Investcorp and CIC Launch ‘Investcorp Golden Horizon’ to Invest In GCC and China

Investcorp, a leading global alternative investment firm headquartered in Bahrain, and China Investment Corporation (CIC), one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, have jointly launched a new platform ‘Investcorp Golden Horizon’ to invest in high-growth companies across the GCC region including Saudi Arabia and also in China.

The announcement of the platform’s launch was made at the ongoing Investcorp’s China-GCC Investment and Business Cooperation Summit in Riyadh.

The platform has a target size of $1 billion and will be anchored by reputable institutional and private investors from the GCC, as well as CIC. Target companies are expected to have high growth potential in attractive sectors, including consumer, healthcare, logistics and business services. The Investcorp Saudi Pre-IPO Growth Fund, which is part of the platform, has already announced three investments in the GCC.

The commitment from CIC to the platform comes at a time when the GCC’s appeal to institutional investors is gathering pace, thanks to its stable regulatory environment and its pro-business policies, including its economic diversification drive and strategic privatisation mandates.

Reinforces Trust

Investcorp’s Executive Chairman, Mohammed Alardhi, said that the commitment by CIC, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, is a testament to Investcorp’s unparalleled franchise in the GCC and reinforces the trust placed in the firm’s global platform and teams.

“We are looking forward to building on this relationship and growing our partnership in the future,” he added.

Dr Bin Qi, Executive Vice President and Deputy CIO of CIC, said that as one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, CIC has been actively investing in both developed and emerging economies. “During the past couple of years, we have built several bilateral funds with leading financial institutions to facilitate industrial cooperation between China and major economies in the world. Currently we are working closely with Investcorp to build a similar bilateral fund to strengthen financial and industrial ties between China and GCC countries,” Dr Qi added.

Hazem Ben-Gacem, Co-CEO of Investcorp, also said that they were delighted to be partnering with CIC to participate in the economic transformation and investment opportunities presented across the GCC.

“As a leading global alternative asset manager with roots in the GCC and a 40+ year track-record across multiple asset classes, Investcorp is perfectly placed to facilitate cross border cooperation and investments between the GCC and China. This is the first step in what we expect to be a fruitful relationship and we look forward to making significant positive impacts on businesses in both regions,” he added.