What Does The Abraaj Group Do?

Total employees0
HeadquartersDubai
Founded2002

The Abraaj Group was a Dubai-based private equity firm founded in 2002 by Arif Naqvi. It grew to become a leading investor in emerging markets, managing billions of dollars across Asia, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, and Turkey. The firm focused on sectors like healthcare, finance, consumer goods, and energy. However, in 2018, allegations of mismanagement of funds, particularly within its healthcare fund, surfaced. This led to a liquidity crisis, investigations by multiple authorities, and ultimately, the firm's collapse and filing for provisional liquidation in the Cayman Islands. Its downfall sent shockwaves through the private equity world and impacted numerous investors and portfolio companies.

Where Is The Abraaj Group's Headquarters?

The Abraaj Group officeThe Abraaj Group officeThe Abraaj Group officeThe Abraaj Group office
*Images sourced via web search. Rights belong to original owners

HQ Function

Formerly served as the central hub for global operations, investment strategy, fund management, and investor relations.

Notable Features:

Located in a prestigious financial district, featuring modern office architecture and facilities typical of a global financial institution.

Work Culture:

Prior to its collapse, the HQ was known for a high-intensity, ambitious, and globally-minded work culture. It attracted talent from around the world focused on emerging market investments. Post-scandal, the environment shifted to crisis management and eventual wind-down.

HQ Significance:

The DIFC headquarters symbolized Abraaj's prominence in emerging market private equity and its role as a major financial player based in the Middle East. Its location in a regulated free zone was key to its international operations.

Values Reflected in HQ: Initially, the headquarters aimed to reflect ambition, global reach, financial sophistication, and a pioneering spirit in emerging markets. Ultimately, it became associated with the corporate governance failures that led to the firm's demise.

Location:

Prior to its collapse, The Abraaj Group had a significant global presence with offices in key financial hubs and emerging markets across Asia (e.g., Singapore, Mumbai), Africa (e.g., Nairobi, Lagos, Cairo), Latin America (e.g., Mexico City, Bogota, Lima, Sao Paulo), the Middle East (Dubai), and Turkey (Istanbul). These offices supported deal sourcing, investment execution, portfolio company management, and fundraising. All these operations have now ceased following the firm's liquidation.

Street Address:

Gate Village, Building 10, Level 4, DIFC

City:

Dubai

State/Province:

Dubai

Country:

United Arab Emirates

Where Else Does The Abraaj Group Operate Around the World?

London, United Kingdom (Former)

Address: Undisclosed (Operations Ceased)

Facilitated access to European capital markets and supported deal-making and portfolio management in relevant regions.

Istanbul, Turkey (Former)

Address: Undisclosed (Operations Ceased)

Served as a hub for identifying and executing investment opportunities in the Turkish market and supporting portfolio companies.

Nairobi, Kenya (Former)

Address: Undisclosed (Operations Ceased)

Focused on deal origination, execution, and portfolio management for East African and broader Sub-Saharan African investments.

Singapore (Former)

Address: Undisclosed (Operations Ceased)

Acted as a base for expanding Abraaj's footprint in the Asian market, identifying investment opportunities and managing regional assets.

Buying Intent Signals for The Abraaj Group

Highperformr Signals uncover buying intent and give you clear insights to target the right accounts at the right time — helping your sales, marketing, and GTM teams close more deals, faster.

Notable news
Hiring actively
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
*Example signal, not calculated in real time

Who's Leading The Abraaj Group? Meet the Executive Team

As of April 2025, The Abraaj Group' leadership includes:

Arif Naqvi - Founder and Former Group Chief Executive
Mustafa Abdel-Wadood - Former Managing Partner
Sev Vettivetpillai - Former Managing Partner and Head of Thematic Funds
Wahid Hamid - Former Managing Partner
Ashish Dave - Former Chief Financial Officer

Who's Investing in The Abraaj Group?

The Abraaj Group has been backed by several prominent investors over the years, including:

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (Invested in specific funds)
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
CDC Group (UK's DFI)
Proparco (French DFI)
European Investment Bank (EIB)
Many other development finance institutions, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, and institutional investors globally. (Note: These were investors prior to the collapse and liquidation).

What Leadership Changes Has The Abraaj Group Seen Recently?

Hire0
Exits0

Given The Abraaj Group is defunct and has been in liquidation since 2018-2019, there have been no executive hires or exits in the traditional corporate sense for several years. The 'news' has primarily revolved around legal proceedings involving former executives and the activities of the appointed liquidators (PwC and Deloitte). The information below is indicative of the situation leading up to and during the initial collapse, rather than recent typical corporate movements.

Departures

Multiple Senior Executives, Numerous senior executives departed the firm as the financial scandal unfolded and the company headed towards liquidation.
Arif Naqvi, Arif Naqvi stepped down from managing the fund management business amidst the initial allegations, though he remained Founder.

New Appointments:

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Deloitte, PwC and Deloitte were appointed as joint provisional liquidators to oversee the restructuring and wind-down of The Abraaj Group.

What Technology (Tech Stack) Is Used byThe Abraaj Group?

Discover the tools The Abraaj Group uses. Highperformr reveals the technologies powering your target accounts — helping your sales, marketing, and GTM teams prioritize smarter and close faster.

The Abraaj Group Email Formats and Examples

As The Abraaj Group is defunct, its corporate email system is no longer operational. Historically, the firm likely used common corporate email formats. The examples below are based on typical conventions.

[first_initial][last]@abraaj.com

Format

anavi@abraaj.com (Example for Arif Naqvi, if this format was used)

Example

0 (The domain is inactive, so emails will not be delivered)%

Success rate

What's the Latest News About The Abraaj Group?

The Wall Street JournalOctober 29, 2023

The Abraaj Group Founder Arif Naqvi Sentenced in Dubai

Arif Naqvi, founder of the collapsed private equity firm The Abraaj Group, was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison by a Dubai court for charges related to financial misconduct. This followed previous convictions....more

ReutersJanuary 28, 2022

Former Abraaj executive agrees to $1.9 million SEC settlement

Mustafa Abdel-Wadood, a former managing partner at Abraaj, agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) including a fine and a bar from the securities industry, related to his role in the alleged fraud that led to the firm's collapse....more

Financial TimesJune 18, 2018

Abraaj files for provisional liquidation in Cayman Islands

The Abraaj Group filed for provisional liquidation in the Cayman Islands as it buckled under investor pressure following allegations of misused funds in its healthcare fund. PwC and Deloitte were appointed as joint provisional liquidators....more

The Wall Street JournalFebruary 2, 2018

Abraaj Investors Question Use of Money in Health-Care Fund

An article detailing how key investors, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and IFC, commissioned an audit into Abraaj's $1 billion healthcare fund due to concerns about how their money was being used, marking the beginning of the public unraveling of the firm....more

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