Podcasts about abraaj

Huda Al-Lawati is a veteran private equity professional across emerging markets having had executive roles at companies like Gateway Partners, Savola and Abraaj. Huda has recently launched Aliph Capital, a private equity fund that focuses on the mid market segment. I sat down with Huda to get an insider's view on the private equity industry in the MENA region, what are the opportunites, where to fundraise, how to source deals, how to create value to companies they acquire by building the right teams and much more. Also if you're interested to work in private equity, Huda shares her tips on what she looks for and what it takes to succeed in this competitive industry.If you're looking to gain an understanding of how the industry works then this is a great place to start!Support for the show comes from Capital.com, a global investment platform. Visit their webiste to start trading today!

Huda Al-Lawati is a veteran private equity professional across emerging markets having had executive roles at companies like Gateway Partners, Savola and Abraaj. Huda has recently launched Aliph Capital, a private equity fund that focuses on the mid market segment.  I sat down with Huda to get an insider's view on the private equity industry in the MENA region, what are the opportunites, where to fundraise, how to source deals, how to create value to companies they acquire by building the right teams and much more. Also if you're interested to work in private equity, Huda shares her tips on what she looks for and what it takes to succeed in this competitive industry. If you're looking to gain an understanding of how the industry works then this is a great place to start! Support for the show comes from Capital.com, a global investment platform. Visit their webiste to start trading today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Top Stories:Egypt's richest man Nassef Sawiris employs convicted ex-Abraaj exec Mustafa Abdel Wadood in Dubai officeJessica Kahawaty cancels Starbucks-MamaRita contract over Gaza genocideMeta to flag AI generated pictures on Instagram, Facebook

Top Stories Covered:Abraaj's Abdel-Wadood back in Dubai as he dines in DIFC - did the former managing partner of the now defunct-private equity company get away scot free?Google's $4M fund to help Palestinian startups, create jobs Is being an influencer now more profitable than being an actress? Dubai-based Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan earns up to $64,500 per sponsored post on IG

Este episodio de Indie vs Unicornio es uno emotivo. Wollef, el fondo de Cristobal Perdomo está cumpliendo 10 años. Por este, en este episodio te contamos todo lo que tenes que saber de los Fondos de Inversión, cada una de sus rondas, cuáles son sus problemas más comunes y también cuáles fueron los aprendizajes de Cristobal a lo largo de los años. También Lucas y Cristobal conversan sobre las mejores maneras de llevar a un board para que sean 100% eficientes y que tengan el enfoque adecuado en una compañía. Por último te dejamos grandes herramientas para que vos, como founder, puedas aprovecharlas al máximo en tu compañía. No te pierdas este episodio! __ Notas del show: Abraaj https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55577662 El libro que Cristobal leía en los momentos oscuros de Wollef: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18668059 __ Tenes alguna pregunta? Escribinos y seguinos en: Twitter: @CristobaPerdomo y @llopatin Linkedin: Lucas Lopatin  y Cristobal Perdomo  y Visitá: Indie Build Wollef --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/indie-vs-unicornio/message

17 April 2023. A Dubai court has fined KPMG AED 800 million over the collapse of Abraaj. KPMG have said they will appeal the decision. We asked Raza Mithani, Managing Partner, Conselis Law about what happens next in this ongoing saga. Plus, we look at the four economic zones to be set up in Saudi Arabia & find out what it means for companies looking to do business in Saudi, and what it could mean for the Saudi economy. And, we talk insurance trends during Ramadan and Eid with Caroline Bertrand, Chief HR and Marketing Officer, GIG Gulf.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Millions of dollars went up in smoke ... When governments around the world trusted private equity firm Abraaj to use their money to fight poverty, they had no idea who they were dealing with. Their lack of due diligence would cost them. And The Wall Street Journal's Simon Clark sits down with Charles Mizrahi to unpack this financial scheme of epic proportions to see how it all unraveled. Topics Discussed: An Introduction to Simon Clark (00:00:00) Lofty Promises (00:02:55) Elite Investors (00:6:14) Red Flags (00:9:00) Presumptuous Problem-Solvers (00:12:48) Shady Behavior (00:17:00) Unraveling the Mystery (00:23:29) Worse Then Madoff (00:29:56) Due Diligence (00:36:02) Humbling the Elite To Be Continued (00:40:27) Guest Bio: Simon Clark is a Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist and author. He currently reports for The Wall Street Journal in London. His work examines the intersection of economic, political, and social spheres across the globe. Clark is widely-awarded for his journalistic work, and his latest book (below) is listed in the Economist's Best Books of 2021. Resources Mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/Key-Man-Story-Global-Capitalist/dp/0062996215 (The Key Man: The True Story of How the Global Elite Was Duped by a Capitalist Fairy Tale) Transcript: https://charlesmizrahi.com/podcast/podcast-season-6/2022/04/05/unraveling-mystery-abraaj-simon-clark/ (https://charlesmizrahi.com/podcast/)  Don't Forget To... • Subscribe to my podcast! • Download this episode to save for later • Liked this episode? Leave a kind review! Subscribe to Charles' Alpha Investor newsletter today: https://pro.banyanhill.com/m/1962483 (https://pro.banyanhill.com/m/1962483)

