TRAIL to Open Manama Office as Mumtalakat Deal Unlocks

Mumtalakat, the sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom of Bahrain, joins TRAIL’s flagship Sport, Luxury, Arts and Music platform.

Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company (Mumtalakat), the sovereign wealth fund of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and TRAIL, the French investment company, today announced a strategic partnership under which Mumtalakat will be an investor in SLAM, the first private equity fund dedicated to the Sport, Luxury, Arts and Music sectors.

The strategic partnership was signed in the presence of His Excellency Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Minister of Finance and National Economy and Chairman of Mumtalakat Holding Company, and His Excellency Nicolas Forissier, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness of France, during the participation at "Choose France" Summit - France’s flagship international investment summit.

The partnership brings together TRAIL's deep sectoral expertise and investment acumen with Mumtalakat's regional presence and long-term investment approach. Together, the two entities will work to develop SLAM's sectors within Bahrain and across the broader Gulf Cooperation Council region — through direct investments and by supporting the regional expansion of the fund's portfolio companies. Under the terms of the agreement, TRAIL will open an office in Manama to serve as its GCC hub, facilitating the growth of portfolio companies and enabling regional capital raising.
On the occasion, His Excellency Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa affirmed that the strategic partnership reflects Bahrain's distinguished standing as a destination for high-quality investment and meaningful international partnerships. He noted that the investment in the SLAM Fund is fully aligned with the Kingdom's drive to diversify investment opportunities and harness the potential of emerging sectors in support of sustained economic growth.

His Excellency further emphasised that the partnership represents an important step towards attracting greater global investment and expertise to the Kingdom, reinforcing Bahrain's position as a regional hub for business and investment, and advancing the goals of Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030 through economic diversification and the creation of new avenues for sustainable growth.

His Excellency Shaikh Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive Officer of Mumtalakat, said: "“At Mumtalakat, we continue to grow our portfolio through partnerships with investors who share our long-term perspective. Our collaboration with TRAIL introduces the SLAM sectors as a new asset class to Bahrain and the wider GCC, reflecting our commitment to diversifying our portfolio and unlocking new avenues for value creation. This partnership is designed to deliver sustainable long-term financial returns while contributing to tangible economic impact for the Kingdom of Bahrain."

“The convergence of sport, luxury, arts and music is creating one of the most compelling value-creation opportunities of the coming decade, and SLAM was built to capture it. We are convinced of the considerable development potential of the GCC region in the SLAM sectors and we are delighted to form this strategic partnership with Mumtalakat,” said Xavier Marin, President of TRAIL.