Fans of opposing teams may well be dismayed to learn that Abu Dhabi-owned reigning English Premier League football champions Manchester City are set to cement their dominance further.
Acronis, a global leader in hybrid cloud solutions, on Tuesday announced a global technology partnership with City. As part of the partnership, the tech company will help the club to enhance and develop its data back-up and storage capabilities.
In top flight football, teams rely on data to review their performances and analyse the opposition. Developing a winning game plan involves meticulous analysis of many key elements, including passes, touches, set-piece goals, player heat maps and much more - which are studied before, during and after every match in order to get that vital competitor edge over the opposition.
“At the highest level of competition, data is a critical asset. We are confident this partnership will benefit Manchester City, Acronis, and all our partners and customers,” said John Zanni, president of Acronis.
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Technology, data in particular, is increasingly important to teams in the ever-developing digital age. So much so that during the days leading up to important matches, data is available through iPads in the Manchester City locker room so that players can review historical data with their coaches and make last-minute adjustments to the playbook. It is also vital for the team to analyse data in their post-match analysis.
“A football club like Manchester City has a huge volume of data – covering everything from our players and fans to the day to day operation of our business – and we are excited to leverage Acronis’ expertise to enhance our data storage and backup functions," said Damian Willoughby, senior vice president of partnership at City Football Group.
Today enhanced by AI-based Active Protection technology, blockchain-based authentication and a unique hybrid-cloud architecture, Acronis was founded in Singapore in 2003, and incorporated in Switzerland in 2008. It has more than five million consumers and 500,000 businesses worldwide, including 79 of the top 100 most valuable brands, the firm said.
There may be further possibilities down the line for Acronis. Manchester City is one of eight teams comprising the City Football Group, which includes New York City FC, Melbourne City FC, Yokohama F Marinos, Club Atlético Torque and FC Girona.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium, Malayisa
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia on October 10
Warlight,
Michael Ondaatje, Knopf