In this OODAcast, we talk with Simon Clark. Simon a British journalist and writer. He previously worked at the Wall Street Journal. His investigative reporting has led him to the poppy fields of Afghanistan, the copper mines of Congo and to many banks in the City of London. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2016. Simon is the author of the "The Key Man: The True Story of How the Global Elite Was Duped by a Capitalist Fairy Tale ". The book tells the story of Arif Naqvi and his Dubai-based private-equity firm Abraaj and how he attracted  billions of dollars in investment and shared the stage and social scene with the world's global elite in what would become one of the most audacious large scale frauds of recent times. The book also made my Top 10 Security, Technology, and Business book list for 2021. We discuss the rise and fall of Arif and specifically look at the tragedy of root causes that shifted Abraaj from the beacon of emerging economy investments to a shell game of alleged deep investor fraud. We also spend time discussing why Arif was able to attract so much attention and the role transparency could have played in discovering the fraud sooner. Podcast Version Simon's Book: The Key Man: The True Story of How the Global Elite Was Duped by a Capitalist Fairy Tale Book recommendation: Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty  

Co-Author of the Key Man - Will Louch, talks to Themis CFO and MD MENA, James Wightman, about the brazen international fraud that he helped to uncover, at the heart of which lay Dubai-based private equity firm Abraaj and its charismatic founder, Arif Naqvi. You're about to hear how a promise to make a lot of money whilst doing a lot of good went very wrong...

Arif Naqvi used the language of impact investing to attract luminary limited partners like the Gates Foundation, CDC Group, and Bank of America to invest in his multi-billion dollar private equity firm Abraaj partners that turned out to be a fraud. Naqvi was stealing hundreds of millions of dollars to support his lavish personal spending. Simon Clark broke the story for the Wall Street Journal wrote the definitive book Key Man about the fall of Abraaj (available here) and provides a unique perspective on what the impact investing community to wrestle with the potential underbelly of the enlightened capitalism we preach.

In this episode, the authors of "The Key Man," Simon Clark and Will Louch, detail how they discovered and exposed the misdeeds of a larger than life business mogul who duped the people and world around him. ACFE Vice President and General Counsel John Warren, J.D., CFE, talks with the Wall Street Journal reporters about the investigation and arrest of Abraaj founder Arif Naqvi .

Can private capital really solve the world's biggest challenges? Is there something wrong with the way private equity funds are raised? We discuss the rise and fall of Abraaj with Simon Clark, co-author of 'The Key Man'.

This episode features an interview with Simon Clark, a reporter at The Wall Street Journal and the co-author of The Key Man — the summer's must-read book about Arif Naqvi and the downfall of The Abraaj Group.Most listeners and followers of Portico will be familiar with the background of the Abraaj story. But if you're not, I'd recommend that you go back and listen to Episode 8.But even more, I'd recommend you purchase a copy of The Key Man for yourself (USA, UK). It's an absolutely riveting book; it has the pace of John Carreyrou's Bad Blood, but with an unbelievable cast of credulous characters who fell for a fantasy. In today's conversation, Simon and I discuss:The origins of Abraaj, some of its early transactions, and the oft-asked question: where did they get their money?Abraaj's acquisition of Aureos and how it unlocked the firm's ability to scale.The manufacture of social capital — the people and firms who testified to the greatness of Arif and Abraaj, seemingly without conducting an ounce of due diligence.The Karachi Electric deal.The $6B mega-fund.The promise of impact investing.The necessity of greater transparency in private equity.And much more.I had four pages of questions for Simon, so we clearly didn't get to everything on my list — and candidly some of the unasked questions may be better over a pint.But do yourself a favor and grab a copy of the book.I hope you enjoy the conversation.This podcast was recorded in July 2021.Buy The Key Man |  USA  |  UKFollow Simon on Twitter. 

