S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 The opportunities to attract Arab investment were addressed in a webinar held by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) from its office in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Monday (14). The event featured Rabih I. Khoury, a partner of Middle East Venture Partners (MEVP); Jawad Qasim, director-general of DeNovo Corporate Advisors; and Ludmilla Figueiredo, Investment officer of Apex-Brasil in Dubai. The event was opened by Roberto Escoto, Investment manager of Apex-Brasil, who spoke from Bras\u00edlia.<\/p>\n
Figueiredo pointed out that the Gulf countries are trying to diversify their economies beyond oil and are open to do business with different countries. In this sense, Khoury stressed the role of technology companies that have taken advantage of this space in the region. \u201cIn the Middle East, we\u2019ve been able to grow large technology companies like Careem that has merged with Uber, like Noon, which is now bigger than Amazon in ecommerce,\u201d said he.<\/p>\n
The MEVP\u2019s partner went on pointing out that Arab sovereign funds were developed to focus on investments outside the Arab countries. \u201cThey will probably have more exposure to Brazilian VC funds than exposure to local funds,\u201d he said. Despite this potential, Khoury still doesn\u2019t believe that Gulf investor is keen to invest in Brazil. \u201cThe investors are looking for a good return, transparency, a good liquidity. That\u2019s what you\u2019d look for globally for investing. I have not seen a very specific appetite for Brazil, but that can change. It may sound funny, but soccer is a really great ambassador,\u201d he explained adding that it\u2019s important to develop seminars to show the opportunities in Brazil.<\/p>\n
Jawad Qasim pointed out the evolution in the Arab-Brazilin relations over the last decades and bets on a continued growth of investments. \u201cI remember that 15 years ago, we used to be very hesitant regarding investments in Brazil and Latin America because of the distance and the lack of knowledge about that part of the world. So these years have definitively seen a growth, and I believe this is going to increase,\u201d said Qasim.<\/p>\n
In the opening of the event, Escoto presented Apex-Brasil\u2019s work, especially the actions for attracting investments to the main sectors of the Brazilian economy. According to him, the agency has a relevant role in fostering foreign investments in startups in Brazil through a partnership with the Brazilian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (ABVCAP).<\/p>\n
Watch the full webinar:<\/p>\n