Key Takeaways
- • Balyasny Asset Management ($37bn AUM) continues staffing its Abu Dhabi office, opened in March 2026, with the addition of Mathieu Recayte, an FX options trader from Nomura.
- • Yash Agarwal, former ExodusPoint equities portfolio manager, is leading the Abu Dhabi expansion and building out the team across multiple investment strategies.
- • Recayte brings 12 years of experience at Nomura before a brief tenure at failed hedge fund Eisler Capital, which closed in late 2025.
- • The Abu Dhabi expansion occurs amid geopolitical uncertainty; at least one competing firm (Brevan Howard) has offered staff relocation options during current regional instability.
Summary
Balyasny Asset Management is accelerating its buildout of its newly established Abu Dhabi office with the hiring of Mathieu Recayte, an FX options trader who previously spent 12 years at Nomura. The appointment represents the latest staffing move at the fund's Middle East hub, which launched in March 2026 under the leadership of Yash Agarwal, a former equities portfolio manager from ExodusPoint.
Agarwal is directing broader expansion efforts across the Abu Dhabi office, with plans to hire across multiple investment strategies as Balyasny seeks to establish meaningful presence in the region's financial hub. The firm, which manages $37 billion in assets and operates as a multi-strategy hedge fund, obtained regulatory approval from Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM) to establish operations in the financial free zone.
Recayte's hiring follows a brief and unsuccessful stint at Eisler Capital, which closed in late 2025. His appointment as an FX options specialist adds derivatives capability to an office currently focused on building equities and multi-strategy capabilities under Agarwal's direction.
The timing of the Abu Dhabi expansion coincides with heightened regional instability. Market sources indicate that the operating environment has become challenging for financial professionals relocating to the emirate, with at least one major hedge fund—Brevan Howard—offering staff the option to temporarily relocate elsewhere until conditions stabilize. The article notes that one trader previously experienced significant disruption when caught in the region during recent geopolitical developments.
Agarwal is directing broader expansion efforts across the Abu Dhabi office, with plans to hire across multiple investment strategies as Balyasny seeks to establish meaningful presence in the region's financial hub. The firm, which manages $37 billion in assets and operates as a multi-strategy hedge fund, obtained regulatory approval from Abu Dhabi Global Markets (ADGM) to establish operations in the financial free zone.
Recayte's hiring follows a brief and unsuccessful stint at Eisler Capital, which closed in late 2025. His appointment as an FX options specialist adds derivatives capability to an office currently focused on building equities and multi-strategy capabilities under Agarwal's direction.
The timing of the Abu Dhabi expansion coincides with heightened regional instability. Market sources indicate that the operating environment has become challenging for financial professionals relocating to the emirate, with at least one major hedge fund—Brevan Howard—offering staff the option to temporarily relocate elsewhere until conditions stabilize. The article notes that one trader previously experienced significant disruption when caught in the region during recent geopolitical developments.
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