27 January 2014

Emerging Trends in Private Equity and Venture Capital in MENA (Video)

Posted In: Alternative Investments, Portfolio Management

Recent news out of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) hasn’t been promising as of late. What are some of the emerging trends in private equity and venture capital in MENA? What are some of the challenges? What are some of the most promising investment opportunities?

In this 34-minute video presentation, Imad Ghandour (managing director at CedarBridge Partners) and Walid Hanna (managing partner at Middle East Venture Partners) discuss private equity and venture capital trends in MENA. This video is from our fourth annual Middle East Investment Conference, which was held in Dubai in March 2013. (This year’s Middle East Investment Conference investment conference will be held 9–10 April 2014.)

Here is an approximate breakdown of the two presentations.

Imad Ghandour on private equity in MENA, from start to 14:49:

Start – 2:25: The rise and fall in private equity fund-raising and investment.
2:25 – 5:15: The disconnect between private equity investing and MENA’s economic growth and consumption.
5:16 – 10:54: Challenges facing the private equity investing model.
10:55 – 13:30: The CedarBridge model, an example of a customized private equity model.
13:31 – 14:49: Ghandour’s outlook on private equity investing in MENA.

Walid Hana on venture capital in MENA, from 14:50 to the end.

14:50 – 18:34: Why the Arab world is a high-growth emerging market, and why Hana focuses on internet and mobile phone industry
18:35 – 19:21: Arab internet and tech sector overview, slow-growth and high-growth segments.
19:22 – 20:50: Challenges facing venture capital in MENA.
20:51 – 23:19: Limited size of and growth in venture capital in MENA
23:20 – 25:02: Case studies: Maktoob, Zawya, and Suuk.
25:03 – 32:05: History of venture capital activities by Hana’s firm, MEVP.
32:06 – 34:00: Why insufficient venture capital fund-raising in MENA may affect the region’s SMEs.

Please note that the content of this site should not be construed as investment advice, nor do the opinions expressed necessarily reflect the views of CFA Institute.

Tags: Africa, MENA, Middle East, Private Equity, Venture Capital, Videos

Share On

About the Author(s)

Usman Hayat, CFA

Usman Hayat, CFA, writes about sustainable, responsible, and impact investing and Islamic finance. He is the lead author of "Environmental, Social, and Governance Issues in Investing: A Guide for Investment Professionals;" the literature review, "Islamic Finance: Ethics, Concepts, Practice;" and the research report "Sustainable, Responsible, and Impact Investing and Islamic Finance: Similarities and Differences." He is interested in online learning and has directed three e-courses for CFA Institute: "ESG-100," "Islamic Finance Quiz," and "Residual Income Equity Valuation." The other topics he writes about are macroeconomics and behavioral finance. He has experience working in securities regulation and as an independent consultant. His qualifications include the CFA charter, the FRM designation, an MBA, and an MA in development economics. He has served as a content director at CFA Institute. He is a former executive director at the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and former CEO of the Audit Oversight Board (Pakistan). His personal interests include reading and hiking.