Titanium Escrow crosses $5bln milestone amid rising regional deal activity
Abu Dhabi-UAE – Titanium Escrow, the Abu Dhabi-based provider of regulated escrow and custody services, has surpassed US$5 billion in secured transactions, marking its fifth anniversary as demand grows across the Middle East for sophisticated corporate payment infrastructure for complex, cross-border deals.
Since its launch in 2020, the firm has facilitated nearly 500 transactions spanning mergers and acquisitions, private capital, real estate, and infrastructure. Titanium Escrow operates under the supervision of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) within Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and was among the first participants in its RegLab innovation sandbox to develop the first supervised escrow licensing in the region.
"The continued increase in cross-border capital flows and multi-party transactions has made escrow services a core part of risk management across the deal lifecycle," said Ibrahim Kamalmaz, Chief Executive Officer at Titanium Escrow.
The announcement comes amid strong momentum in the region's deal landscape. According to EY, MENA M&A activity reached US$101 billion across 754 deals in 2024, reflecting a 50% year-on-year increase in deal value. Much of the activity was concentrated in the Gulf, where sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and private equity firms are playing a growing role in strategic acquisitions.
In this context, Titanium Escrow has served as a neutral custodian for a number of notable transactions, including complex digital infrastructure projects such as Brookfield's acquisition of a majority stake in Oman Tower Company (OTC), advised by White & Case, Simmons & Simmons, and Dentons Oman. The deal reflects a growing preference for third-party fund custody escrow to ensure transparency and reduce execution risk in multi-jurisdictional settings.
"Escrow has historically been underutilised in the region, with parties electing to go to London or New York to hold funds. That is now changing as Abu Dhabi is becoming the fundholding jurisdiction of choice for regional matters" Kamalmaz said.
In parallel, Titanium Escrow has also supported a series of high-value acquisitions in the education, healthcare and telecommunication infrastructure sectors in 2025, with total deal value exceeding AED 1 billion—further underscoring its role in enabling social infrastructure investment. Transactions spanned across sovereign wealth funds, public, and private entities from the UK, KSA, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar and many other jurisdictions.
Titanium Escrow's service lines include M&A and corporate escrow, fund custody for private and venture capital, real estate and project-focused escrow, and regulatory or litigation-related holding structures. Its client base spans investment firms, law practices, family offices, and regional corporates.
The firm's progress has coincided with the rapid ascent of ADGM, which has emerged as one of the region's fastest-growing international financial centres. With a strong regulatory foundation, growing fintech ecosystem, and strategic positioning in the UAE capital, ADGM is increasingly seen as a hub for cross-border financial services.
"ADGM has played a vital role in supporting innovation while maintaining regulatory integrity," Kamalmaz noted. "Their early support was instrumental in getting us off the ground and building trust in this space."
Titanium Escrow continues to operate independently from its headquarters in ADGM, regulated by the FSRA, and expects to expand its capabilities in line with evolving market needs.
About Titanium Escrow
Titanium Escrow is a leading escrow provider licensed in Abu Dhabi Global Market, regulated by the FSRA, as an independent, trusted third party. We provide clients from around the world with fundholding and bespoke escrow solutions to facilitate complex, international transactions. We ensure tailored solutions, transparency and compliance for M&A, real estate, and secondary market deals, enabling clients to execute transactions with confidence. Since commencing operations in 2020 we have facilitated almost 500 transactions at a total value more than US$ 5bn.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
How the climate crisis is creating millions of refugees in the Middle East
• Remittance charges will be tackled by blockchain • UAE's monumental and risky Mars Mission to inspire future generations, says minister • Could the UAE drive India's economy? • News has a bright future and the UAE is at the heart of it • Architecture is over - here's cybertecture • The National announces Future of News journalism competition • Round up: Experts share their visions of the world to come
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
UAE Property: ‘How can I increase summer occupancy in my RAK rental unit?'
