By Micaela Tuckwell

I2BF Holdings has been granted a licence by the Dubai Financial Services Authority as an authorised firm and consequently has opened its office at the Dubai International Financial Centre.

The office in Dubai will be headed by Nizar Hachem, a partner at I2BF, who comments: “We at I2BF are delighted to have extended our global office network into the Gulf, where we believe there are exciting opportunities for further investment in clean technologies. Governments in the MENA region have moved to embrace renewable energy, as the region has a great potential for exporting renewable energy.”

Founded in 2005 in Silicon Valley, California, 12BF has over US$110 million in AUM across its venture capital fund I2BF Holdings I and its quantitative long/short hedge fund I2BF Arbat Clean Technology Fund.

In 2010 it announced the launch of two further venture funds – I2BF Venture Fund II and VTB-I2BF Venture Fund. The former aims to raise US$100m for investments in renewables, energy efficiency and storage technologies, industrial processes and technologies, and water use and purification technologies.

With offices currently in London, New York and Moscow, I2BF currently has sixteen investments in renewable projects across Europe, Asia and the US.