The Swiss voice in the world since 1935

Swiss-based ADAPT latest hedge fund to open Abu Dhabi office

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
ADAPT Joins Marshall Wace and Brevan Howard in Abu Dhabi. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved

Swiss hedge fund ADAPT Investment Managers has become the latest among a slew of peers opening an office in Abu Dhabi as the emirate continues to attract financial firms despite the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

The $2 billion relative-value hedge fund has started operations in the Gulf city, according to a statement from the firm on Wednesday. The new base, which will be led by Daniel Mullarkey who recently joined as a senior research analyst, is the money manager’s fourth office, after Geneva and Zug in Switzerland, and New York.

ADAPT has separately bolstered its ranks with a clutch of hires from a few of the industry’s largest multi-strategy hedge fund firms. Those coming on board as portfolio managers include Nicolas Dumoulin and Olivier Chazalon, formerly with Millennium Management and Verition Fund Management, respectively. Fabien Gerbron, who previously worked for Citadel, joined recently.

Abu Dhabi, along with neighboring Dubai, has drawn significant interest from global investment firms for its deep sovereign wealth reserves and attractive tax regime. But the outbreak of conflict in the region this year has raised questions about their appeal as financial hubs.

But there are signs of continued interest even after the outbreak of hostilities. Chris Rokos’ hedge fund firm reaffirmed its commitment to Abu Dhabi earlier this year, securing a full regulatory license to operate in the city. Hudson Bay Capital Management, along with Marshall Wace and Brevan Howard Asset Management, are among other industry heavyweights already operating there.

The ADAPT fund launched in March 2020 and managed $2.11 billion at the start of August this year, according to an investor letter seen by Bloomberg News. The fund made 1.77% in July, erasing year-to-date losses to gain 0.23% over the first seven months of the year, it showed.

©2026 Bloomberg L.P.

Related Stories

Popular Stories

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR