Abu Dhabi’s IHC Targets Space Economy with 80% Acquisition of Marlan Holding

Abu Dhabi’s International Holding Company is in the process of acquiring an 80 per cent stake in Marlan Holding as part of its strategic expansion into the space sector. The acquisition is being executed through IHC's subsidiary, International Tech Group, pending regulatory approvals, the company announced on Tuesday.

This majority acquisition broadens IHC’s technology portfolio to encompass deeptech and the burgeoning space economy. UAE-based Marlan serves as the holding company for Marlan Space, an investor-operator dedicated to space and space-relevant technologies, with a portfolio spanning space systems, autonomous operations, and advanced compute.

Marlan Space also founded and operates Abu Dhabi-based Orbitworks, a private space infrastructure company established as a joint venture with US-based Loft Orbital to manufacture commercial satellites at scale. Orbitworks designs, builds, tests, and operates satellite systems at its facility in Kezad, including the Altair programme—a multi-sensor, AI-enabled Earth observation constellation.

“Space is becoming an increasingly important part of the global technology and infrastructure landscape, with applications extending across communications, Earth observation, data, AI and many other sectors,” stated Syed Basar Shueb, chief executive of IHC. He added that the acquisition secures a strategic position for IHC in the new space economy while granting Marlan Space access to the group's capital and capabilities.

IHC operates through more than 1,300 subsidiaries and is one of the most valuable holding companies in the Middle East. Despite regional challenges, Mr Shueb previously confirmed that the company's investment strategy remains unchanged, with plans to deploy significant capital into global markets across sectors such as mining, energy, and financial services.

The transaction aligns with the broader growth of the global space economy, propelled by declining launch costs, heightened demand for satellite-enabled data, and rising investments in sovereign space capabilities. Through Marlan Space, IHC aims to reinforce Abu Dhabi’s expanding role in advanced technologies while bolstering the development of commercially scalable space infrastructure.