At IPEM Future Dubai, held in the DIFC Atrium on 3 November 2026, our Founder & Chairman Ahmad Saidali joined the panel “Energy, Infrastructure & the Physical Economy”, on how investors should approach real assets at a time of rapid change.
He was joined by Anish Patel, Partner and Co-Head of Energy Transition, Permira, and Boe Pahari, Chief Executive Officer, Vision Edge One. Khaled Abou Zahr, Founder of PE Forum, moderated the discussion.
Why real assets matter now
Ahmad framed the question through money itself. US money supply has grown from about 15.4 trillion dollars in February 2020 to about 23.4 trillion, an increase of roughly half. One in three dollars in circulation today did not exist six years ago. When money is created that quickly, families look for assets whose value cannot be printed, and real estate and infrastructure sit side by side in that part of a portfolio.
The tests we apply
He set out the tests an infrastructure asset has to pass: a hard asset, an essential use, long-term visibility of cash flow, a privileged position, and revenue that keeps pace with inflation. They are the same questions at the heart of how we assess property in Dubai: what the asset earns, how secure that income is, how scarce its position is, and whether rents can rise with costs over time.
Property earns its place in a family portfolio the same way infrastructure does: through durable income, a scarce position and the ability to keep pace with inflation.
He also pointed to the energy demand behind artificial intelligence, where power, grids, storage and land are the foundations of the build-out.
Our thanks to IPEM, PE Forum and DIFC for convening a conference of this calibre.
Redwood Heritage Real Estate is a Dubai property advisory and brokerage firm (RERA ORN 40504) and part of Redwood Heritage Group, headquartered in Dubai with a presence in Geneva and Zurich.
The firm advises families, family offices and international investors on Dubai property as part of their wider wealth: acquisition, structuring, residency and long term stewardship. Its Founder & Chairman, Ahmad Saidali, brings a background in Swiss private banking, fund structuring, cross-border wealth advisory and multi-asset portfolio construction.