Question: I am buying an apartment in Ras Al Khaimah and want to rent it out for short-term rentals soon. How can I optimise summer occupancy and which local regulations must I adhere to? MP, Dubai Answer: Ras Al Khaimah is fast becoming a destination of choice, not just as a go-to staycation destination for the UAE holiday market, but also for longer-term visitors and tourists. With the arrival of the Wynn Al Marjan Island resort in 2026/2027, the emirate is likely to become more popular as a short-term destination. Here are a few things to remember and adhere to. By law, all tenancy contracts in RAK must be registered through the RAK Municipality e-portal. The fee is Dh25 ($6.8) plus 5 per cent of the annual rent. Unregistered contracts are unenforceable, stripping landlords of eviction rights and security deposit recourse. Standard residential leases are allowed up to four-year terms, but short-term leases of say two to four months must still comply with the Rent Act's eviction notice requirement, which is a minimum 90 days, and the security deposit rule, which is 5 per cent of the annual rent. Offer two- to four-month summer lets bundled with free utilities, complimentary AC servicing and optional maid services. UAE residents that enjoy staycations value turnkey, worry-free stays. List on leading short-let platforms such as Airbnb, local short-term rental agents and collaborate with GCC-focused travel agencies to tap into regional leisure traffic. Ensure your unit is presented in the best possible fashion by furnishing with high-quality appliances, blackout curtains, high-speed Wi-Fi, and a dedicated workspace to attract both families and remote working professionals seeking respite from the summer heat. Employ revenue management software to adjust nightly or weekly rates based on occupancy forecasts or get comparable data from portals and local holiday home agents. Look out for any local events that will potentially capture higher premiums. Conduct professional cleaning and safety inspections between tenancies to maintain high review scores. Offer flexible check-in/out times and transparent cancellation policies to build guest trust. Monitor competitor rates regularly to ensure your pricing remains competitive without eating into your yield. By combining regulatory compliance with targeted marketing and professional service levels, part-time RAK landlords can boost summer occupancy from roughly 45 per cent (unmanaged) to over 75 per cent, capturing premium short-let rates and maximising annual income. Watch: Businesswoman moves from Dubai to RAK to find some quiet Q: I would be interested to understand what are the emerging areas in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah in terms of capital appreciation, rental yields and which developers I should work with? CP, Sharjah A: While Dubai commands the headlines, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah are quietly delivering attractive risk-adjusted returns in well-priced, master-planned communities. I will list below some top picks that I think combine credible developer track records, infrastructure momentum and balanced capital appreciation. Starting with Abu Dhabi, the main master developer is Aldar. Some of its main projects are: Al Reem Island: Boasting a 7.2 per cent year-on-year price rise in the first quarter of 2025 and gross rental yields of 7.6 per cent for apartments, Al Reem Island blends waterfront views with high-street retail. The Central Market and Gate Towers precincts have strong presales, minimising completion risk and ensuring pipeline transparency. Yas Island: Driven by entertainment megaprojects such as Warner Bros, Ferrari World, Sea World, Yas Waterworld and the Yas Mall expansion, luxury apartments command 6.5 per cent to 7 per cent yields, with prices up 6.6 per cent in early 2025. The upcoming first Disney World in the Middle East will further elevate property prices and demand for both long- and short-term rentals. Al Ghadeer: A reclaimed land community by Aldar located on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi border, it offers entry-level pricing (sub-Dh1 million studios) and yields near 9.9 per cent, underpinned by affordable payment plans and infrastructural upgrades connecting to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road. Main projects in Sharjah include: Aljada by Arada: This is a fully integrated town centre featuring three schools, 25,000 residential units, a 4.4-kilometre retail boulevard, hotels and public plazas, along with large green spaces and family entertainment areas. Aljada's off-plan apartments yield 5 per cent to 7 per cent, with an expected 7.5 per cent return on investment on handover. Arada's track record of delivering three large-scale projects on time adds to investor and end-user confidence. Tilal City (Sharjah Asset Management): Modelled on Mediterranean lagoons, Tilal City's early studio and one-bedroom launches delivered 6 per cent to 8 per cent yields, with mid-teen capital growth forecast as schools, clinics and malls open next year. Maryam Island: Launched in 2024, this waterfront mixed-use island has seen soft-launch price uplifts of around 8 per cent within six months and yields of around 6 per cent. This is driven by Sharjah's tourism push and the project's proximity to the Corniche.
