Arboris Capital Launches DFSA-Regulated CapGain Platform for Private Markets Access

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New DFSA-regulated CapGain platform targets surging demand for alternative assets among UAE professional clients.

Arboris Capital Limited has launched CapGain, a DFSA-regulated private-markets platform operating from the DIFC.
The platform is restricted to Professional Clients and Market Counterparties; retail investors are excluded.
CapGain consolidates deal discovery, due diligence, documentation and subscription into a single digital workflow.
The global private-markets universe is estimated at around 22 trillion dollars, with alternative assets growing faster than public-market allocations.
The platform includes a learning library and private-markets masterclasses to support investor education.
Arboris positions CapGain as an access and infrastructure layer, not a discretionary manager or investment adviser.

Alternative Asset Allocation Gains New Digital Infrastructure in the DIFC

The Dubai International Financial Centre has long served as the Gulf's primary gateway for international private capital, and the latest platform launch from Arboris Capital Limited reinforces that positioning. Operating under Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) Licence No. F008066, CapGain enters a market where alternative asset allocation is expanding rapidly - but where the infrastructure for efficient deal access has historically lagged behind demand.

For UAE wealth managers, family offices and institutional investors, the significance of this launch lies in its regulatory footing. A DIFC-based, DFSA-regulated private markets platform provides a compliance framework that many international alternatives - outside the DFSA's perimeter - simply cannot match. The Professional Client classification requirement also means that the platform is calibrated for sophisticated investors who understand the risk profile of private-market exposure.

A New Platform for Professional Investors in Private Markets

Arboris Capital Limited launched CapGain as a technology-driven platform designed to give eligible investors structured access to private equity, private credit and infrastructure transactions. The platform is built exclusively for Professional Clients and Market Counterparties as defined under DFSA rules, and is not available to retail investors. Arboris describes it as a response to persistent structural gaps in how private-market deals are discovered, evaluated and executed in the region.

The global private-markets universe - spanning private equity, private credit, real assets and related strategies - is estimated at around 22 trillion dollars. According to industry research cited alongside the launch, alternative assets are now growing faster than public-market allocations, and wealth-management platforms globally are racing to build the infrastructure to accommodate this shift. Arboris and CapGain are positioning directly in the path of that trend, with a DIFC address and DFSA licence as their regulatory foundation.

How CapGain Streamlines the Investment Process

CapGain consolidates several key stages of the investment lifecycle into one digital environment. Issuers and intermediaries publish standardised deal data, disclosure documents and risk materials directly to the platform, where eligible investors can review them through a common interface. This replaces the unstructured combination of emails, spreadsheets and bespoke documentation that has traditionally driven deal access in private markets.

Investors can manage indications of interest, track documentation status and execute subscription forms and related agreements electronically, all within the platform. Arboris says this reduces both administrative friction and operational risk for Professional Clients, issuers and intermediaries alike. The firm is clear, however, that CapGain operates as an access and infrastructure layer rather than a discretionary manager - the platform does not offer investment advice or recommendations.

Regulatory Framework and Risk Considerations

All opportunities hosted on CapGain are subject to the DFSA's regulatory perimeter. DFSA rules require that marketing of complex products - such as private equity and private credit funds - to Professional Clients must be accompanied by appropriate risk disclosure, suitability considerations and governance around conflicts of interest. The DIFC regime also demands robust systems for client onboarding, anti-money-laundering checks and operational resilience, and Arboris says CapGain's digital architecture embeds these requirements within its workflows.

Arboris is explicit about the risks that private-market investments carry. These include potential illiquidity, long holding periods, capital loss, concentration risk and complex fee structures. Such characteristics make these investments unsuitable for retail investors, and participation on the platform remains strictly limited to clients meeting the DFSA's Professional Client or Market Counterparty criteria - typically based on wealth thresholds, institutional status or organisational sophistication.

What Arboris Executives Say - and What It Means for the GCC

Richard Chalhoub, Chairman and Executive Director at Arboris Capital, said that regional investors have long sought a more efficient route into private markets, and that CapGain is designed to support participation through a structured process for evaluation and subscription. Xavier Remond, Senior Executive Officer at Arboris, added that a growing share of investment opportunities are emerging in private markets, and that the platform aims to bridge the structural barriers that have historically made them difficult to navigate for eligible investors. Both comments, reported by Finance Magnates, point to a dual focus on access and process efficiency.

For UAE-based wealth managers, family offices and institutional allocators, CapGain expands the local menu of tools for building and administering alternative allocations. Beyond transactional functionality, the platform also includes a learning library and private-markets masterclasses covering deal structures, risk factors, liquidity considerations and fee models. Materials are available in multiple languages to reflect the diverse investor base in Dubai and the wider Gulf. Arboris emphasises that this educational content is designed to complement investors' own due diligence and professional advice, not to replace it.

A Broader Signal for Dubai's Private Capital Ambitions

The CapGain launch also reflects Arboris Capital's broader strategy across mergers and acquisitions, alternative investment strategies and capital-structure advisory for GCC clients. The firm combines regional market experience with CapGain's technology infrastructure to offer advising and arranging services across equity, debt and alternative strategies. According to Zawya, Arboris highlights its cross-border transaction capability and alignment with the DIFC's positioning as a hub for international private capital flows into and from the Gulf.

Global consultancy research cited alongside the launch estimates that individual investors could direct trillions of dollars into private markets over the coming decade, with alternatives seen as a key driver of portfolio alpha and diversification. A DFSA-regulated, DIFC-based platform that centralises private-market workflows may help narrow the operational gap between global private-market supply and expanding GCC demand - while adding further weight to Dubai's case as a regional centre for alternative investment.

What Clients are Asking their Advisors

What does it mean to be a Professional Client under DFSA rules?

Under DFSA rules, a Professional Client is typically a high-net-worth individual, institutional investor or corporate entity meeting specific wealth, asset or sophistication thresholds. This classification allows firms to offer a wider range of investment products - including private equity and private credit - that are not available to retail investors. Eligibility criteria include minimum asset levels and, in some cases, demonstrated investment experience.

How do investors subscribe to deals through the CapGain platform?

CapGain consolidates deal discovery, due-diligence materials and subscription execution into one digital workflow. Eligible investors can review standardised deal information, manage indications of interest and complete subscription forms electronically - replacing the fragmented email and document exchange that has traditionally characterised private-market transactions.

Is CapGain a fund manager or an investment adviser?

Neither. Arboris positions CapGain as an access and infrastructure layer - it provides a structured environment for eligible investors to review and subscribe to private-market opportunities, but does not manage discretionary portfolios or offer investment recommendations. Investors retain full responsibility for their own due diligence and decision-making.

What are the main risks of investing in private markets through a platform like CapGain?

Private-market investments typically carry higher risk than listed securities. Key concerns include illiquidity - meaning capital can be locked up for years - as well as the potential for total capital loss, concentration in a single asset or sector, and complex fee structures. DFSA rules restrict access to Professional Clients and Market Counterparties specifically because of these risk characteristics.