Leading regional investment bank provides foreign investors with unique access to the MENA equity markets

March 31 2009

Rasmala Investments announced the listing of its award winning Rasmala MENA Equity Opportunity Fund (“The Fund”) on the Irish Stock Exchange.

It will be the first publicly-listed Fund of Funds to offer international investors access to the strong investment potential of the MENA region including Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and Egypt. Rasmala Investments pioneered the Fund of Funds approach in the Middle East providing diversified access to the top regional fund managers by adopting a multi-country, multi-manager investment approach.

The listing of the Fund will allow international investor participation in the regional markets in a diversified and well managed fashion, and provide it’s investor with a vehicle that offers regular liquidity.

The Rasmala MENA Equity Opportunity Fund is managed by Eric Swats, Head of Asset Management at Rasmala Investments.

“Many investors can only invest in instruments that are listed on a recognized exchange such as the Irish Stock Exchange “ISE”. The ISE is widely recognized for its strong oversight and rigorous listing requirements” said Swats. “We are confident that we will be able to leverage our experience and on-the-ground presence in the MENA region as well as our access to top fund managers across the Middle East to deliver significant investment opportunities and unlock value in these exciting, rapidly-growing markets.”

Rasmala was one of the first in its sector to launch a Fund of Funds focusing on the Middle East and North Africa stock markets. The Rasmala MENA Equity Opportunity Fund was awarded an AA rating by Standard & Poor’s – the world’s foremost provider of independent credit and fund ratings, indices, risk evaluation, data and valuations. The Fund has consistently performed above it benchmark, the MSCI Arabian Markets Index, and also won the Best New Fund Award at the 2008 Hedge Fund World Middle East Awards.