Arif Naqvi
Founder, Group Chief Executive @ Abraaj Group
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Arif Naqvi is a Series A investor at Abraaj Group in Dubai focused on SEO and Apps. Arif Naqvi established The Abraaj Group in 2002 and has served as its Group Chief Executive since inception, building it into one of the leading private equity firms in the world. Abraaj is widely recognized as a pioneer of global growth markets private equity with 25 country offices including 5 regional hubs in Dubai, Istanbul, Mexico City,Nairobi and Singapore. Mr. Naqvi has over three decades of experience of investing in public and private companies and has led the Group’s investment strategy, resulting in some of the most notable private equity transactions across global growth markets over the last decade.Mr. Naqvi is a Trustee of the Interpol Foundation and on the Board of the United Nations Global Compact as well as the Global Leadership Council of Columbia University. He is a Council Member of the Belfer Center International at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Art in London.Mr. Naqvi has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Oslo Business for Peace Award, the highest form of recognition given to individual private sector leaders for fostering peace and stability through business, and the Sitara-i-Imtiaz, a prominent civilian honor awarded by the Government of Pakistan. In 2011, Private Equity International named him as one of the 50 most influential people in the global private equity industry.In 2008, Mr. Naqvi and his family established the Aman Foundation, the largest private social sector enterprise in Pakistan, which supports sustainable development in healthcare, nutrition and education.Mr. Naqvi is a graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
- Total investments:
- 1
- Last investment:
- Lead investor:
- 0%
Last updated:
For AI agents: llms.txt
Industries Arif Naqvi invests in
Stages Arif Naqvi invests in
Countries Arif Naqvi invests in
Investment Focus
Industry
- SEO 1 (100%)
- Apps 1 (100%)
- FinTech 1 (100%)
- Payments 1 (100%)
- Consulting 1 (100%)
Investments
| Company | Description | Round | Links |
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Paying people living in extreme poverty is hard. Segovia technology makes it easy, facilitating payments across Africa and Asia through an integrated platform with support for both corporate payments and social programs. Segovia payments are helping refugees restart their lives in Europe, helping communities rebuild after Ebola in Liberia, andsupporting gig economy workers in East Africa, among many other applications.Segovia’s team combines talented engineering with expertise in emerging-markets payments. Our team includes the co-founders of GiveDirectly, along with early technical leaders behind the IBM SmartCloud, Facebook’s internationalization team, and Google’s search query monetization and Palantir’s expansion into commercial work. Investment is led by Reif Hoffman along with Arif Naqvi, the Omidyar Network, and others. | $13.8M / Series A / Jul 24, 2015 |
Co-Investors
About Abraaj Group
We are a global institution investing in growth markets across Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Turkey. Founded in 2002 by Founder and Chief Executive Arif Naqvi, we have pioneered the private equity industry in many of the markets where we operate. Our journey has been one of innovation and entrepreneurial drive.We have developeda purpose-built approach for investing in growth markets. Some of the world’s most demanding institutions have entrusted us to manage capital on their behalf. We currently manage US$ 13.6 billion in assets and are focused on investment strategies across private equity, private credit, impact investing and real estate. By combining deep local reach, a global platform and underwriting standards, with extensive operating capabilities, we generate industry-leading returns and create value in market-leading companies.
Abraaj Group Contacts
| Name | Phone | Socials | |
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Arif Naqvi
Founder, Group Chief Executive
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Jacob Kholi
Partner
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Ahsan Naqvi
Analyst
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Davinder Sikand
Partner
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Mark A. Bourgeois
Partner and Global Head of Investor Engagement.
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FAQ
What does Arif Naqvi invest in?
Arif Naqvi invests primarily in SEO, Apps and FinTech startups, most often at Series A stage. Most of the 1 investments tracked by Shizune back companies in United States. The Investment Focus section breaks down every industry, stage and country in the portfolio.
When did Arif Naqvi last invest?
The most recent investment recorded for Arif Naqvi closed in Jul 2015. Shizune tracks 1 investments in total for this profile, including round sizes, stages and portfolio companies, all sourced from confirmed public funding rounds and refreshed monthly.
Is Shizune's investor data accurate?
Yes — every stat on this profile is calculated from confirmed public funding rounds monitored across hundreds of sources since 2020. This profile was last refreshed in Aug 2026 and is updated monthly. Spotted something off? Use the “Suggest an edit” link near the top of the page.
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