and selective regional expansion. The firm focuses on sectors including food production and distribution, health, wellness and longevity, education, and workforce development, as well as industrialisation and industrial technology.

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Office Address:

- RAKEZ Compass Coworking Centre, Al Shohada Road, Al Hamra Industrial Zone - FZ - Ras Al Khaimah, UAE

Nahda Capital Partners is an Abu Dhabi Global Market based private equity platform focused primarily on the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC. The firm pursues a majority and control oriented strategy in mid market businesses, partnering with founders and family shareholders and applying institutional governance and operational value creation. Its investment philosophy is aligned with Sharia principles in practice, with a focus on real economy assets, prudent leverage, and disciplined governance.

This release was published on openPR.