Zest Equity, a digital transactional infrastructure company powering private-market transactions, has appointed Zeid Barghouti as the Senior Executive Officer of its FSRA-regulated entity, ZE Transaction Solutions Limited (“Zest ADGM”).
Barghouti, who has served as the Senior Executive Officer of the ADGM-based entity since its inception, also acts as the Head of Business Development and Partnerships at Zest Equity. In this capacity, he is responsible for driving commercial growth across the firm’s SPV platform, managing strategic partnerships, overseeing client relationships, and spearheading market expansion across the MENA region.
In his formalized role as Senior Executive Officer, Barghouti will oversee Zest ADGM and support the ongoing development of its escrow and transaction facilitation solutions tailored for private markets.
Scaling regulated products
Zest Equity is actively building its presence as a foundational digital transactional infrastructure company. Built in the UAE and anchored within the ADGM’s regulatory framework, the company develops its core technology within the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).
Since its founding, the Zest Equity group has digitized more than $230million in transactions across over 200 deals. Furthermore, the firm has received authorization from the FSRA for Zest ADGM to offer both its Zest Arrange and Zest Escrow products. Zest ADGM is fully regulated to deliver the firm’s payment services and arranging deals in investment services to clients across the MENA region and beyond.
Zuhair Shamma, co-founder and CEO of Zest Equity, noted that the appointment actively reflects the company’s commitment to building institutional-grade leadership.
“Zeid has been instrumental to the commercial development of Zest Equity, and the regulatory remit he now assumes is the natural next step as we scale the digital infrastructure underpinning private-market transactions,” Shamma stated. “His combination of regulatory experience and commercial acumen is exactly what this stage of the business demands. His leadership will be central as we scale the institutional infrastructure private markets require.”
A record in regulated financial services
Barghouti brings an established record in regulated financial services across the Gulf region. Prior to joining Zest Equity, he served as the Senior Executive Officer at Capital Investments DIFC Ltd and held senior treasury and financial institution roles within the Capital Bank Group. He also holds an MBA from the University of Manchester and a BSc in Business Management from the University of Surrey.
Commenting on his appointment, Barghouti emphasized the firm’s unique market position.
“Zest Equity occupies a distinctive position in the regional private markets landscape and Zest is a genuine foundation for institutional growth in the region’s private markets,” said Barghouti. “I look forward to contributing further to its development and to the firm’s broader commercial expansion across the region’s private-market ecosystem.”