Abu Dhabi Investment House (ADIH) is considering capitalising on distressed assets in the American and European markets, a senior official said.

Fawaz Al Jowder, deputy chief executive officer, told the CNBC Arabiya in an interview that the company had not ventured into these markets till now but it sees an opportunity now.

He pointed out that the company's venturing into the 'real economy' has enabled it to raise and maintain the value of its assets, pointing that that the company's assets rose from Dh853 million in 2007 to Dh1.54 billion in 2008, a 81 per cent increase.

“The company shifted its direction in 2008 towards the ‘real economy’, which includes health, agriculture, communications and clean energy sectors,” he said.

In addition, Al Jowder said the changes included the 'Vision 3' alliance between Abu Dhabi Investment House, Gulf Finance House and Ithmaar Bank. “The goal of the alliance is to leverage their combined experience across a variety of sectors in the identification of unique investment opportunities within the hospitality, infrastructure and agricultural sectors,” he said.

Al Jowder said the company has extended its operations to North Africa including Morocco and Tunisia, and South East Asia. It has also made significant investments in funds such as the India Entertainment City, part of the Qatar Entertainment City. – TradeArabia News Service