Real estate private equity (PE) firm Gaw Capital Partners announced on Tuesday its first investment in Abu Dhabi with the acquisition of a residential building for over $150 million.
Gaw Capital, which commanded $34.4 billion in assets under management as of Q4 2024, acquired the residential building at Mamsha Gardens, a property located on Saadiyat Island in the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to a company announcement.
Developed by Aldar, the largest real estate developer in the capital city, Mamsha Gardens is a low-density project featuring seven residential buildings nestled in the Saadiyat Cultural District, known for its world-class museums such as Louvre Abu Dhabi and teamLab Phenomena, as well as the soon to be completed Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, Zayed National Museum, and Natural History Museum.
The development is also surrounded by premium educational institutions, luxury resort hotels, and golf and beach clubs.
Expected to be completed in 2028, the property comprises 71 units, ranging from 1- to 3-bedroom apartments and 2- to 3-bedroom townhouses, with a total saleable area of 176,046 square feet.
The investment marks Gaw Capital’s first partnership with Abu Dhabi-based Aldar, which boasts over 20 years of experience specialising in luxury residential projects.
“The increase in expatriate demand, ongoing government initiatives attracting foreign investments, overall economic diversification efforts in the UAE, and the introduction of new residency permits have positively impacted the property market sentiment,” said Humbert Pang, managing principal, head of China, and co-chair of Alternative Investments at Gaw Capital.
The deal underscores “the growing appeal of Abu Dhabi’s increasingly mature real estate market to global investors,” said Aldar’s group CEO Talal Al Dhiyebi, disclosing that 87% of Aldar’s UAE sales came from international buyers in Q1 2025.
The entry of Gaw Capital into this market “reflects Abu Dhabi’s economic growth expectations and its status as a go-to investment destination, where value continues to be driven by robust economic fundamentals, attractive demographics, and high-quality assets,” he said.
Built on the first partnership with Aldar, the Gaw Capital team plans to keep “a keen eye” on emerging opportunities in the Middle East and explore more collaboration opportunities with the Abu Dhabi developer in the future.
Established in 2005, Gaw Capital focuses on real estate markets in Asia Pacific and other high-barrier-to-entry markets globally. Its investments span the entire spectrum of real estate sectors, including residential development, commercial offices, retail malls, hospitality, logistics warehouses, and internet data centre (IDC) projects.
Gaw Capital has raised seven commingled funds targeting Asia Pacific markets. It also manages value-add/opportunistic funds in the US, a pan-Asia hospitality fund, a European hospitality fund, a growth equity fund, and it also provides services for credit investments and separate account direct investments globally. The firm has raised equity of $23.8 billion since its inception.
