Finance Investcorp chairman weighs IPO or deal with strategic investor By Neil Halligan January 21, 2025, 5:42 PM World Economic Forum/Sikarin Fon Thanachaiary Mohammed Alardhi, executive chairman of Investcorp, has welcomed Donald Trump's return to power, saying: 'We think the new administration is pro-growth' Delisted from Bahrain Bourse in 2021 $55bn in assets under management Mohammed Alardhi hails return of Trump Investcorp is considering a tie-up with a strategic investor or an initial public offering in the next few years, its executive chairman has said. Mohammed Alardhi said the Bahrain-based alternative asset manager had streamlined its strategy and reshuffled its leadership and management teams. For its next period of growth, Investcorp may look to outside investment, he said. “In the next few years, I would not be surprised if we look for a liquidity event some time, whether by strategic partnership or even going to the public markets,” Alardhi told Bloomberg in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Investcorp, which is the Middle East’s largest alternative asset manager with about $55 billion under management, delisted from the Bahrain Bourse in 2021 after almost four decades because of low trading volumes and the company’s aims to grow more quickly. In a management shake-up announced last September, Hazem Ben-Gacem left his role as co-CEO. Rishi Kapoor, Investcorp’s other co-CEO, was appointed vice chairman and chief investment officer. Alardhi took on additional responsibilities after the changes. The executive chairman said Investcorp was positive about the year ahead and sees the return of President Donald Trump to the White House as creating new opportunities. “We think the new administration is pro-growth. I think it’s inevitable that they will also do something about taxes and regulation. It’s all good for business. And what we saw in the first administration of Trump was good.” Bahrain’s Investcorp agrees to buy Italy’s Epipoli Gulf still struggling to attract private cash for public projects Video: Investcorp refocuses on inward GCC investment Alardhi said predictions for a recession in the US were previously at 70 percent but are now below 30 percent. “In the last two quarters, we have seen a lot of activity in private equity and investment. In general, investors are deploying [capital]. We feel good about it, despite maybe some challenges.” Investcorp has raised $2.3 billion in funding from Asian institutional investors and pension funds over the past 18 months. Alardhi said the Gulf region was attracting a lot of investment – as are India and Southeast Asia, as well as the US. In Europe, where there are “a lot of political challenges”, he pointed to high levels of innovation and an increase in venture capital activity. A unit of the business, Investcorp Capital, listed on the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange in November 2023 and raised close to AED1.7 billion ($460 million). Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala acquired a 20 percent stake in Investcorp in 2017.