This week, author and professor Brian Brivati joins the Biteback podcast to talk about Arif Naqvi and the private equity firm he founded, Abraaj. Navqi's reign as one of the financial sector's brightest lights came to a sudden end in 2019 when he was arrested for fraud, but how much of the story is true? Brian's book, Icarus, is out now and available to order here: bitebackpublishing.com/books/icarus Music Funkorama by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3788-funkorama License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Surina Kelly from the ARN News Centre has all the latest updates as Abu Dhabi puts more countries on its Green Travel List. With the Eid holiday next week, data suggests that staycations are still very much the order of the day. We speak to Managing Partner and Co-Founder Gregor Amon of Hotel Data Cloud. Plus, something of an energy focus with the International Energy Agency saying that rising oil prices could speed the shift to electric vehicles. We ask Kevin Chalhoub of EV Lab what we're seeing here. And the former CFO of Abraaj has been fined $USD 1.7 million by the DFSA for his part in the investment firm's collapse. We chat with the acting chief executive of the DFSA, Peter Smith.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Key Man: The True Story of How the Global Elite Was Duped by a Capitalist Fairy Tale by Simon Clark, Will Louch In this compelling story of lies, greed and tarnished idealism, two Wall Street Journal reporters investigate a man who Bill Gates, Western governments, and other investors entrusted with billions of dollars to make profits and end poverty, but who now stands accused of masterminding one of the biggest, most brazen financial frauds ever. Arif Naqvi was charismatic, inspiring, and self-made—all the qualities of a successful business leader. The founder of Abraaj, a Dubai-based private-equity firm, Naqvi was the Key Man to the global elite searching for impact investments to make money and do good. He persuaded politicians he could help stabilize the Middle East after 9/11 by providing jobs and guided executives to opportunities in cities they struggled to find on the map. Bill Gates helped him start a $1 billion fund to improve healthcare in poor countries and the UN and Interpol appointed him to boards. As Pope Francis blessed a move to harness capitalism for the good of the poor, Naqvi won the support of Obama's administration and investors, who compared him to Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible. In 2018, Simon Clark and Will Louch were contacted by an anonymous whistleblower who said Naqvi had swindled investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars and offered bribes to sustain his billionaire lifestyle. Digging into the claims, Clark and Louch uncovered hundreds of documents and exposed the wrongdoing. In April 2019—months after their exposé broke—Naqvi was arrested on charges of fraud and racketeering, and faces up to 291 years in jail. Populated by a cast of larger-than-life characters and moving across Asia, Africa, Europe and America, The Key Man is the story of how the global elite was duped by a capitalist fairytale. Clark and Louch shine a light on efforts to clean up global capital flows even as opaque private equity firms amass trillions of dollars and offshore tax havens cast a veil of secrecy which prevents regulators, investors and citizens from understanding what's really going on in the finance industry.

Discussion with Simon Clark — Talking about his upcoming book on what is the alleged biggest fraud in private equity of all times, and coming from the inventor of impact investing, rather ironic…. This is the first public discussion of the book, which will no doubt become an iconic movie. Meanwhile, we learn a lot about the private equity industry and what needs to be done to ensure its sustainability when reading this superbly well-documented account of this big moment in PE young life. Book is available on Amazon (et al.). Here is the link for Amazon UK and US

