Dubai’s Royal Financial Group Crosses US$850 Million in Transaction Value, Targets US$2.5 Billion Next

Dubai, United Arab Emirates Oct 26, 2026 (EMWNews.com) – Royal Financial Group (RFG), a Dubai-headquartered corporate finance and funding house, has reached US$850 million in total transaction value across funding arrangement, consortium and syndicated financing, refinancing and advisory mandates. The group has set out a phased growth plan: US$2.5 billion within the next five years, followed by US$5 billion over the three to five years after that, as it deepens its presence in Africa and Europe and expands into India, China and the United States.

The US$850 million figure covers transactions arranged, structured or advised on by the firm and its principals across more than 100 mandates, in sectors ranging from oil and gas and shipping to technology and real estate.

“Our first US$850 million was built one transaction at a time, and each one was structured around the business in front of us,” said a Royal Financial Group spokesperson. “US$2.5 billion is the next step, and US$5 billion the one after. Each phase means more capital, more sectors and faster decisions for the companies that come to us.”

One partner, many sources of capital

RFG works with companies and project sponsors from the first review through to drawdown. It assesses the business, builds a lender-ready case and structures the facility, then brings the capital together through its global network of co-financing partners: sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, insurers, the specialty finance desks of international banks, private credit funds, private equity, family offices and high-net-worth investors. Depending on its size, a transaction may be placed with a single partner, a small club or a wider syndicate. Throughout, the company deals with one point of contact.

Pricing and structure

Facilities arranged through RFG are priced over international floating-rate benchmarks: SOFR for US dollar funding, SONIA for sterling and EURIBOR for euro facilities. The margin over the benchmark starts at a minimum of 3 to 4 percent and is set case by case, according to tenor, security, jurisdiction and risk.

Loan-to-value typically runs at 70 to 80 percent. For projects with strong contracted cash flow, where sponsors also want part of their equity contribution financed, RFG and its partners will consider funding of up to 100 percent of project cost on a case-by-case basis.

The group arranges both secured and unsecured facilities. Where collateral is limited or absent, the case is built on cash flow, contracts and counterparty strength instead. Structures include senior and unitranche debt, mezzanine, bridge, project and acquisition finance, asset-backed lending, trade and receivables finance, and refinancing. Funds are usually released in tranches tied to project milestones, so a company carries only the capital it needs. RFG does not charge upfront fees for assessing a transaction.

From heavy industry to the internet

RFG built its track record in capital-intensive sectors: oil and gas, energy trading, shipping, telecom infrastructure, solar and wider renewables, infrastructure, mining and real estate. These are transactions built on contracted revenue, physical assets and long-dated cash flow.

Since 2020, as the pandemic accelerated digital adoption and venture capital flowed into technology at record levels, the group has also arranged funding for internet and technology companies, e-commerce platforms and asset-light startups. In these businesses, value sits in recurring revenue, subscriptions and payment flows rather than in plant or property. “A good digital business can carry debt without owning a single heavy asset,” the spokesperson said. “Founders should not have to give away equity for capital their revenue can already support.”

Where the group works

In Africa, RFG is active in Ghana, Congo, Zambia and South Africa, as well as East Africa, where it took part in the club facility for a 120 MWac solar plant. In Europe it works across the DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), the Benelux and the United Kingdom. It is now building its presence in India and China, and plans to open a direct presence in the United States, where it has already completed real estate and acquisition finance transactions.

Where traditional channels step back

Private credit has become one of the largest sources of corporate funding worldwide, with global assets of around US$3.5 trillion according to the Alternative Credit Council. Banks, bound by capital rules and standard templates, often step back from complex, cross-border or unconventional transactions. Private capital fills that gap: credit-starved markets, asset-light businesses and time-critical situations where speed decides the outcome.

The need is sharpest in Africa. The African Development Bank estimates the continent’s infrastructure financing gap at between US$68 billion and US$108 billion a year. “In much of Africa the projects are ready and the demand is real. What is missing is the money,” the spokesperson said. “Bringing the right capital to those projects is exactly what we do.”

Track record

Recent transactions include a EUR 42 million super-senior rescue facility for a four-site Spanish ceramics group, repaid in full in January 2025 through a bank refinancing, and a US$32 million facility for a copper tailings retreatment plant in Zambia, repaid in full in October 2025. All eight transactions the group has disclosed across four continents are repaid, refinanced or performing.

Every transaction goes through a full review of commercial viability, quality of revenue, contracts and the background of the principals before it is taken forward. All facilities are subject to due diligence, credit approval and documentation.

About Royal Financial Group

Royal Financial Group is a Dubai-headquartered corporate finance and funding house. It arranges, structures, syndicates and refinances funding for companies and projects through a global network of capital partners across the GCC, Africa, Europe and Asia. Its services cover funding arrangement, syndication, refinancing, M&A, valuation, due diligence and advisory.