Abu Dhabis Titanium Escrow Crosses $5bn Transaction Mark

Titanium Escrow is a provider of regulated escrow and custody services. Launched in 2020, the firm operates under the supervision of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) within Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) and was among the first participants in ADGM’s RegLab innovation sandbox to develop the first supervised escrow licensing in the region.

Celebrating its fifth anniversary, Ibrahim Kamalmaz, Chief Executive Officer at Titanium Escrow, commented: “The continued increase in cross-border capital flows and multi-party transactions has made escrow services a core part of risk management across the deal lifecycle.

“Escrow has historically been underutilised in the region, with parties electing to go to London or New York to hold funds. That is now changing as Abu Dhabi is becoming the fundholding jurisdiction of choice for regional matters.”

The announcement comes amid strong momentum in the region’s deal landscape. According to EY, MENA M&A activity reached US$101 billion across 754 deals in 2024, reflecting a 50 per cent year-on-year increase in deal value. Much of the activity was concentrated in the Gulf, where sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and private equity firms are playing a growing role in strategic acquisitions.

In this context, Titanium Escrow has served as a neutral custodian for several notable transactions, including complex digital infrastructure projects such as Brookfield’s acquisition of a majority stake in Oman Tower Company (OTC). The deal reflects a growing preference for third-party fund custody escrow to ensure transparency and reduce execution risk in multi-jurisdictional settings.

The company has also supported a series of high-value acquisitions in the education, healthcare and telecommunication infrastructure sectors in 2025, with total deal value exceeding AED 1 billion (US$270 million). Transactions spanned across sovereign wealth funds, public, and private entities from the UK, KSA, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, and other jurisdictions.

Titanium Escrow’s service lines include M&A and corporate escrow, fund custody for private and venture capital, real estate and project-focused escrow, and regulatory or litigation-related holding structures. Its client base spans investment firms, law practices, family offices, and regional corporates.

The firm’s progress has coincided with the rapid ascent of ADGM, which has emerged as one of the region’s fastest-growing international financial centres.

“ADGM has played a vital role in supporting innovation while maintaining regulatory integrity,” Kamalmaz added. “Their early support was instrumental in getting us off the ground and building trust in this space.”