PE and VC activity in MENA took a hit last year, but momentum looks strong for 2025 -Pitchbook

Dealmaking in the Middle East took a slight hit last year, though bright spots still emerged across both venture capital and private equity, according to PitchBook’s latest MENA private capital breakdown report (pdf). Exits remained on the low side, with combined PE and VC-backed exit value in MENA dropping 42% y-o-y, while volume was down 16%. IPO appetite also waned, though select names braved public markets, including Arabian Mills in Saudi and the UAE’s NMDC Energy and Talabat.

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Total private market fundraising also fell last year to USD 13.4 bn across 56 funds, with PE commanding the lion’s share.

PRIVATE EQUITY-

Total PE transaction value hit USD 13.7 bn across 147 plays in 2024, crossing the USD 10 bn mark for the fifth year in a row despite shedding 19.2% y-o-y in value. Of this, USD 3.7 bn across 43 buyouts was recorded in 4Q alone, with transaction value climbing nearly 30% q-o-q.

Fewer fund closures, bigger checks: Private equity funds in the region pulled in USD 9.5 bn last year, a three-fold increase compared to the previous year, despite a sharp drop in the number of fund closures. Mubadala Capital’s USD 3.1 bn MIC Capital Partners IV fund and the USD 5.2 bn Future Fund Oman headlined the year.

PE exits dropped 46.1% to their weakest level since 2019 at USD 7.4 bn, but things picked up in 4Q, with exits during the quarter accounting for nearly 72% of full-year exit value, which could signal some momentum in the exit pipeline this year.

Tech continued to draw outsized attention: IT-related PE investments rose 14.7% y-o-y to USD 1.4 bn, buoyed by standout transactions like Arcapita and DGPays’ USD 385 mn acquisition of Mashreq’s NeoPay. Oman also emerged as a bright spot, notching two of the region’s largest transactions, including Apollo’s USD 600 mn acquisition of 50% of Vale Oman Distribution Center.

Cross-border interest propped up the numbers: MENA-based investors were involved in USD 56.7 bn worth of European PE transactions last year, marking an all-time high, led by Adnoc’s USD 16.3 bn proposed takeover of Germany’s Covestro. The numbers point to MENA players’ growing interest in broadening their geographical footprint, even as foreign limited partners (LPs) ramped up activity in the region.

Who’s pulling the strings? Sovereign wealth funds, namely UAE’s Mubadala Investment Company, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), were among the most active regional players in non-MENA PE transactions over the last seven years. Bahrain’s Investcorp and Tunisia’s Africinvest rounded out the top five.

Sector-focused strategies also gained traction, with our friends at EFG Hermes closing a USD 300 mn Saudi Education Fund targeting private schools, and real estate funds bouncing back with USD 1.2 bn raised, led by Cenomi Centers and GIB Capital’s SAR 1 bn Real Estate Fund. The trend signals a shift toward fewer, larger vehicles with clearer mandates, as the region positions itself to absorb and deploy capital at scale.

VENTURE CAPITAL-

On an annual basis, VC activity declined 33% y-o-y to USD 2.8 bn across 678 transactions amid a tougher funding environment and more cautious investor sentiment. The UAE led regional activity, accounting for over 30% of transactions, while Saudi Arabia posted a 41.6% increase in transaction count to 143 in 2024. Meanwhile, regional VC fundraising rose 49.7% y-o-y to USD 1.8 bn.

Similar to the PE side of things, 4Q marked a positive end to a lackluster year: MENA-based VCs closed USD 1.2 bn in transaction value during 4Q 2024 — the highest quarterly total since 4Q 2023 — according to PitchBook’s 2025 MENA Private Capital Market Review. A major contributor was the USD 500 mn round raised by Turkish martech platform Insider, led by US-based General Atlantic.

Who are the most active players? Since 2018, the most active global VC investors in MENA have been 500 Global (232 deals), Flat6Labs (111), and Wamda Capital (73). MENA-based investors have also been active abroad, with VentureSouq (272), Kube VC (259), and Morningstar Ventures (201) being among the most prominent in international VC transactions. In 2024, MENA investors participated in a record USD 41.2 bn in North American VC transaction value.

LOOKING AHEAD-

The 2025 outlook for PE in MENA is broadly bullish, underpinned by deepening regional capital markets, expanding multi-asset strategies, and an ongoing push by governments to position the region as a global investment magnet. Still, geopolitics could throw a wrench in momentum, potentially weighing on global risk appetite.

Private market fundraising more generally in the region is projected to rise over USD 20 bn in 2025, supported by the growth of fund managers seeking several asset classes, expanding regional tech hubs, and the greater use of private capital markets. The region’s favorable tax and business policies are projected to attract capital, with fundraising set to be driven by local and international LPs and sizable government capital.

THE CLOSING BELL-

The EGX30 fell 1.3% at Thursday’s close on turnover of EGP 5.4 bn (12.4% above the 90-day average). Local investors were the sole net sellers. The index is up 9.3% YTD.

In the green: Emaar Misr (+2.3%), Eastern Company (+1.1%), and Egypt Aluminum (+0.9%).

In the red: ADIB (-4.3%), Palm Hills Development (-4.1%), and Egypt Kuwait Holding -EGP (-3.2%).