Alpha Dhabi Holding, one of the fastest-growing investment holding companies in the Middle East and North Africa, listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange under the code (ADX: AlphaDhabi), and Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign investment firm, have announced their joint acquisition of a European direct lending portfolio managed by Apollo Global Management. Following the acquisition, Apollo will continue to manage and develop the portfolio.
The joint venture between Mubadala and Alpha Dhabi was established in 2023, focusing on allocating and deploying capital in promising credit opportunities across sectors and markets that offer attractive returns relative to risk. The acquired European direct lending portfolio adds new investments in the consumer goods and services sector, while also enhancing their presence in healthcare, advanced technologies, commercial services, and financial services.
Engineer Hamad Al Amri, Managing Director and CEO of Alpha Dhabi Holding, stated: “This acquisition represents a significant step forward in the journey of our joint venture, expanding its presence in some of the most dynamic global markets across sectors that contribute to shaping the economy of the future. Apollo’s direct lending portfolio will complement our existing assets, enhancing our growth and diversification opportunities going forward. This value-driven acquisition, aligned with our long-term strategy, underscores the core ambition of the joint venture to achieve superior returns relative to risk while maintaining a disciplined approach to credit investment.”
Omar Areeqat, Executive Vice President of Credit Investments and Special Situations at Mubadala, remarked: “Acquiring the European direct lending portfolio is a crucial milestone in our joint venture with Alpha Dhabi, reinforcing our strategy to build a robust and expansive credit platform in the UK and Europe, and reaffirming our commitment to maintaining a disciplined capital deployment approach.”
Jim Vaniak, Partner and Co-Head of Global Credit Performance at Apollo, commented: “We have a long-standing partnership with Mubadala and Alpha Dhabi that has yielded positive results, and we are pleased to contribute to this transaction as their joint venture seeks to capitalize on secured European direct lending opportunities. We continue to see a wealth of attractive credit opportunities relative to risk, along with a growing structural need for private capital in Europe.”
It is noteworthy that by September 2025, the joint venture’s portfolio value had risen to approximately $1 billion spread across 24 borrowers. The inclusion of Apollo’s direct lending portfolio, valued at $0.6 billion in high-quality assets, will elevate the total assets to around $1.6 billion across 39 borrowers.
Moreover, this acquisition establishes a strong and enduring approach to future deal flow, supporting investment deployment objectives and aligning with the joint venture’s progress towards fulfilling its $2.5 billion commitment program.