I wanted to experiment with a different format for this episode and share my writings on the Abraaj fraud scandal as they were happening in real time a few years ago.Now, for those who don't know Abraaj, it was one of the largest — and probably the flashiest — private equity firms dedicated to investing in emerging markets. It was spearheading a big push into impact investing and was marketing a $6B fund when it collapsed in insolvency under allegations of fraud.There are a few reasons why I wanted to revisit my articles:First, the founder of Abraaj — a man named Arif Naqvi — had been fighting a battle in UK courts to avoid extradition to the United States. He lost that fight earlier this year.Second, there's a book coming out in July called The Key Man: The True Story of How the Global Elite Was Duped by a Capitalist Fairy Tale by two reporters at The Wall Street Journal — Simon Clark and Will Louch. I'm keen to bring them on the podcast to discuss the book and I wanted to provide some context in the hopes that one or both of them will join me in a few months' time.Third, the Abraaj story is a useful prism for seeing the world as it is — unvarnished. As you listen, I encourage you to think about how social capital, branding, and reputation are manufactured; how an industry that talks about due diligence did little to none; and the credulity that money buys.So, there will be four parts to the story I share today. The first three were from the February, March, and April 2018 editions of Portico's much-beloved, monthly newsletter, Portico Perspectives.The final part comes from the July 2018 edition.As noted, this is an experiment, so please let me know what you think about the format and content. This podcast was recorded in April 2021.Sign up for Portico Perspectives.

On today's update, we have the latest coronavirus figures, the UAE steps up efforts to combat money laundering and thieves in Ajman take Christmas presents and decorations in a raid. The Abraaj founder's lawyers say he will not get a fair trial in the US and Turkey has sanctions imposed over the the S-400 Russian defence missile system. Cody Combs joins us for what's trending including the electoral college, Omah Lay, Tems and Google's disruption.

Hend El Sherbini took over her mother’s testing facility MK Lab in Egypt and rebranded it to Al Mokhtabar in 2004, with the intention of providing affordable and quality testing beyond Cairo.  16 years later, El Sherbini sits atop Integrated Diagnostics Holding, a merger of Al Mokhtabar and Al Borg.  IDH is the first Egyptian company to list on the London Stock Exchange, and has since become a regional player with over 450 facilities across Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria and Jordan. El Sherbini speaks to the merits of institutionalizing her family business and highlights the role consolidation plays in enabling affordable healthcare.   ** Subscribe to Making it here for https://bit.ly/35lugvb. ** Subscribe to Enterprise, our 6am briefing on business, finance and economics in Egypt (also free) at www.enterprise.press.   Making It is grateful for the generous support of: CIB, Egypt’s number-one private-sector bank and the partner of choice for CEOs and leaders of businesses at all stages of their growth stories. The United States Agency for International Development, which has a 40 year history of inspiring Egyptian success in partnership with the Government and people of Egypt. You can check out IDH here: idhcorp.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's update, Dubai to allow travel as tourism is due to reopen, we have the latest coronavirus figures and Abu Dhabi city has fewer than 1 in 100 positive Covid-19 tests. Sharjah is to reopen venues including cinemas, the US is to press for the extradition of Abraaj founder Arif Naqvi and in Germany a night of looting and riots in Stuttgart follow a drug related arrest. Cody Combs joins us for what's trending including Teddy Roosevelt, the UAE's air force and Apple. 

The new reality for the world’s biggest oil producing countries and companies is being formed as the coronavirus pandemic alters projections for demand and consumption trends change. As UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei alluded to this week no one could have predicted the future would arrive so quickly for the industry.  Mustafa Alrawi and Kelsey Warner talks to The National's energy correspondent, Jennifer Gnana, about UAE's energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei statements and the future of the energy industry. In this episode: The aftermath of the coronavirus and Suhail Al Mazrouei (0m 41s) The changes in the energy industry (2m 42s) How are drones going to help during coronavirus? (14m 35s) Headlines (18m 06s) Read more on our website: • UAE oil output capacity reached 4.2m bpd in April, energy minister says (https://www.thenational.ae/business/energy/uae-oil-output-capacity-reached-4-2m-bpd-in-april-energy-minister-says-1.1034111) • BP to write off up to $17.5bn as it lowers long-term oil price projections (https://www.thenational.ae/business/energy/bp-to-write-off-up-to-17-5bn-as-it-lowers-long-term-oil-price-projections-1.1033876) • Apicorp slashes five-year regional energy investment outlook by 18% (https://www.thenational.ae/business/energy/apicorp-slashes-five-year-regional-energy-investment-outlook-by-18-1.1033949) • Will drones be ready for last-mile Covid-19 vaccine delivery? (https://www.thenational.ae/business/technology/will-drones-be-ready-for-last-mile-covid-19-vaccine-delivery-1.1032961) • Careem sees signs of recovery from Covid-19 hit as $50m Super App set to lift earnings (https://www.thenational.ae/business/careem-sees-signs-of-recovery-from-covid-19-hit-as-50m-super-app-set-to-lift-earnings-1.1033993) • India’s economy set to make robust recovery in next fiscal year, S&P says (https://www.thenational.ae/business/india-s-economy-set-to-make-robust-recovery-in-next-fiscal-year-s-p-says-1.1033366) • Abraaj former CEO stole $385m from the firm, liquidators say (https://www.thenational.ae/business/economy/abraaj-former-ceo-stole-385m-from-the-firm-liquidators-say-1.1032722)

