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Marrakech – Forbes Middle East this Thursday unveiled its annual Top 50 Asset Managers ranking for 2026. Reda Hilali, CEO of Wafa Gestion, secured the 11th spot on the list. He is the only Moroccan-based leader featured in this year’s edition.
Hilali has led Wafa Gestion, a subsidiary of Attijariwafa Bank, since 2016. Under his leadership, the firm’s assets under management exceeded $17.7 billion in 2025. That figure reflects annual growth of over 21%. Wafa Gestion maintained an average market share of 22.4% throughout the year. Hilali previously served as president of ASFIM, the Moroccan asset management association.
In 2025, Wafa Gestion launched three balanced funds tailored for high-net-worth families. The firm also introduced one long-term fixed-income dedicated fund for an institutional client. These launches contributed to its standing in the regional ranking.
The Forbes Middle East list spotlights 50 leaders from eight Arab countries. Their firms collectively managed more than $554 billion in assets in 2025. The ranking covers local and international equities, debt funds, discretionary portfolios, real estate investments, REITs, and private equity.
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GCC-based leaders account for 43 of the 50 entries. Saudi Arabia leads the ranking with 20 entries, whose firms managed more than $285 billion in assets. Kuwait follows with eight leaders overseeing $94.2 billion. The UAE and Egypt each contributed six leaders. Qatar had five entries, Bahrain three, and Oman one.
Outside the GCC, Morocco is represented by one leader whose firm managed $17.5 billion. Egypt contributed six leaders whose firms managed $13.7 billion.
SNB Capital’s Rashed Sharif retained the top position for a third consecutive year, managing $70.1 billion in assets. Investcorp’s Mohammed Alardhi held second place with $62.3 billion. NBK Wealth Group’s Faisal Al-Hamad climbed from eighth to third, managing $48.3 billion.
Forbes Middle East compiled the ranking using a weighted evaluation. The primary indicator was total assets under management as of December 31, 2025.
The methodology also factored in AUM growth from 2024 to 2025, leadership experience and tenure, key achievements over the past year, and institutional strength.
Independent asset management firms received higher weight over bank-backed ones. The list is nearly evenly split between leaders of independent firms, with 26 entries, and leaders of bank-affiliated businesses, with 24.