The National
4 hours ago
- The National
Could a Caesar salad ever be worth Dh450?
I thought I'd become desensitised to fine dining prices in major cities, until I saw a Dh450 Caesar salad on a menu at a restaurant last week. That's $122 or £91 for a bowl of lettuce, croutons and dressing. Sure, the fine dining restaurant scene is expensive, but who can afford, or justify, that kind of spend on a salad? The dish sits on the list of relatively typical starters at a well-known restaurant in Dubai. It isn't the most expensive item on the list − that would be the whole king crab leg for Dh690 − but it stands out when compared to the eggplant salad (Dh85) or even the Dh185 burrata. The price of the dish has ruffled feathers among my friends and family. 'Guess how much a Caesar salad I saw recently costs?' is how I have started the lion's share of my conversations this week. My mum guessed Dh60. My dad joked Dh80. A friend said Dh55. None of them got close. What justifies this price? That remains to be seen, because I didn't order it. No, I couldn't justify it, even in the name of research! Traditional Caesar ingredients are relatively inexpensive. It's a simple enough salad of lettuce, Parmesan cheese, croutons and Caesar dressing, which is made of egg yolks, olive oil, anchovies, garlic and Parmesan. So, what is in this particular salad? Gold (we know that is popular these days!)? Caviar? Truffle? The menu lists the ingredients as simply: crouton, baby jem (sic) and Parmesan cheese. Perhaps the full name of the dish is something of a key to the price tag – it's named after a high-end beverage brand, which sells for about Dh1,200 in-store in Dubai, and for much more at bars. I was told it's incorporated into the dressing. Are these dishes purely expensive by design, something intentionally created to ruffle feathers? Or is there a market for these extremely pricey plates? At one popular restaurant in Dubai, you can buy 200g of Almas caviar for Dh44,000. The cheapest caviar on the menu is 50g of white surgeon, which comes in at Dh540. In the past we have written about a Dh2,999 ice cream, a sundae I'd argue was created more to grab headlines than entice customers. It routinely goes viral for its high price tag. And please don't get me started on gilded steaks. This has all got me thinking more broadly about the cost of fine dining in the region. Hospitality is a challenging and overcrowded industry. Countless restaurants are forced to close every year as the industry gets more and more difficult to keep afloat in, between high operating costs, import challenges and complex regulatory systems. I also understand that there are high overheads to cover. We do see phenomenal restaurants open up, make an impact and endeavour to keep costs as close to an accessible level as possible for the customers. At some Michelin-starred restaurants, you can get a two-course lunch menu for Dh125 and starters range from Dh58 to Dh255. Another Michelin-starred restaurant offers a two-course lunch for Dh99; its evening tasting menus start at Dh395. That said, set menus that cost more than Dh1,000 are cropping up more and more. At what stage will it become de rigueur for a meal to cost more than Dh2,000 per person? It feels like that is the trajectory we're on. This month, a $400 melon has gone viral in the US. The New York Times drew attention to the Japanese-export musk melon being sold at Farm & Forage in the Hamptons. According to the publication, it is noted for its remarkable sweetness, despite the fact that it 'looks identical to a regular grocery-store cantaloupe' to the undiscerning eye. Pricing has rolled out of control, becoming a parody of itself. It is as if those setting the prices have been inspired by the scene in Arrested Development, when a notably financially out-of-touch Lucille Bluth quips: 'It's one banana, how much could it possibly cost? $10?' I don't think I have a solution. Of course, there are always more affordable options available and no one is forcing me to try or pay for a Dh450 salad, so I suppose that is a resolution in and of itself. But I have no doubt that this particular sky-high price will leave a bad taste in my mouth for a while – or at least until I spot a Dh700 soup on another menu.
