Ares Management has provided $250m in debt financing to Dubai-based Property Finder, expanding its private credit presence in the Gulf as global investors continue to pour capital into the region’s fast-growing real estate sector, according to sources cited by Bloomberg.

The funding will support Property Finder’s expansion across the Middle East, according to founder and CEO Michael Lahyani. The deal follows a $525m equity investment earlier this year from private equity firms Permira and Blackstone, marking one of the largest capital raises in the region’s proptech sector.

The deal comes amid a flurry of activity in the region’s real estate and credit markets. Oaktree Capital recently extended a debt facility to Kuwait-based Arzan Investment Management, while Goldman Sachs and Brookfield have committed new funding to UAE property ventures.

Property Finder, which previously raised $90m in debt from Francisco Partners in 2024 to buy out its first institutional investor, plans to use the fresh capital to scale its operations and strengthen its technology platform.

Founded in 2007, Property Finder operates one of the Gulf’s leading online real estate portals and has benefited from Dubai’s post-pandemic property boom. The emirate has seen record-breaking transactions, new listings, and growing institutional investor interest in both public and private markets.

Ares, which manages more than $450bn in assets, has been steadily expanding its credit platform across Europe and the Middle East. In 2023, it launched a $1bn private credit fund in partnership with Abu Dhabi’s sovereign investor Mubadala and a flagship real estate developer to target UK and European realty assets.

The transaction underscores the Gulf’s growing role as a magnet for private credit, with institutional capital increasingly viewing the region as an investment destination rather than a source of sovereign wealth.

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