Mubasher: M7 Real Estate (M7) has opened its first office in the Middle East to capitalise on the continued strong demand for high-quality European real estate from investors in the region.

The inauguration of the new office in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) follows M7’s1 receipt of financial services authorisation from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) last month, according to a recent press release.

M7 is a pan-European investor and asset manager owned by Oxford Properties. 

In the meantime, M7 has also named Zaid Al Rawi, Managing Director for M7 Middle East & North Africa, to head up the office.

By extending its footprint in the region, M7’s immediate focus will be on growing its capital raising function and expanding existing investor relationships across the MENA region. M7 already manages around EUR 1 billion of European real estate on behalf of Middle Eastern investors. This represents about 20% of the firm’s assets under management (AUM).

Including the UAE, M7 now has offices in 15 countries and territories. M7 invests across a variety of multi-tenanted asset classes in Europe. In 2009, it was originally formed as a specialist in light industrial and urban logistics, which remains its largest sector and, together with retail warehouses, accounts for over half the EUR 5.80 billion of assets currently under management.

Managing Director for M7 Middle East & North Africa, Zaid Al Rawi, stated: “The current market environment is propelling investors in the Middle East to focus on higher quality investments and those with more visible cash flows. Strategies or asset classes which have performed in recent times may not necessarily continue to do so. Hence, innovation and discipline will be paramount in preserving and growing capital.”