On today's update we have the latest coronavirus figures, clarification of the quarantine period for those returning to Dubai and Umm Al Quwain closes its beaches. Abraaj's former CEO alleged to have taken $385 million from the firm and Hassan Diab alleges his opponents are fuelling the unrest in Lebanon. Jason Von Berg joins us for what's trending. 

Expectations of a pickup in the global economy, a recovery for aviation following the 737 Max crisis and the continued consequences for private equity in the region from Abraaj’s collapse will all likely be features of the business landscape in 2020.   The National's Assistant Editor-in-Chief Mustafa Alrawi speaks to Editor-in-Chief Mina Al-Oraibi about some of the biggest business news stories from 2019 and what might be intriguing and significant developments in the coming year.

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The UAE government has made it easier for husbands, fathers and sons to secure employment without full company sponsorship. Previously, only women were eligible for work permits under family sponsorship. This week we speak to Rory Reynolds, The National's News Editor, about the new work permit and what it means for workers and their families in the country.  In this episode: - Headlines (0 minutes 53 seconds) - The new labour card (6m 50s) Read more on our website: • UAE's new labour card rules a sign of a maturing market (https://www.thenational.ae/uae/government/uae-s-new-labour-card-rules-a-sign-of-a-maturing-market-1.891886) • New UAE work permits will allow companies to hire sons and husbands (https://www.thenational.ae/uae/government/new-uae-work-permits-will-allow-companies-to-hire-sons-and-husbands-1.891529) • Dubai Financial Services Authority fines two Abraaj companies Dh1.15 billion (https://www.thenational.ae/business/dubai-financial-services-authority-fines-two-abraaj-companies-dh1-15-billion-1.892511) • Singapore's GIC to invest in Adnoc pipeline deal alongside BlackRock and KKR (https://www.thenational.ae/business/energy/singapore-s-gic-to-invest-in-adnoc-pipeline-deal-alongside-blackrock-and-kkr-1.892614) Subscribe to Business Extra to receive new episodes every week: Apple Podcasts (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/business-extra/id1108800532?mt=2&uo=4) | Android (https://www.subscribeonandroid.com/audioboom.com/channels/4703862.rss) | Google Podcasts (https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hdWRpb2Jvb20uY29tL2NoYW5uZWxzLzQ3MDM4NjIucnNz) | Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/4PYx4zclOmL4I5VFSYgCgC) | Audioboom (https://audioboom.com/channel/business-extra) | RSS (https://audioboom.com/channels/4703862.rss)

