PineBridge Investments, the global multi-asset class investment manager, has received a Category 1 license from the Central Bank of Bahrain, paving the way for the establishment of its Middle East and North Africa (MENA) headquarters in Bahrain. The new firm, PineBridge Investments Middle East B.S.C. will cover the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey. PineBridge currently has offices in Dubai and Istanbul. PineBridge is an independent asset manager with $67 billion of assets under management for institutional and individual clients across an extensive platform of listed equity, fixed income, and private equity and hedge fund strategies. Talal Al Zain, CEO of PBIME, said: “With its strong and recognized regulatory environment, we believe that the Kingdom of Bahrain is a good location to headquarter PineBridge Investments Middle East. Backed by an extensive global network, broad capabilities and established track record across all asset classes, PBIME is well positioned to serve diverse sets of clients in key investment categories. In particular, we are focusing on large institutions and private clients looking for differentiated products and competitive risk adjusted returns." “We will also serve as a link between Asian and Middle Eastern investors to facilitate access between the two markets. PBIME will offer world-class private equity, wealth management services and access to PineBridge global products to clients in MENA," he added. David Jiang, CEO of PineBridge Investments, said: “As a global firm, MENA is one of the few regions where we have not had a substantial presence to date. Under Talal Al Zain's leadership, I expect PBIME to build upon our global expertise and regional experience to deliver high standards of corporate governance and transparency along with a strategic direction which always puts the client first." The establishment of PBIME's headquarters is prompted by the opportunity for investment and substantial liquidity in the region, which has many underpenetrated markets across all asset classes. – SG
