Dubai-based private equity firm Abraaj Capital is aiming to emulate more comprehensive managers of alternative assets and participate across the capital spectrum, after hiring a senior executive to spearhead a push into hedge fund investments.

Abraaj, which has roughly $5bn (€3.2bn) in assets under management, describes itself as a “pure private equity firm” that “specialises in private equity investments in the Middle East, north Africa and South Asia, according to its website.