ZAWYA-NEWS: Alpha Dhabi eyes global growth with $8bln investment plan, IPOs on the horizon

About this update from Alpha Dhabi Holding Pjsc

First published: 06-Jan-2026 09:12:05Brinda DarashaAbu Dhabi–based conglomerate Alpha Dhabi Holding plans to invest 30 billion dirhams ($8 billion) over the next five years, with recent divestments providing additional funding for growth, Derek Nicholson, Chief Strategy Officer at Alpha Dhabi, told Zawya in a recent interview. Divestments such as Alpha Dhabi’s exit from Modon, which generated AED 5.3 billion, are part of the push towards accelerating the conglomerate’s international expansion and capital deployment strategy.The company has a two-fold approach. One supports portfolio companies in executing their growth strategies through governance. The other, deploys its own money and recycles capital through IPOs and reinvestment into high-growth sectors.The conglomerate operates in 45 countries, contributing 13% of revenue, and is targeting acquisitions that offer scale, synergies, and robust returns rather than geographic presence alone. “We’re not focused on planting flags in new markets for the sake of it. [...] instead, we seek acquisitions with the right risk profile, returns, and synergies. Our outlook is global—Asia, Europe, East and West—wherever scale and strategic fit exist,” he said.Alpha Dhabi favors conservative leverage in funding and sees improving conditions as interest rates peak and trend downward.“We would encourage them [portfolio companies] to take on more debt, but within benchmarks that are right for their particular industry and aligned with their business plans and cash flows,” Nicholson said.The group is also exploring Abu Dhabi’s debt markets for diversified financing, including potential debt issuance. While IPO timelines remain market-dependent, Nicholson said that any of its private portfolio companies could go public when conditions are ideal. Of Trojan, a major construction player that is under preliminary review for a potential listing, Nicholson said the group would like to enhance its value before proceeding.He dismissed concerns that the lackluster post-listing performance of recent UAE IPOs could dampen market sentiment, emphasizing that fundamentals remain unchanged and capital markets continue to be strong.“From our meetings with banks, I’ve seen the IPO pipeline—it’s larger than ever in terms of companies considering going public. It is nice to see there’s such a strong appetite for companies to move from private ...

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