Abu Dhabi investment firm Lunate, with more than $110bn in assets under management, has joined forces with Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, to launch a strategic partnership investing in logistics assets across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Under the partnership, the firms will establish Gulf Logistics Infrastructure Development Enterprise (GLIDE) — a new platform dedicated to developing, acquiring, and managing Grade A logistics assets throughout the GCC.
Blackstone, which owns more than 1.2bn sq ft of logistics assets globally, will bring deep experience in the sector, while Lunate contributes an extensive regional network and investment capabilities.
Additional strategic partners from across the GCC will join the initiative. , Dedicated teams across the region will support its expansion.
Abu Dhabi targets logistics growth
The partners noted that demand for logistics infrastructure in the GCC is rising sharply, driven by rapid economic growth, expanding e-commerce and manufacturing activity, and government-led diversification initiatives.
At the same time, the availability of modern Grade A logistics facilities — those built to international standards and high operational efficiency — remains limited, creating significant investment opportunities in the region.
GLIDE is targeting investments of $5bn (AED18.36bn) in high-quality warehouse assets.
The platform will focus primarily on greenfield developments, complemented by selective portfolio acquisitions and sale-and-leaseback transactions with leading regional businesses.
‘Profound transformation’ in Abu Dhabi
Jon Gray, President and Chief Operating Officer at Blackstone, said: “The profound economic transformation underway in the GCC, driven by pro-growth policies, favourable demographic shifts and broad-based economic diversification, is creating powerful momentum for sectors like logistics.
“We are thrilled to partner with Lunate to combine our investment expertise and deep logistics experience with their strong GCC presence and capabilities to build GLIDE, a pan-regional logistics platform at scale.”
Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Managing Partner at Lunate, said: “GLIDE will offer our clients and investors access to compelling investments in high-quality logistics assets and support the development of new infrastructure to drive growth across the GCC.
“This partnership combines global scale with regional expertise to unlock a market ready for transformation.”
Strategic importance for GCC growth
The partnership aligns with the GCC’s wider push to develop logistics infrastructure as part of its diversification agenda. By combining Blackstone’s global investment scale and Lunate’s local expertise, GLIDE aims to shape the next generation of regional logistics hubs.
Follow us on
