An Abu Dhabi private office opens an LNG fund to outside investors
The Private Department of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan has launched an ADGM fund targeting a $1.2bn initial close, built on its $1.13bn July commitment to EIG's MidOcean Energy.
In the last week of October 2026 the Private Department of Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan, an Abu Dhabi private investment office, launched a liquefied natural gas fund with a target initial close of $1.2bn. The launch was carried by the Emirates News Agency (WAM) and reported by TradeArabia on 27 October. MEED reported it separately on 30 October.
The detail of the fund comes from the Private Department’s own announcement. No investor, asset or fee figure has been published by anyone else, and the $1.2bn is a target, not money raised.
What has been launched
The vehicle is called the Pvt Dpt – LNG Fund (CEIC) IC. Reem Partners Limited is the fund manager. It is incorporated in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and regulated by ADGM’s Financial Services Regulatory Authority, with permissions that include managing a collective investment fund and arranging deals in investments. KSH Investments, the Private Department’s affiliate, acts as strategic consultant.
According to the announcement, the fund sits within the agreement the Private Department signed with EIG and its LNG company, MidOcean Energy, covering capital formation, investment origination and future energy and infrastructure opportunities in the UAE and selected regional markets. The office also presents it as part of a wider plan to domicile its investment vehicles in ADGM.
The July commitment behind it
On 7 July 2026 the Private Department committed $1.13bn to MidOcean Energy, its first investment in LNG, and set up a partnership with EIG focused on “capital aggregation” and institutional investment opportunities in the region. EIG reported $25.9bn of assets under management at 31 March 2026. MidOcean holds LNG interests in Canada, Australia and Latin America, and on 1 October EIG said MidOcean had closed its 2026 equity raise with more than $4bn of closed and pending commitments against a $2bn target.
At the time, Matar Hamdan Al Ameri, the Private Department’s executive managing director, said the deal would “create opportunities for regional investors to participate alongside leading institutional partners”. The October fund is the vehicle for that.
What is not known
The announcement does not name investors or target assets. It does not say whether the fund will invest through MidOcean or directly, or whether the $1.2bn is in addition to the $1.13bn already committed. Dealroom drew the same distinction between a target close and capital raised.
What it means for family offices
A private office that was until July a direct investor is now sponsoring a regulated fund for outside money, with a licensed third-party manager and its own affiliate as consultant. That is a change of role. It brings a duty to the fund’s investors that sits alongside the family’s own position in MidOcean.
Families asked to invest alongside should look at how that overlap is handled before they look at LNG prices. Who sets the price if the fund buys into an asset the sponsor already holds? What does KSH Investments earn as consultant? Does the manager have the independence to say no to the sponsor? For advisers, the choice of ADGM over an offshore domicile is the practical point. Gulf private offices that want third-party capital are building regulated fund structures at home, which is where the legal, fund administration and compliance work will follow. The Almanac has tracked the same pull towards the Gulf in the Deutsche Bank referral pact with Dubai’s economy department.
Sources: TradeArabia, 27 October 2026 (relaying WAM); MEED, 30 October 2026; Dealroom, 26 October 2026; Business Wire, 7 July 2026; Business Wire, 1 October 2026.