British Firm's Gulf Move Reveals New Shadow Finance Strategy
When a British financial firm relocates to Abu Dhabi, it's never just about geography.
Strategic Relocation: Kessner Trades London's Oversight for Gulf Opacity
On the surface, it looks like standard corporate expansion: British firm Kessner Capital Management broadens its geographic reach by partnering with an Emirati family office to establish a regional base in the UAE capital. But dig deeper, and Kessner's Abu Dhabi expansion reveals something more troubling: a calculated move to sidestep Western regulatory frameworks while maintaining access to global capital markets.
This isn't just business development. It's strategic regulatory arbitrage that allows firms like Kessner, which specializes in private credit and special situations across African markets, to operate with significantly less oversight than they'd face in London or New York.
"Abu Dhabi has become the go-to place for anyone looking to deploy capital into Africa," says Bruno-Maurice Monny, Kessner's cofounder and managing partner.
He's right, but that statement deserves unpacking.
The Gulf as Financial Haven for Unaligned Capital
Abu Dhabi attracts firms like Kessner not because it's geographically closer to Lagos or Kinshasa than London, but because it offers refuge from European compliance requirements, Anglo-Saxon ESG obligations, and multilateral development standards. Here, the conversation centers on returns, leverage, and market access. Everything else is secondary.
The unnamed Emirati family office serves as a crucial intermediary, providing local legitimacy, expanded networks, and access to sovereign wealth funds ready to deploy rapidly across African markets. This quiet partnership gives Kessner regional credibility while maintaining distance from public accountability.
Abu Dhabi thus becomes a hub for shadow finance that operates without public oversight but with remarkable efficiency. Through this relocation, Kessner escapes British regulatory scrutiny while preserving its access to European capital markets.
Africa as Testing Ground for Post-Western Capital
Kessner openly states its ambition to deploy capital in African sectors promoting "inclusive and resilient growth." Behind this corporate speak lies an opportunistic investment strategy targeting infrastructure, logistics, natural resources, and sovereign debt. In other words: extractive capitalism with a modern face.
This movement reflects a broader trend: recolonization through private credit, using financial instruments beyond the reach of traditional African oversight mechanisms. In this game, Kessner, backed by Abu Dhabi capital, becomes an instrument of quiet economic capture.
There are no NGOs monitoring these deals, no public development agencies setting conditions, no social safeguards. Just bilateral agreements, opaque clauses, and very real consequences for African sovereignty.
London Sidelined, Washington Circumvented
Kessner's London office has become little more than a satellite. Strategic decisions happen elsewhere, in spaces where deals proceed outside Western regulatory frameworks.
This circumvention occurs at a crucial diplomatic moment: as Washington, weakened on the global stage, attempts to rally allies against Chinese and Russian influence, intermediary structures like Kessner bridge Anglo-Saxon capital with the gray zones of global growth. Abu Dhabi serves as their free trade zone.
Kessner as Harbinger of Post-Western Finance
What Kessner's Abu Dhabi move reveals is the emergence of a new geography of financial power: mobile, invisible, and unaligned with traditional Western institutions. Operating far from IMF oversight or UN development goals, these networks connect directly to regional power hubs.
Kessner isn't an outlier. It's a signal of what's coming. And in today's world, weak signals often speak louder than official declarations.
This shift represents more than regulatory shopping. It signals the rise of a parallel financial system that operates beyond democratic accountability while extracting real value from vulnerable economies. For those who care about global economic justice, that should be deeply concerning.