RiverCrossing Capital Partners, an alternative investment management firm in the UK, has been named Best New Institution for 2014 by the UAE publishing house CPI Financial in its annual Islamic Business & Finance Awards.

The UK-based firm is dedicated to providing Islamic-compliant opportunities to investors in the GCC and Southeast Asia. 

Launched in April 2014 to originate and structure cross-border opportunities alongside specialised managers in core markets including the US and Europe, the firm invests in a number of asset classes and sectors to include real estate, energy and infrastructure, private equity as well as liquidity management products. 

CEO Asim Zafar comments: “We're delighted with this recognition from CPI and from the peers and investors who voted for RiverCrossing. In 2014, we successfully launched RiverCrossing and in 2015 we are looking to build on this success and on current investor demand for global opportunities. With a low oil price set to continue over the medium term, and its impact on the domestic economies of the Gulf and their stock and real estate markets, we see GCC investors looking to strengthen allocations to overseas markets including continental Europe, London and the US."

He continues: “The Eurozone, with a 10-year historical low for the euro, has created the right conditions for GCC investors to seek out opportunities in both real estate and private equity in continental Europe. Recent European Central Bank measures will drive an influx of liquidity into the European markets including real estate. For investors this will translate into opportunities for steady yields and upside potential at exit in coming years."

RiverCrossing, in conjunction with its investors, is currently undertaking due diligence on a number of real estate transactions in continental Europe and opportunities in real estate private equity in London, which also remains a buoyant market and an attractive investment destination.

The US markets also continued to be an area of focus for RiverCrossing, says Zafar. “Market recovery is well under way in the US and real estate and asset leasing have been a strong beneficiaries of these positive dynamics. While appreciation in asset prices has already begun, we expect continued gains and opportunities for our investors. We are looking closely at a number of US-based investments, where we see solid fundamentals."

RiverCrossing's investors include high net worth individuals (HNWIs) and family offices, institutional investors such as banks, wealth managers and corporates, and sovereign wealth funds from the GCC and Southeast Asia.