Dubai-headquartered analytics company Premialab has secured a major $220 million growth investment led by global investment firm KKR. The deal marks a significant milestone for the UAE’s fintech ecosystem, attracting one of the world’s leading private equity players to the region.
The investment was made primarily through KKR’s Next Generation Technology Growth Fund III and saw participation from existing investor Balderton Capital. While the valuation and stake size were not disclosed, the funding underscores growing international confidence in MENA’s technology sector.
KKR Makes Gulf Debut With Dubai Fintech
This transaction represents the first deal in the Gulf region for KKR’s $1.16 billion technology growth vehicle, signaling a strategic push into the Middle East. The investment in Premialab highlights the firm’s belief in the company’s market-leading position and the broader potential of financial technology innovation originating from Dubai.
“QIS strategies are rapidly being adopted across customer segments, and Premialab has established itself as the category-defining data and analytics platform that is uniquely enabling this ecosystem,” said Elliot Bell, Principal at KKR.
Powering A Niche $800B Market
Founded in 2016 by Adrien Geliot and Pierre Trecourt, Premialab operates in the sophisticated world of quantitative investment strategies (QIS). The firm provides a critical data and analytics platform for institutional clients, allowing them to compare, backtest, and monitor these complex, rules-based strategies that are typically packaged by investment banks. The QIS market is estimated to manage approximately $800 billion in assets.
“Quantitative investment strategies have grown rapidly in scale and importance, yet the market has lacked a truly independent standard for data, analytics, and risk,” stated Premialab CEO, Adrien Geliot.
Fuelling Global Expansion and Product Innovation
The new capital injection will be used to accelerate Premialab’s international expansion and advance its product development roadmap. A key initiative includes the launch of an execution offering developed in collaboration with derivatives exchange Eurex, which aims to broaden market access to QIS through listed instruments.
This funding will empower the Dubai-based firm to solidify its global footprint, which already includes a presence in New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong, and Sydney.
About Premialab
Premialab is a leading independent platform for data, analytics, and risk solutions for quantitative investment strategies. Headquartered in Dubai and founded in 2016, the company empowers institutional investors, asset managers, and investment banks to make optimal investment and risk management decisions. Its platform allows clients to access and benchmark QIS strategies, analyze performance, and utilize a comprehensive suite of related risk analytics.
Source: DealStreetAsia