Not long ago, Abraaj was one of the world’s highest-profile private-equity firms. We take a look at its spectacular downfall, and the fate of its charismatic boss, Arif Naqvi. This weekend Australian voters will elect a new parliament. How can politicians win back a disillusioned electorate? And why do sausages figure so strongly on voting day? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Not long ago, Abraaj was one of the world’s highest-profile private-equity firms. We take a look at its spectacular downfall, and the fate of its charismatic boss, Arif Naqvi. This weekend Australian voters will elect a new parliament. How can politicians win back a disillusioned electorate? And why do sausages figure so strongly on voting day? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The National has been covering the Abraaj scandal from New York, London and Abu Dhabi as our editorial team brings you the key developments. In this episode, host Mustafa Alrawi, Assistant Editor in Chief, talks to Massoud Derhally, The National’s Business Editor who himself has been producing some quite compelling investigative journalism into what happened at the failed private equity firm, founded by Arif Naqvi He explains that in September 2017, about five months before Abraaj collapsed, two whistleblower emails warned investors not to invest in a $6 billion fund. Also in this episode, Assistant Business Editor Kelsey Warner speaks to Mahmoud Adi, the head of Hub71. She hears about what he hopes for the new tech start-up centre in Abu Dhabi and what investors and entrepreneurs can expect from the space, and what he’s learned as a founder and VC himself in the UAE. Read more about today's topics at thenational.ae: [Abraaj whistleblower emails warned investors ahead of scandal and collapse of firm](https://www.thenational.ae/business/abraaj-whistleblower-emails-warned-investors-ahead-of-scandal-and-collapse-of-firm-1.857332) [Abraaj founder Arif Naqvi remains in jail after not posting £15 million bail](https://www.thenational.ae/business/abraaj-founder-arif-naqvi-remains-in-jail-after-not-posting-15-million-bail-1.858501) [Abu Dhabi starts Dh535m fund to support start-ups and venture capitalists](https://www.thenational.ae/business/economy/abu-dhabi-starts-dh535m-fund-to-support-start-ups-and-venture-capitalists-1.858475) [Abu Dhabi Government sets up tech hub luring SoftBank, Amazon and Microsoft](https://www.thenational.ae/business/technology/abu-dhabi-government-sets-up-tech-hub-luring-softbank-amazon-and-microsoft-1.840785)

The promise of lightning-fast internet speeds and a hyper-connected world that will spawn a new era of automation and AI is at the heart of the promise of 5G technology. Huawei, the world’s largest telecoms equipment maker, is both building this bright future and being accused of facilitating the darker side of this technology. The United States and allies such as the United Kingdom are determined to prevent Huawei from being part of the building of their respective 5G networks. They fear this will provide a gateway for Chinese security agencies to spy on them. Huawei denies this is a legitimate concern and other nations in Europe, Asia and the Middle East – including the UAE – have given work to the firm. The company says its business outside of the US is not affected and is taking steps to seize other opportunities. How much is this focus on Huawei part of the broader trade row? Are these concerns over Huawei about more than just politics? Should we fear Chinese technological hegemony anymore than we should worry about US dominance? Also, is the promise of 5G real enough that it won’t matter which country dominates the technology if all have access to it? And what does that mean for investors in this region? In this week's episode of the Business Extra podcast, host Mustafa Alrawi, The National's Assistant Editor in Chief, explores these themes with Dr John Rutledge, Chief Investment Officer at global investment firm Safanad. Dr Rutledge has been an economic advisor to the Reagan and Bush administrations and is advising the current Trump White House on recent China trade negotiations. Also in this episode, The National's Chris Nelson and Jennifer Gnana join to run through top news stories including the latest Abraaj arrest and the US decision not to renew sanctions waivers on Iranian oil imports for eight countries and what that means for energy markets and global economic growth.

Squawk Box anchors discuss the IMF’s warning about the Chinese slowdown being bigger than first thought ahead of this morning’s trade data. However, UBS chairman Axel Weber tells CNBC that he remains optimistic about the country’s economy. Also speaking at the IMF’s spring meetings, French finance minister Bruno Le Maire tells this channel that the US-EU trade spat must be resolved following President Trump’s threat of $11bn worth of tariffs on European goods. Meanwhile, Uber files for its highly anticipated IPO but with revenues flat-lining it warns it may never turn a profit. And two senior executives from collapsed Dubai private equity firm Abraaj are arrested on US fraud charges.

There have been some spectacular failures in African private equity. Large funds entered the market at the peak of the Africa economic hype narrative in 2014, and then crashed out. Global players KKR and BlackRock came, put a toe in the water... and then left. New entrants like Abraaj who dreamt big exploded.So does this clear the way for a different kind of private equity player in Africa? For smaller funds not looking for the big $200m deal: more specialised, more focused?Ziad Oueslati, Managing Director and co-founder of AfricInvest – a veteran private equity investor – certainly thinks so. His pioneering funds have invested in 150 companies, has exited from nearly 90. Don't forget, you can sign up to our newsletter for free: www.theafricareport.com

Host Mustafa Alrawi and Assistant Business Editors Chris Nelson and Dania Saadi discuss Agility's interest in Abraaj's assets, how the UAE is the Middle East's most competitive economy and what impact rising interest rates may have on the economic outlook. Sentiment outside of the Gulf has been rocked of late but how justified is this given more positive fundamentals like higher oil prices? The team discuss this and more.  We also have a discussion with Saudi entrepreneur and SME consultant Fadi AlAwami, who provides useful tips for prospective start-ups in the region.

