Key Takeaways
- • Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, First Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, met with Rob Lucas, CEO of CVC Capital Partners, on April 28, 2026, to explore cooperation opportunities in the financial services sector across the UAE.
- • Dubai is advancing its Dubai Economic Agenda D33, which targets positioning the emirate among the world's top four financial centres, with a specific objective to increase combined stock market value to AED 3 trillion and deepen its capital markets ecosystem.
- • The high-level meeting included senior UAE financial officials—Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini (Minister of State for Financial Affairs), Helal Saeed Almarri (Director-General of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism), and Essa Kazim (Governor of the DIFC)—signaling strategic priority around private equity sector engagement.
- • CVC Capital Partners is a global leader in private markets management, with substantial experience across private equity, secondaries, credit, and infrastructure investments, positioning it as a significant potential partner for UAE capital markets development.
Summary
H.H. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the First Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister, convened with Rob Lucas, Chief Executive Officer of CVC Capital Partners PLC, on April 28, 2026, in what represents a strategic engagement between Dubai's top financial leadership and a prominent global private equity institution. The meeting underscores Dubai's continued focus on attracting international capital managers to support its ambitious financial centre aspirations.
During the meeting, both parties discussed new avenues for cooperation to advance the growth of the financial services sector in the UAE. The engagement reflects Dubai's broader strategic objective, articulated through the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, to establish the emirate among the world's top four financial centres. A core component of this agenda involves increasing the combined value of Dubai's stock markets to AED 3 trillion while simultaneously deepening and expanding the emirate's capital markets ecosystem to support institutional and alternative investment activity.
The composition of attendees—including Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini as Minister of State for Financial Affairs, Helal Saeed Almarri as Director-General of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, and Essa Kazim as Governor of the Dubai International Financial Centre—demonstrates the coordinated, high-level focus across multiple government entities on private markets development. This institutional alignment signals serious intent to leverage private equity and alternative capital to support the emirate's financial centre positioning.
CVC Capital Partners, with substantial global experience deploying capital across private equity, secondaries, credit, and infrastructure mandates, represents the caliber of institutional asset manager Dubai is actively courting. The timing and level of engagement suggest ongoing efforts to deepen relationships between Dubai's financial infrastructure and leading international alternative investment managers operating at scale.
During the meeting, both parties discussed new avenues for cooperation to advance the growth of the financial services sector in the UAE. The engagement reflects Dubai's broader strategic objective, articulated through the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, to establish the emirate among the world's top four financial centres. A core component of this agenda involves increasing the combined value of Dubai's stock markets to AED 3 trillion while simultaneously deepening and expanding the emirate's capital markets ecosystem to support institutional and alternative investment activity.
The composition of attendees—including Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini as Minister of State for Financial Affairs, Helal Saeed Almarri as Director-General of the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, and Essa Kazim as Governor of the Dubai International Financial Centre—demonstrates the coordinated, high-level focus across multiple government entities on private markets development. This institutional alignment signals serious intent to leverage private equity and alternative capital to support the emirate's financial centre positioning.
CVC Capital Partners, with substantial global experience deploying capital across private equity, secondaries, credit, and infrastructure mandates, represents the caliber of institutional asset manager Dubai is actively courting. The timing and level of engagement suggest ongoing efforts to deepen relationships between Dubai's financial infrastructure and leading international alternative investment managers operating at scale.
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