European investor M7 opens first Middle East office in Dubai

M7 Real Estate, a pan-European investor and asset manager owned by Oxford Properties, has opened its first office in the Middle East.

The opening of the new office in the Dubai International Financial Centre follows M7’s receipt of financial services authorisation from the Dubai Financial Services Authority last month, the company said in a statement.

M7 has appointed Zaid Al Rawi, managing director for M7 Middle East and North Africa, to head up the office. The company’s immediate focus will be on growing its capital raising function and expanding existing investor relationships across the MENA region.

M7 now operates offices in 15 countries and territories, including the UAE.

M7, a pan-European investor and asset manager owned by Oxford Properties, opens first Middle East office in #Dubai. pic.twitter.com/tqEflMI58a

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) October 23, 2022

The company already manages around €1bn of European real estate on behalf of Middle Eastern investors, representing approximately 20 per cent of the firm’s assets under management. Existing clients have included sovereign wealth funds and separate account mandates.

M7 invests across a variety of multi-tenanted asset classes in Europe. It was originally formed in 2009 as a specialist in light industrial and urban logistics, which remains its largest sector and with retail warehouses, accounts for more than half the €5.8bn of assets currently under management.

Richard Croft, executive chairman of M7 Real Estate, commented: “While we already have a strong track record of investing into Europe on behalf of select Middle Eastern clients, the opening of our UAE office and the granting of our DFSA licence will allow us to both access new types of investors to grow our investor base and better service our existing clients.

“The Dubai office also sees us make another significant step forward in M7’s own ambitions, supported by our colleagues at Oxford Properties, to create a market leading international investment and asset management platform.”