The fall from grace of private-equity firm Abraaj Group took a new turn this week as founder Arif Naqvi faces another criminal case surrounding a bounced cheque, this one for the sum of Dh798 million.   For years, Abraaj projected a lavish and strong brand to the group's many high-profile investors. Now Naqvi and the group are under fire for being unable to pay for loans he had taken out to prop up the company. Will the Abraaj brand be able to recover? Host Mustafa Alrawi discusses this and more in this week's Business Extra podcast. Also discussed in this episode: * The National's personal-finance writer Alice Haine gives tips to the many on holiday this summer who might be wondering how best to get the most out of their funds while abroad. * Tourism numbers for Abu Dhabi showed growth over last year while Dubai's stayed flat, a sign of resilience for the UAE's tourism industry while at the same time global tourism numbers are mostly down. * Apple's strong third-quarter numbers have the company on pace to become the world's first trillion-dollar company.

The latest Returns on Investment podcast takes up the case of the $1 billion Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund and impact investing failures more broadly. The health fund, which was pursuing an ambitious effort to build comprehensive healthcare networks in the megacities of the 21st century – think Lagos and Karachi and Mumbai – is now embroiled in the larger scandal that has engulfed Abraaj Group. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/impact-alpha/message

The past four months have seen a steady trickle of news that has broken in to a full flood of revelations in recent weeks, concerning Abraaj Group’s funds. The former golden child of the regional private equity scene just filed for provisional liquidation in the Cayman Islands, leaving creditors and investors scrambling to retrieve their money, including publicly traded companies such as Air Arabia. On today’s podcast, we try to decipher how Abraaj reached this point, and we talk about where things go from here. Will these firms get their money back? And what will be done to prevent this kind of thing happening again?

Subscriber to our feed here Sign up for email alerts as a new show goes live Subscribe or review us in iTunes. Simon Shares Libstar listing is proceeding and I am not taking part. I do think the market will love it but Google the private equity sellers (Abraaj) lots bad happening their and the company has declared a R800million pre listing dividend - while raising R1.5billion? Consol has pulled their JSE listing citing "challenging market conditions". Have the market conditions really changed that much in the last few weeks or was the market just not excited by the listing? Auditing - it's complicated The local auditing profession is having a tough time of it with the Auditor General (Thembekile Makwetu) commenting on The Money Show with Bruce Whitfield he said that that the professions reputation was "in the gutter". I wanted to understand what we as investor really can expect from an auditor? Are they to blame for Steinhoff (JSE code: SNH) and other recent collapses or is that beyond their scope? Keith McLachlan, fund manager at Alpha Wealth, studied as an auditor and is now a fund manager so decided to have a short chat with him to get some perspective. The short chat ended up being a long chat and I suspect we missed a number of angles but one thing did stand out for me, the word "material". JSE – The JSE is a registered trademark of the JSE Limited. JSEDirect is an independent broadcast and is not endorsed or affiliated with, nor has it been authorised, or otherwise approved by JSE Limited. The views expressed in this programme are solely those of the presenter, and do not necessarily reflect the views of JSE Limited.

Donna Benton started the Entertainer in Dubai in 2001 after identifying a market gap in both providing consumers with dining incentives and enabling restaurants to reach new customers. Starting with just $3,000 Donna built the business alone from the ground up, from set-up legalities to eventually selling half the company to Abraaj, a private equity firm. Today, the Entertainer offers 38 products across 15 countries, and has over 10,000 merchant partners globally. We talked about the challenges starting up - and it wasn't just the usual ones: for example, Donna had to educate consumers who thought her product was too good to be true, and there must be a catch! We discussed her international expansion, and how it started with a chance conversation. I asked Donna what traits she thought entrepreneurs must have to succeed and she listed loads of them: thick skin to accept rejection; passion to put in the long hours; drive to beat the loneliness; a zest for learning; and the ability to lead by example. In selling half her company, it was critical to find the right partner who shared her vision for the future, involving international growth and going digital. And finally, we talked about how important it is for women to have financial independence. You can follow Donna Benton on Instagram, and the Entertainer app can be downloaded from app stores on Android and iOS for various countries around the world.