Gordian Capital, subsidiary of Global investor services group IQ-EQ, has received regulatory approval from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) to expand its institutional cross-border fund platform and fund solutions offering in Dubai, operating from its new office at Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
The DFSA licence allows Gordian to manage collective investment funds, advise on financial products, arrange custody, facilitate investment deals, manage assets, and operate a fund platform within or from DIFC.
The approval provides institutional investors with regulated, operational, and physical fund infrastructure, enabling Gordian to handle fund management and operations while clients focus on investment strategies.
Gordian, the first and largest institutional cross-border fund platform in the Asia-Pacific region, has offices in Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Melbourne. Since its acquisition by IQ-EQ in July 2025, the firm has extended regulated fund platform offerings across France, Luxembourg, Ireland, and the UK, along with enhanced fund structuring and operational capabilities. The expansion leverages Gordian’s expertise in fund structuring and in facilitating capital flows from the Middle East into global opportunities.
Since 2005, Gordian has launched over 115 funds across private and public strategies, managing approximately $22 billion. Its client base includes global institutional asset managers, family offices, multi-strategy platforms, hedge funds, and corporates investing across private equity, real estate, venture capital, infrastructure, hedge, and long-only strategies.
Mark Voumard Founder and Managing Director Gordian Capital
“When our clients go cross-border, regionally and or globally, it can have its challenges, in terms of speed to market and cost as well as meeting rigorous initial and ongoing operational and regulatory standards. Leveraging Gordian’s 20 years’ experience in APAC, and now as part of the global IQ-EQ group, we can provide a highly regulated market entry pathway and infrastructure for institutional GPs and managers seeking to establish a regulated presence in DIFC.”
Richard Surrency, IQ-EQ’s Group Chief Commercial Officer, said that, “This is a significant milestone for IQ-EQ in the Middle East, not only building upon Gordian’s strong profile and expertise in APAC but also IQ-EQ’s established fund administration offering in the UAE and long-standing support for clients across the region. The UAE is widely recognized as a strong and increasingly mature market. We’re confident in its long-term resilience and it remains central to our Middle East growth plans, so I’m delighted to see this exciting new license secured.”
The DFSA license marks a key milestone in IQ-EQ and Gordian’s strategic plan to expand cross-jurisdictional fund solutions and strengthen the group’s presence in the Middle East while reinforcing its global fund platform capabilities across APAC and EMEA.
