TNI To Launch $500 Million Capacity MENA Equities Fund

UK PLACEMENT AGENT, IGS GROUP, APPOINTED TO RAISE FIRST TRANCH OF $100 MILLION

Abu Dhabi, UAE, 22 September 2009: The National Investor (“TNI”), Abu Dhabi’s leading investment company, is today announcing plans to launch a MENA equities fund, domiciled in Dublin, Ireland. The TNI MENA Blue Chip Fund, an open-ended vehicle, will be seeded with $50 million out of Abu Dhabi with an initial closing target of $100 million. Benchmarked against the MSCI Arabian Markets Index, the Fund will aim to achieve long term capital appreciation by investing in listed securities in the MENA financial markets.

The Fund will be aimed at European institutional investors, and to assist in marketing the vehicle, TNI has appointed UK placement agent, IGS Group, who are arranging a roadshow for TNI in London towards the end of September.

Manager of the Fund, Walid Hayeck has over 15 years of relevant experience and oversees similar regional Funds. These Funds have a respected track record fully attributable to TNI and the current investment management team. The firm manages a suite of funds, including Standard & Poors ‘A’ rated MENA Real Estate Active Fund and the UAE Blue Chip Fund which was recently ranked as No 1 amongst UAE equity funds for Q1 2009 by the Zawya Funds Ranking System.

Speaking on the launch, Walid Hayeck, Director – Head of Asset Management, The National Investor commented: “There is a renewed European interest in Middle East and North Africa markets which remain the fastest growing in the world given their solid fundamentals. This fund is an ideal vehicle for institutional investors looking for the comfort of a highly regulated jurisdiction. Our process driven track record and our team management style ideally positions us as a partner of choice for investors looking for an indigenous and well established asset manager.
On the fundraising roadshow and TNI’s partnership with IGS, Walid added: “IGS was a natural choice to partner with on this venture given its experience with emerging markets investment opportunities and its reputation with our target European Institutions.”

THE NATIONAL INVESTOR (TNI)

John Godden, CEO, IGS Group said: “We are delighted to be working with TNI who we have found highly capable of marrying a strong investment process with detailed local knowledge. This is of particular value in the context of the outlook for the MENA region”

For more information please contact:

Rania Senada
Phone: +9712 6192336
Email: rsenada@tni.ae

Heidi Robinson
Phone : +97150 848 5022
Email : heidi.robinson@capitalmsl.com

John Godden, CEO IGS
Phone: +44 (0) 20 7395 6800
Email: John.Godden@igsgroup.co.uk

About The National Investor: The National Investor (“TNI”) is an Abu Dhabi-based investment company with over 14 years of proven track record in investment banking and investment management services. It is one of the leading capital markets players in the Middle East and North Africa (“MENA”) region and an active investor in the local stock markets. The firm was incorporated in 1994 as an investment company, and is licensed and regulated by the Central Bank of the UAE.

About The National Investor Asset Management: The Asset Management business was launched in 2005 and currently has nearly AED 1 billion (USD 272 million) in funds and discretionary portfolios under management. Since inception, the division has been awarded “Best Asset Management House” by Banker Middle East three years in a row from 2006 to 2008. Both of TNI’s flagship funds, TNI UAE Blue Chip Fund and TNI MENA Real Estate Active, have consistently outperformed their respective benchmarks and peer groups, and recently have been assigned “A” rating by Standard & Poor’s.

About IGS: IGS Group is an Alternative Investment Advisory business that is active in various areas of the Alternative Investing space including product development, distribution, portfolio management, due diligence, strategic advisory work and head-hunting. It has a significant network across the AI industry particularly in the Hedge Fund and Property Fund Management area.
For more information, visit www.igsgroup.co.uk