The future of private market transactions across the region is at an unprecedented crossroads. As capital deployment accelerates, the traditional approach to dealmaking is no longer sufficient to meet the demands of a modern ecosystem.

We are seeing three major shifts redefine the landscape:

• A generational wealth transfer: Nearly 70% of family offices in the MENA region have already transitioned to the second or third generation. A new cohort of digitally native family office heirs is taking the lead, prioritizing seamless, tech-driven investment experiences over manual processes.
• The need for liquidity: 2025 was the year secondaries became a critical liquidity valve for global investors, offloading an estimated ~$200B of fund stakes. With a drop in IPO volume across the region (and globally), investors are searching for alternative ways to manage liquidity. Managing these complex shareholder events requires sophisticated, digital-first execution tools.
• Heightened global standards: With a 41% increase in regional M&A activity in 2025, along with cross-border deals accounting for a record 54% of transaction volume, international investors now expect private market transactions to mirror the transparency, governance, and speed of public market trades.

Despite these shifts, the average deal journey is still buried in friction. Relying on WhatsApp chasers, PDF emails, and manual follow-ups doesn't just slow things down - it kills momentum, resulting in lost deals and disengaged investors.

Zest has been quietly working to fundamentally change the way the region transacts. With over 200 transactions and $250M in deal volume digitized, Zest is replacing the status quo with a singular digital backbone, moving from yesterday’s manual tools to tomorrow’s digital rails.

The power of three unified capabilities: Simplify. Safeguard. Scale.

Zest Equity’s platform is built on three core capabilities designed to digitally execute, govern, and scale your private market transaction.

1. Simplify: Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs)

Managing a diverse group of investors can quickly lead to stakeholder sprawl. Zest’s SPV infrastructure allows you to group multiple investors into one clean, legal investment vehicle.

• One investment vehicle for your investors: Consolidate your stakeholders into a single investment vehicle, built for either primary or secondary transactions.
• Fully digital onboarding, signing, and funding: Eliminate manual overhead with a completely digitized registration and execution workflow.
• Global-ready: Leverage Cayman-domiciled structures that provide international flexibility.
• Secure compliance built in: Automate investor onboarding and tax compliance, including AML and FATCA/CRS checks across jurisdictions.
• Flexible across asset classes: Seamlessly adapt your vehicle for equity, credit, real estate, convertibles, and other asset types.

2. Safeguard: Regulated Escrow Services

Trust is the most critical asset in any transaction. Zest provides escrow services that are regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) and designed to safeguard funds as a neutral third party.

• Trusted and impartial: Funds are segregated and released on an authorized-instruction basis, regulated under the Providing Money Services license by the ADGM Financial Services Regulatory Authority.
• Seamless control: Gain complete oversight with seamless digital onboarding, real-time visibility, and a complete audit trail, all in one secure platform.
• Faster to market: Set up your escrow account in hours, rather than weeks, and leverage the same infrastructure for multiple deals.
• Regionally ready: Purpose-built to serve participants across the GCC, MENA, and globally.

3. Scale: Arrange Private Deal Flow

To reach the next level of capital formation, you need reliable rails. Zest’s FSRA-regulated arranging services provide the channels necessary to facilitate capital flows at scale.

• Plug into trusted rails: Run your deals using Zest’s arranging framework, leveraging our regulated rails to facilitate private capital flows.
• All-in-one execution: Consolidate participant onboarding, track commitments and funding in a single digital workflow, adding a layer of traceability and efficiency across the process.
• Deal-lead network: Connect with dealmakers to expand your network and diversify your portfolio of investment opportunities. Tap into our platform to connect with a network of deal leads with a wide and diversified reach.
• Flexible models: Maintain tailored control and governance by working with both Zest and our partner model.

Built for MENA, ready for the world

Zest is uniquely positioned as the go-to digital platform powering private markets across MENA. Our infrastructure is deeply rooted in regional expertise, featuring:

• UAE-based rails: Regulated by the ADGM Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA) for Providing Money Services and Arranging Deals in Investments, we operate under a clear framework designed for institutional transactions.
• Cross-border execution: Engineered to make multi-party, international transactions seamless, our platform operates to global best-practice standards, enabling you to move capital confidently across jurisdictions.
• Regional support: From customizable workflows to Arabic language support, we bridge the gap between global best practices and regional market nuances.

We know that every deal looks different, whether you are an investment fund or family office, co-investor or deal lead, or a company executing a transaction. Zest’s modular platform enables participants to design their deal with the tools they need.

Infrastructure as a competitive advantage

Private markets are no longer just an alternative allocation - they are a requirement in modern portfolios. According to a recent study, 73% of global institutions expect private markets to outperform public markets over the next five years. These expectations are changing the way investors deploy capital: over 90% of institutional investors now hold both private equity and private credit (up from ~45% just four years ago), and 66% plan to increase their private-asset allocations over the next five years.

But there is a catch: administrative friction is actively killing deals. A 2025 CSC survey found that 92% of LPs cite operational risk and transparency as top concerns, and 40% of investors have walked away from funds specifically due to operational complexity or reporting issues.

In today’s market, seamless execution and speed are your competitive advantages. While legacy processes can take weeks or months to finalize, Zest’s modular infrastructure enables deal makers to set up and close transactions in days, not weeks.

Zest has already digitized 200+ transactions worth over $250M with 1,650+ participants, enabling deal teams to bring together capital and run repeatable private-market workflows through one integrated platform.

Ready to modernize your transaction? Talk to our team.