Kepler Cheuvreux Doubles Down on Middle East Structured Products Boom
Wall Street's latest export? Complexity.
Kepler Cheuvreux—the French investment bank better known for European equities—is making a play for Middle Eastern oil money with structured products. Because what the region needs is more financial engineering wrapped in Sharia-compliance.
The move comes as Gulf sovereign wealth funds diversify beyond trophy assets and into derivatives that'd make a 2008 quant blush. No numbers disclosed—just the usual 'significant growth' corporate speak—but the timing's telling. With oil prices volatile and crypto eating traditional finance's lunch, structured products let banks charge fat fees while pretending to manage risk.
One cynic's take: If you can't beat decentralized finance, repackage it with an investment-grade rating.
Kepler Cheuvreux Solutions, the investment solutions division of Kepler Cheuvreux and Europe’s leading independent provider of tailor-made investments, and Halo Investing (Halo), the award-winning platform for protective investment solutions, are pleased to announce a strategic partnership to jointly develop and distribute structured products across the Middle East. First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB), the region’s largest financial institution, will act as anchor participant in this initiative.
This alliance marks a major step in delivering innovative, transparent, and customised investment solutions to financial institutions, wealth managers, and family offices in the region. By combining Kepler Cheuvreux’s expertise in structuring solutions and global market access with Halo’s industry-leading digital platform and client-centric technology, the partnership aims to reshape how structured products are designed, priced, and delivered in the Middle East.
First Abu Dhabi Bank, the UAE’s global bank and one of the world’s largest and safest financial institutions, is joining as a key client and anchor participant. As an early adopter and strategic client, FAB will benefit from enhanced product customisation, improved pricing transparency, and seamless digital access through Halo’s platform, powered by Kepler Cheuvreux’s global structured solutions capabilities.
“We are excited to join forces with Halo,” said Jean-Pierre ANÉ, Deputy CEO, In charge of Business Development at Kepler Cheuvreux. “Their technology and global reach perfectly complement our structured solutions and capital markets expertise. Together, we can offer our clients in the Middle East a seamless experience, with enhanced access to tailor-made investment solutions.”
“Partnering with Kepler Cheuvreux underscores our mission to democratize access to institutional-grade protective investments,” added Matt Radgowski, CEO of Halo. “The Middle East is a dynamic and fast-growing market, and we’re excited to deliver scalable, tech-forward solutions that help investors build resilient, risk-aware portfolios that meet the evolving needs of investors in the region.”
The partnership will focus on leveraging each firm’s strengths to deliver a full suite of services, including idea generation, product engineering, lifecycle management, and post-trade reporting, all backed by local market understanding and regulatory insight.
Kepler Cheuvreux DIFC Branch is regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). This communication is intended solely for Professional Clients and Market Counterparties as defined by DFSA rules. It is not intended for distribution to retail clients, who should not act on this information.
Source: Kepler Cheuvreux
