Mumtalakat, the holding company controlling the government’s commercial assets, sees opportunity in the global financial crisis.
It is the closest institution that oil-poor Bahrain has to a sovereign wealth fund. Talal al-Zain, its chief executive, says the global financial crisis may have made leverage more expensive, but it is also bringing down asset prices, a boon for the group, as it seeks to broaden its portfolio beyond its 30 per cent stake in the F1 racing group McClaren.
