Middle East private-capital firms are outbidding Asia on compensation, with senior professionals pulling in up to USD 750k a year as firms lean on pay to secure scarce talent, according to Heidrick & Struggles’ 2025 Asia Pacific & Middle East Private Capital Investment Professional Compensation Survey (pdf).

Firms are competing for a narrow pool of dealmakers with execution and fundraising track records, particularly as Abu Dhabi and Riyadh scale as talent hubs and absorb new funds and strategies.

The Middle East is increasingly pulling professionals from established hubs, as the appeal of the region as a private capital growth market grows. “Global and regional managers alike are increasingly optimistic, viewing the region as a growth market for capital formation, alongside a growing interest in the Middle East as a destination for investment deployment,” the report said, adding that Riyadh and Abu Dhabi in particular are emerging as talent hubs in terms of both an influx of international talent and the sustained dominance of regional

senior talent.

Disclaimer: The report notes it was written before the war hit the region, and that today “market conditions have become markedly more uncertain.”

What the backdrop was like before the war: Capital was flowing into infrastructure, as well as private debt, real estate, and private equity, reinforcing the need for firms to staff up (and pay up) to deploy it.

Base salaries and bonuses have risen for two consecutive years, with around two-thirds of firms reporting increases across both. That signals a sustained reset in pay levels rather than a one-off bidding war. Managing partners are averaging around USD 750k in total direct compensation, with partners and managing directors close behind at USD 719k, and principals at roughly USD 503k.

Bonuses are doing much of the work and, at the very top, can swing outcomes enough that some partners out-earn managing partners.

After the war, it’s about who sticks and who manages to navigate the conflict: Judgment is being priced in, specifically operators who can read “geopolitical shifts, capital flows, and market dynamics as a single picture,” Shadi El Farr, regional managing partner at Heidrick & Struggles, told Arabian Business.

The outlook had been positive for MPs for the next 18 months: Nearly 78% of firms expect base salaries to rise further over the next 18 months, according to the report.

The good news is: As we’ve recently noted, private capital has been holding up, even against the backdrop of regional conflict.

MARKETS THIS MORNING-

Most Asian markets are in the green this morning on hopes that the Strait of Hormuz might reopen to more vessels as countries come together to discuss joint action, and Iran and Oman reportedly draft a proposal to monitor the Strait. South Korea’s Kospi led gains, rising 2.7%, while Japan’s Nikkei rose 1.3%. China’s CSI 300 was also up, while Hong Kong’s market was closed for the Easter Weekend. Over on Wall Street, futures are flat.

ADX

9,583

-0.7% (YTD: -4.1%)

DFM

5,511

-0.6% (YTD: -8.9%)

Nasdaq Dubai UAE20

4,550

-0.9% (YTD: -6.9%)

USD : AED CBUAE

Buy 3.67

Sell 3.67

EIBOR

3.5% o/n

3.7% 1 yr

TASI

11,268

-0.1% (YTD: +7.4%)

EGX30

46,399

+2.4% (YTD: +10.9%)

S&P 500

6,583

+0.1% (YTD: -3.8%)

FTSE 100

10,436

+0.7% (YTD: +5.1%)

Euro Stoxx 50

5,693

-0.7% (YTD: -1.7%)

Brent crude

USD 109.03

+7.8%

Natural gas (Nymex)

USD 2.8

-0.7%

Gold

USD 4,680

-2.8%

BTC

USD 66,993

-1.6% (YTD: -24.5%)

Chimera JP Morgan UAE Bond UCITS ETF

AED 3.62

+2.3% (YTD: -1.3%)

S&P MENA Bond & Sukuk

149.53

-0.0% (YTD: -1.6%)

VIX (Volatility Index)

23.87

-2.7% (YTD: +59.7%)

THE CLOSING BELL-

The ADX fell 0.7% yesterday on turnover of AED 855.8 mn. The index is down 4.1% YTD.

In the green: Orascom Construction (+3.1%), United Arab Bank (+3.1%), and Alpha Dhabi (+1.9%).

In the red: Gulf Medical Projects (-4.8%), Emirates Driving (-4.8%), and Ins. House (-4.7%).

Over on the DFM, the index fell 0.6% on turnover of AED 938.1 mn. Meanwhile, Nasdaq Dubai was down 0.9%.

Corporate actions

It’s raining dividends…

Adnoc Drilling’s shareholders approved a final 2025 dividend of USD 250 mn, bringing total payouts for the year to USD 1 bn, according to a press release. The bigger news for Adnoc Drilling? They also stood firm on plans to increase that dividend by a minimum of 5% this year and every year until 2030 — a big statement when viewed against the backdrop of uncertainty across markets.

Dubai Islamic Bank’s shareholders approved a dividend of 35 fils per share for 2025, equivalent to AED 2.53 bn for the entire year, according to a press release.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) also secured shareholder approval for a dividend of AED 3.1 bn (6.2 fils per share) for 2H 2025, state news agency Wam reports.

Tags: