Probus Pleion Middle East among Middle East's Top IAMs 2025
- Matthieu
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Bernard Bonvin, Managing Partner & CEO of Probus Pleion Middle East Limited, answers the questions of Citywire Middle East - click here.
Q: The past 12 months have been interesting and turbulent for the investment industry. How did your client portfolios perform and how has this impacted asset allocation going into 2025?
A: The past year has been marked by global divergence, with non-US markets finally outperforming the US. Rising uncertainty around US trade fiscal policies weighed on sentiment, and precious metals and global market equities offered attractive diversification benefits.
Our portfolios performed well thanks to an overweight in equities outside the US and precious metals.
Q: Recent years have seen a strong rise in interest across alternatives and private markets. Do your clients look to the asset class more for returns? Which investment sectors are your clients interested in and how are they accessing them?
A: Up until 2021, the prolonged low-rate environment encouraged both us and our clients to diversify in search of stable returns beyond traditional markets. While private markets remain attractive, their illiquid nature and long lock-up periods often make them less suitable for many high-net-worth individuals, particularly in the current higher rate environment.
We therefore focus on semi-liquid private funds that provide at least quarterly liquidity, combining access to institutional-quality strategies with better flexibility. Our internal team carefully selects best-in-class managers offering competitive fee structures for our clients.
Recently, we’ve seen growing interest in infrastructure and defence, driven by fiscal spending trends and geopolitical volatility. We are also seeing interest in energy, particularly uranium, given the expectations for a sharp pick up in electricity demand on the back of the AI capex boom.
Citywire reports that "the role of IAMs in shaping investor portfolios is stronger than ever.
Across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC, IAMs are stepping into a space once dominated by large institutions. Their agility in areas such as private credit, real assets, bespoke advisory, and cross-border structuring is resonating with a new generation of wealth creators seeking tailored solutions rather than one-size-fits-all offerings.
This publication celebrates the IAMs who continue to push the industry forward through innovation, transparency and client-centric thinking.
As capital flows into the region deepen and portfolios evolve, the IAMs are not just participating in the Middle East’s transformation; they are driving it."
Click here to access Citywire's complete report.
