Blackstone Opens DIFC Office to Expand Gulf Private Wealth Business
Blackstone has opened a Dubai International Financial Centre office, its second UAE location, to expand private wealth distribution across the Gulf.
Blackstone, the US alternative asset manager, has opened an office in the Dubai International Financial Centre, its second UAE location and a regional hub for its private wealth business. Its other UAE office is in Abu Dhabi.
The DIFC office is intended to strengthen bank partnerships and widen Gulf investors' access to alternative investment products. Blackstone has more than 40 distributor relationships across the region, supporting its private wealth operations. Jon Gray, president and chief operating officer, said the UAE's growing wealth-management role was an important factor. He said the expansion builds on Blackstone's UAE presence since 2010.
Blackstone also upgraded its Abu Dhabi office license to support deal origination. It described regional capital commitments in the past 12 months as record but did not disclose their value. The firm plans to open an office in Kuwait and expand its GCC presence over the next year.
Arif Amiri, chief executive of the DIFC Authority, said the opening reflected Dubai's position as a regional destination for global investment firms seeking closer relationships with GCC investors. Amiri is ranked 54th on the Top 100 CEOs 2026 list and fourth in the Freezones category of the Middle East's Sustainability Leaders 2026 list.
Blackstone managed about $1.4 trillion in assets as of September 30, 2026, across real estate, private equity, credit, infrastructure and other alternatives. The figure comes from its third-quarter financial disclosures.
The DIFC base puts Blackstone's private wealth team closer to the banks and distributors that channel client allocations in the Gulf. For a firm already covering the region through more than 40 distributor relationships, it shortens the distance between product teams and the institutions selling them.
