Oak Hill Advisors (OHA), a leading global credit-focused alternative investment firm, has received regulatory authorization from the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), enabling it to establish an office in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and expand its presence across the GCC and wider Middle East region.
The approval follows Oak Hill Advisors becoming the 100th hedge fund manager registered by the DIFC Authority in late 2025, highlighting the growing importance of DIFC as a regional hub for alternative investment firms, asset managers, and global financial institutions.
With approximately $112 billion in assets under management as of March 31, 2026, OHA said its expansion into Dubai reflects the increasing attractiveness of the region and strengthens its ability to serve investors and partners across the Middle East and beyond.
Oak Hill Advisors brings global credit expertise to Dubai
Oak Hill Advisors manages a diversified range of credit investment strategies spanning private credit, leveraged loans, high-yield bonds, stressed and distressed debt, collateralized loan obligations, and multi-strategy credit investing. The firm brings more than three decades of experience across global credit markets.
DIFC is home to the region’s largest cluster of wealth and asset management firms and continues to attract leading global investment companies through its regulatory framework, international connectivity, and strategic location linking key markets across East and West.
The expansion aligns with DIFC’s broader efforts to strengthen Dubai’s status as a global financial center. Driven by DIFC initiatives, Dubai is currently ranked seventh globally as a financial center and sixth worldwide for investment management.
HE Arif Amiri CEO – DIFC Authority
“Oak Hill Advisors’s decision to establish its presence in DIFC further reinforces Dubai’s position as a leading global financial hub and a destination of choice for the world’s foremost alternative investment firms. OHA joins a rapidly expanding ecosystem of global asset managers and credit specialists operating from DIFC, reflecting continued confidence in our regulatory environment, infrastructure, and ability to support the evolving needs of the global investment community.”
Declan Tiernan, Partner and Head of EMEA Client Coverage at Oak Hill Advisors, said that, “Establishing an office in the GCC marks an important milestone in Oak Hill Advisors’s continuing growth in a region where we have developed many significant partnerships over time. The DIFC offers a sophisticated financial ecosystem, a strong regulatory framework, and strategic access to investors and opportunities across the Middle East and beyond.”
