Zest Equity Launches Regulated Arrange and Escrow Services Under ADGM FSRA Authorisation

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ADGM-authorised Zest Equity launches Arrange and Escrow - implications for UAE private deals and SPVs.

Zest Equity has launched Zest Arrange and Zest Escrow, two regulated services backed by a Financial Services Permission (FSP) granted by the FSRA of ADGM.
Zest Arrange operates under an "Arranging Deals in Investments" licence, consolidating investor onboarding, documentation, and execution into one digital workflow.
Zest Escrow holds client funds in segregated UAE bank accounts and releases capital only when pre-agreed deal conditions are satisfied.
The three-pillar platform - SPVs, Escrow, and Arrange - targets UAE and GCC deal makers running private capital raises and cross-border transactions.
Institutional backers include Morgan Stanley, Prosus Ventures, Middle East Venture Partners, and Dubai Future District Fund.
Co-founders describe the FSP as the first of several planned regulatory milestones as Zest expands its private-market infrastructure globally.

What a Financial Services Permission Means for UAE and GCC Private Deal Makers

ADGM's Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) issues a Financial Services Permission (FSP) to authorise firms to conduct specific regulated activities within Abu Dhabi Global Market's framework - one of the Gulf's most established international financial centres. When a firm secures an FSP, it signals that its operations meet ADGM's standards for governance, client money handling, and regulatory oversight.

For participants in UAE and GCC private markets, the FSP held by Zest Equity is material. It means that Zest's arranging and escrow services operate within a regulated framework - rather than as informal deal facilitation - and that special purpose vehicles (SPVs) structured through the platform benefit from a complete, compliance-grade digital workflow. Private market digital infrastructure of this kind has been largely absent from the region, making this launch relevant to institutional deal makers, fund managers, and capital allocators active in the GCC.

Zest Equity Secures FSRA Authorisation and Launches Two New Services

Zest Equity, a UAE-headquartered digital infrastructure company for private markets, launched Zest Arrange and Zest Escrow on 18 February 2026. The launch followed the grant of an FSP by ADGM's FSRA, authorising two specific regulated activities. The first is "Arranging Deals in Investments," which underpins Zest Arrange. The second is "Providing Money Services," which underpins Zest Escrow.

The company describes itself as a digital transactional infrastructure provider, enabling regional and global clients to transact in private-market deals, hold funds via regulated escrow, and facilitate private capital flows through authorised channels. According to Yahoo Finance, the platform integrates SPV formation, deal workflow management, investor onboarding, documentation, execution and regulated money flows into one digital environment.

Zest Arrange: A Regulated Channel for Private-Asset Deal Execution

Zest Arrange is the firm's regulated arranging solution for private-asset deals executed by a network of deal makers on the Zest platform. It consolidates several stages of the private-deal lifecycle into a single digital workflow. These include investor onboarding and know-your-customer (KYC) verification, subscription documentation, execution flows, and commitment tracking.

For UAE and GCC private capital raises - including deals structured through ADGM SPVs, which are single-purpose legal entities used to pool investors into one vehicle - Zest Arrange provides a regulated arranging channel. Deal makers can manage investor cohorts and documentation digitally, replacing the fragmented manual tools that have historically characterised private-market execution. The service also supports syndicated or club deals and aligns with ADGM's requirements on arranging, disclosures, and investor eligibility.

Zest Escrow: Segregated Funds and Conditional Release Under FSRA Rules

Zest Escrow is a regulated digital escrow service - an arrangement where a neutral third party holds funds securely until agreed conditions are met - built on Zest's "Providing Money Services" authorisation. Client monies are held in segregated accounts at UAE-based banks, kept separate from Zest's own funds, in line with FSRA client money rules.

Funds are released only when pre-agreed deal milestones or conditions precedent are satisfied, and the service provides full audit trails, traceable documentation, and real-time status visibility for all transaction parties. According to reporting by Finopotamus, the regulated escrow layer is designed to reduce counterparty risk and introduce a transparent, governance-grade mechanism for holding and releasing capital tied to private-market transactions. For cross-border deals involving GCC and international investors, this adds a layer of transaction hygiene that institutional limited partners (LPs - outside investors in a fund or deal) increasingly require.

A Three-Pillar Platform: SPVs, Escrow, and Arrange

Zest Arrange and Zest Escrow sit alongside the firm's existing SPV product to form three core capabilities: SPVs (simplify), Escrow (safeguard), and Arrange (scale). Together, these allow deal makers to structure investors into clean legal vehicles, coordinate documentation and execution in one workflow, and manage regulated capital flows from commitment through to close.

As reported by SMEStreet, the platform targets common pain points in private-market workflows - fragmented communication channels, manual reconciliation of investor commitments, and opaque fund flows. Zest emphasises that its infrastructure is designed to handle cross-jurisdictional capital flows, supporting both emerging and developed markets, with ADGM FSRA oversight providing the regulatory foundation throughout.

Backing, Use Cases, and Strategic Direction

Zest Equity is backed by Morgan Stanley, Prosus Ventures, Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP), and Dubai Future District Fund - a combination of global institutional and prominent regional investors. Co-founder and CEO Zuhair Shamma has stated that the firm's objective is to modernise private markets by making transactions digital, automated and accessible while preserving the assurance and transparency expected in contemporary finance.

Co-founder Rawan Baddour described the FSP as the first of several regulatory milestones planned as the company expands its capability set. Use cases highlighted in launch materials include UAE and GCC-based founders raising capital via ADGM or DIFC-linked SPVs, institutional capital allocators seeking a regulated escrow and distribution channel, and international investors participating in private placements or secondary transactions where escrowed funds provide assurance over closing conditions.