A. SREENIVASA REDDY (ABU DHABI)
Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, has announced a $250 million investment in a UAE-based company, underscoring its confidence in the country’s investment climate.
Advanced Digital Gaming Technology (ADGT), the company receiving the investment, is a newly established payments and data intelligence technology platform launched from the UAE.
ADGT has been formed through a strategic partnership between Blackstone, Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Raya Holding, and technology partners NRT Technology and Sightline Payments, a statement said.
Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, the platform is positioned to support regulated digital markets globally, with an initial focus on deployments across the UAE, the Middle East, Africa, and select international corridors.
In the UAE, ADGT is the premier payments and compliance technology provider to the commercial gaming market and is currently the only licensed platform able to contract directly with both land-based venues and online digital platforms.
Michael Dominelli, CEO of ADGT, said: “ADGT was created in the UAE from the ground up to serve as a new global standard for financial payments technology. Built upon modern infrastructure, and with a strong institutional and regulatory framework, we have created a platform that is designed, built, governed and experienced with resilience and scalability in mind.
"With the backing of Blackstone, Raya Holding and the leading payments technology partnerships, we have the scale, resources and credibility to create a global success story engineered and headquartered in the UAE.”
Jon Gray, President and Chief Operating Officer, Blackstone, said: “We see significant opportunity to deploy capital at scale in the UAE to build companies that can grow both domestically and internationally, despite near term headwinds. The UAE is a global leader in travel and leisure, with emerging strength in technology, and we are excited to support ADGT to capitalise on these powerful trends.”
Sheikh Mohammed bin Sultan bin Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the leader behind Raya Holding, said: “ADGT reflects the UAE’s long-term vision to lead in the development of next-generation financial technology and regulated digital infrastructure. With a progressive regulatory framework and strong institutional support, the UAE continues to create an environment where global technology platforms can be built and scaled.
"Through this partnership with Blackstone, and the integration of proven technology capabilities from NRT Technology and Sightline, ADGT is positioned to establish a new benchmark for regulated payments infrastructure.”
The platform integrates digital wallets, real-time funding and payout systems, identity and access management, compliance monitoring, and both closed-loop and open-loop ecosystem controls within a single interoperable infrastructure.
Blackstone manages $1.3 trillion in assets across investment strategies including real estate, private equity, credit, infrastructure and hedge funds.
Raya Holding is an Abu Dhabi-based investment company focused on building and scaling strategic platforms across sectors such as financial technology, digital infrastructure and consumer markets, partnering with global institutions and technology leaders.
NRT Technology is a payments technology company in the gaming sector, providing solutions that enhance efficiency, security and customer experience across operations.
Sightline Payments provides digital payment and wallet solutions for the gaming industry, enabling integrated payment experiences across both physical and digital platforms.