Arab sovereign wealth funds are emerging as some of the most influential buyers, pouring tens of billions of dollars into artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure at a time when state-owned investors’ assets have swelled to record highs.
A report by Global SWF, the industry research platform, shows sovereign wealth funds worldwide amassed a record $15 trillion in assets under management in 2025, driven in part by an unprecedented focus on technology, data and entertainment platforms.
Taking out that deal, Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala was the most active sovereign wealth fund, investing a record $32.7 billion over 40 transactions, according to the report.
Arab SWFs have long used hydrocarbon revenue to build global portfolios. But the magnitude and direction of their 2025 deployments reflect a strategic pivot toward future-oriented sectors, particularly artificial intelligence, cloud and data infrastructure, digital media content and entertainment.
That shift has been accompanied by one of the most closely watched transactions of the year — the proposed acquisition of Hollywood studio Warner Bros Discovery.
In late 2025, reports surfaced that Paramount Skydance was assembling a massive $71 billion bid for Warner Bros Discovery with backing from Middle Eastern sovereign investors, including Saudi Arabia’s PIF, Qatar’s QIA and Abu Dhabi’s ADIA. The Variety report, widely circulated in November, cited unnamed sources indicating the funds would take minority stakes alongside Paramount’s offer.
Paramount later denied the specifics of that report, calling it “categorically inaccurate” while declining to comment on details of a confidential deal process.
