Key Takeaways
- • The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) Endowment is marketing a portfolio of private markets fund stakes valued at at least $1 billion, according to PEI Secondaries Investor.
- • The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) has emerged as a buyer of the portfolio, per PEI Secondaries Investor and Global SWF reporting.
- • The transaction is a secondaries sale of LP interests, with the portfolio including Asia-Pacific exposure, as described in publisher summaries.
- • The deal reflects continued LP-led secondaries activity from Middle East institutional holders and ADIA's pattern of opportunistic private markets buying.
Summary
The King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Endowment is shopping a portfolio of at least $1 billion in size, PEI Secondaries Investor reported on September 22, 2026. The portfolio comprises private markets fund stakes, and according to publisher summaries, includes exposure to Asia-Pacific assets.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority has emerged as one of the buyers of the portfolio, according to PEI Secondaries Investor and Global SWF. Global SWF described ADIA as appearing to be a buyer of the US$1 billion-plus private-markets stake sale from the Saudi university endowment. Publisher context also notes that a separate ADIA report characterized the fund as buying cheaply in private markets, including a Saudi private markets portfolio and a sale of a stake in a Hong Kong hotel.
The transaction sits within the LP-led secondaries market, where institutional holders sell fund interests to generate liquidity and rebalance exposures. The source material does not disclose the price, discount to net asset value, or final terms of the sale, and these details were not confirmed in the available reporting.
ADIA's involvement is consistent with its established private markets program, which invests across hedge funds and other alternative strategies. The sovereign investor previously committed over $1 billion to Saudi Aramco's initial public offering in 2019, a historical reference unrelated to the current transaction. Its participation in a Saudi institutional portfolio signals continued appetite for regional private markets assets among Gulf sovereign allocators.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority has emerged as one of the buyers of the portfolio, according to PEI Secondaries Investor and Global SWF. Global SWF described ADIA as appearing to be a buyer of the US$1 billion-plus private-markets stake sale from the Saudi university endowment. Publisher context also notes that a separate ADIA report characterized the fund as buying cheaply in private markets, including a Saudi private markets portfolio and a sale of a stake in a Hong Kong hotel.
The transaction sits within the LP-led secondaries market, where institutional holders sell fund interests to generate liquidity and rebalance exposures. The source material does not disclose the price, discount to net asset value, or final terms of the sale, and these details were not confirmed in the available reporting.
ADIA's involvement is consistent with its established private markets program, which invests across hedge funds and other alternative strategies. The sovereign investor previously committed over $1 billion to Saudi Aramco's initial public offering in 2019, a historical reference unrelated to the current transaction. Its participation in a Saudi institutional portfolio signals continued appetite for regional private markets assets among Gulf sovereign allocators.
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