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As part of its participation in the 2026 Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, GFH Bank (“GFH” or “the Bank”) today announced the signing of a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) with OCTO Management Consultancies (“OCTO”) to collaborate on the development of a US$300 million logistics and industrial real estate platform across the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The partnership is aimed at capitalising on the strong growth fundamentals underpinning the logistics and industrial sectors across the GCC, driven by the rapid expansion of e-commerce, supply chain localisation, manufacturing growth and major infrastructure investments across both markets.
Under the agreement, GFH will act as Investment Manager and development partner for the platform. The platform will focus exclusively on logistics and industrial development opportunities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, including large-format warehousing, multi-let industrial assets, cold storage facilities and distribution centres. The strategy will primarily target development-stage assets with a balanced mix of build-to-suit and speculative developments designed to capture growing occupier demand and attractive long-term value creation opportunities.
Commenting on the occasion, Mr Luay Ahmadi, Managing Director – Global Head of Institutions at GFH, stated: “We are delighted to partner with OCTO on this strategic platform, which further strengthens GFH’s position as a leading regional developer and manager of high-quality industrial and logistics assets. The logistics sector across the UAE and Saudi Arabia continues to benefit from strong structural tailwinds supported by economic diversification strategies, expanding trade flows and sustained demand for modern warehousing and distribution infrastructure.”
He added: “This partnership reflects our continued focus on identifying thematic sectors with strong long-term fundamentals and delivering compelling investment opportunities for our investors through disciplined development and asset management capabilities. We look forward to leveraging our regional expertise and execution track record to build a high-quality portfolio of institutional-grade logistics assets across both markets.”
On her part, Ms Jekaterina Cernova, Founder of OCTO Management, commented: “We are delighted to collaborate with GFH on this landmark initiative focused on one of the most attractive and fast-growing sectors in the region. Through this partnership, we aim to provide investors with access to high-quality logistics and industrial opportunities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, supported by strong market fundamentals and GFH’s extensive experience in wealth and investment management.”
The platform is expected to deploy into projects targeting attractive risk-adjusted returns through a combination of development expertise, active asset management and disciplined market selection.
GFH currently manages assets and funds valued at approximately US$24 billion, including a global investment portfolio spanning the GCC, the United States of America and Europe, across sectors including logistics, healthcare, education, technology and real estate.