Receives DFSA approval and begins operations from DIFC, connecting GCC capital and strategic opportunities with international markets
ZT Global, a newly established independent investment and strategic advisory firm, today announced that it has received regulatory approval and obtained its license from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). The firm will commence operations from the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), led by a senior team with deep regional and international experience.
ZT Global will advise on and arrange private-market transactions, capital formation initiatives and strategic advisory engagements for professional clients, including institutional investors, family offices and business owners. Its capabilities span capital formation, structuring and strategic advisory, with a global mandate focused on connecting Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) capital and opportunities with businesses, investors and partners internationally.
Co-founded by Taseer Badar, Karim Jaroudi and Marc Abourjeily, ZT Global combines Badar’s nearly three decades of experience investing in, operating and scaling businesses with Jaroudi and Abourjeily’s deep regional relationships and international investment banking expertise. Based in Dubai, Jaroudi and Abourjeily will lead the firm’s activities across the GCC, working alongside Badar to originate, structure and execute investment and strategic opportunities.
Taseer Badar, Co-Founder of ZT Global, said, “Receiving our DFSA license is a significant milestone as we establish ZT Global in Dubai. Bringing Karim and Marc together at ZT Global, along with the institutional relationships and capital-markets expertise they have built across the region over the past two decades, gives us the team needed to turn our vision into results for investors across the GCC and internationally. We aim to create a trusted platform that helps connect ideas, opportunities and relationships across borders while contributing to the continued growth of the region’s business community.”
Badar is also the founder, chairman and CEO of ZT Corporate, a U.S.-based private investment firm with a nearly 30-year track record of building and investing in businesses across healthcare, automotive retail and other sectors. Under his leadership, ZT Corporate and its portfolio companies have achieved a combined enterprise value exceeding $1 billion through more than 60 platforms and follow-on investments1. Through ZT Global, Badar is partnering with Jaroudi and Abourjeily to arrange private investments and strategic partnerships and provide capital formation, structuring and advisory capabilities across the GCC and international markets.
Marc Abourjeily, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of ZT Global, has more than 22 years of global investment banking and capital markets experience. Most recently, he served as Managing Director and Co-Head of Capital Markets for the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey at HSBC, where he led the firm’s Debt Capital Markets franchise, which ranked first in regional league tables for ten consecutive years. He previously held roles at Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch. Over his career, he has led and advised on more than $500 billion of global debt issuances and has been active as an investor and strategic operator.
“ZT Corporate’s nearly three-decade track record in the U.S. brings proven investment judgment and operating experience to ZT Global,” said Abourjeily. “Combining that foundation with our institutional structuring, capital-markets expertise and regional relationships creates a differentiated offering. From DIFC, we bring those capabilities together on a single platform, connecting investors, businesses and strategic partners across the GCC with differentiated opportunities globally.”
Karim Jaroudi, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of ZT Global, has more than 20 years of international investment banking, structured finance and strategic advisory experience. He has advised sovereigns, sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions and multinational corporations on more than $250 billion of transactions across the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Previously, he was a Managing Director at SMBC, where he served as Head of Corporate and Investment Banking Coverage for the Middle East and Head of Corporate and Structured Finance. Earlier in his career, he held senior roles at HSBC and worked at Jefferies, Merrill Lynch and GEMNY in New York.
“The GCC is playing an important role in global capital flows, both as a source of investment and as a destination for international businesses and strategic partners,” said Jaroudi. “There is strong demand in the region for patient capital combined with hands-on stewardship. By combining Taseer’s operating and investment experience with our regional relationships and transaction expertise, ZT Global can help build and scale differentiated businesses across the GCC. We also intend to invest alongside partners in select proprietary opportunities where aligned capital, strategic relationships and active ownership can create lasting value.”
Tariq Khan, Senior Executive Officer of ZT Global, is based in Dubai and oversees the firm’s regulatory, governance and operational activities.
