Dubai South G+6
Dubai, UAE · 2023
AED 5M
Delivered. 62 units. Fully leased. Zero debt.
The financial system is built on debt.We built the alternative.
Sam Amin, founder statement
1971 Capital is a debt-free, operator-led real asset platform for US accredited investors. Direct exposure to income-producing assets across the GCC. No leverage. No layers. No interest.
- Reg D 506(c)
- CMA Regulated
- Audited by Grant Thornton
- Custody: First Abu Dhabi Bank
- Shariah-Observant
Check My Eligibility→
Takes 2 minutes. No commitment. Accredited investors only.
This is not an offer to sell securities.
The system wasn't built for you. It was built to extract from you.
Fee layers
Leverage stack
Certificate stamp
Every product has a manager taking a fee before you see a return.
Every leveraged fund is one bad cycle away from a margin call you did not model.
Every “halal” label is a certificate on top of a structure that was never designed to be halal.
1971 Capital was built because we got tired of seeing disciplined investors forced into undisciplined products.
Why I built this
I started in this business the way most operators do: on site, with a shovel's distance from the work.
For years I watched the same pattern repeat. Disciplined investors placing capital with people who had never built, leased, or managed anything themselves. Platforms selling access to deals they did not underwrite. Funds stacking fees across layers none of their investors could see. And when cycles turned, the investors carried the losses while the managers collected the fees.
I had deployed and managed over USD 220 million in real assets across two continents. Not through a fund. Directly. On the ground. And I kept asking the same question: why doesn't a platform exist that invests the way we invest privately, with no debt at the asset level, with the operator accountable end-to-end, and with every institutional safeguard in place?
The answer was that nobody had built it yet.
So we did.
1971 Capital is not a better version of the existing system. It is a rejection of it.
Sam Amin
Founder & Chairman, 1971 Capital
Four doors. Four locks.
Over 150 combined years in this industry, we've watched capital disappear through the same four doors, every time. We built a lock for each one.
DoorScam
Capital placed with no regulator, no license, no recourse.
Lock01. Regulated
We operate under Reg D 506(c) and our GCC entity under the UAE Capital Markets Authority. Institutional oversight, not a self-certified claim.
DoorIncompetence
Capital placed with managers who allocate but never build, lease, or fix anything themselves.
Lock02. Operator-Led
The people who source an asset are the same people who manage it, end to end. USD 1 billion+ in transactions, operated directly.
DoorLeverage and Bad Debt
Capital wiped out not by a bad asset, but by the loan against it.
Lock03. Debt-Free
Zero dollars of asset-level debt, ever, in the United States or the UAE. First of its kind.
DoorPaper Promises
Capital tied to a spreadsheet projection instead of a physical, income-producing property.
Lock04. Asset-Backed
Essential commercial real estate. Income-producing. Nothing paper, nothing synthetic.
Built as the alternative, not a variation. See if you qualify.
Check My Eligibility→Takes 2 minutes. No commitment. Accredited investors only.
This is not an offer to sell securities.
Four reasons your capital is protected. Not one. Four.
Every door has one lock. Ours has four. Any one of them stops capital going somewhere it should not.
01Operator-Led
We buy it. We run it.
The people managing the asset are the people who bought it.
02Regulated
CMA fund. Reg D feeder.
Audited by Grant Thornton. Custody at First Abu Dhabi Bank.
03Debt-Free
No interest-based loans.
No debt to service. No refinancing risk. No margin call.
04Asset-Backed
A deed. A tenant. Cash.
Every dollar sits behind a physical, income-producing asset.
Click any lock to see how it works.
Lock 1 · Regulated
Institutional oversight from three separate points, not one self-certified claim.
- 01
Reg D Rule 506(c): our US Feeder LP operates under this SEC exemption, available to accredited investors only.
- 02
UAE Capital Markets Authority: our UAE Master Fund is a CMA-regulated Appendix (2) fund.
- 03
Argentum Law: UAE regulatory and fund counsel, reviewing every fund document before it reaches an investor.
CMACapital Market Authority
Reg D 506(c)US SEC exemption
CMA-licensed manager
UAE fund counselLock 2 · Operator-Led
The people who source an asset are the same people who manage it.
- 01
An exceptional C-suite, architect behind USD 1 billion+ in real estate transactions.
- 02
An Investment Committee of capital markets and real asset veterans.
- 03
A Board of Advisors combining 150+ years of real estate and capital markets experience across three independent groups.
Proof story
In 2026, we walked away from a major GCC acquisition with capital ready to deploy. The deal failed our severe-stress test: 20% rent decline, 150 basis point cap rate expansion, 12-month delay. The walk-away is documented. That is what operator-led discipline looks like when the model says no.
Lock 3 · Debt-Free
Zero dollars of asset-level debt, ever, in the United States or the UAE.
01
A Shariah Supervisory Committee providing an independent, professional review layer with authority to halt any transaction where the structure is not Shariah-observant.
Most real estate funds use debt to amplify returns. But leverage amplifies losses just as efficiently as it amplifies gains. When rates rise, when tenants default, when markets correct, the debt payment does not stop. Investors carry the downside. The lender gets paid first. At 1971 Capital there is no debt at the asset level. Not in the SPV. Not in the holding structure. Not anywhere. This is not a preference. It is an architectural constraint.
Lock 4 · Asset-Backed
Essential commercial real estate. Nothing paper, nothing synthetic.
- 01
First Abu Dhabi Bank: custodian and administrator. Holds the cash. Holds the register. Nothing moves without them.
- 02
Grant Thornton: auditor. Independent verification of every number we publish.
- 03
GTAG (Gulf Tax Accounting Group): tax counsel across the platform.
Every dollar is backed by a physical asset with a title deed, a tenant, and a cash flow. Logistics warehouses, workforce housing, healthcare facilities, cold storage infrastructure. Assets the GCC economy cannot function without. Each held in a ring-fenced SPV. The income arrives because the asset earns it, not because a model projected it.
Representative asset class imagery
Four locks. Zero debt. One decision left to make.
Check My Eligibility→Takes 2 minutes. No commitment. Accredited investors only.
This is not an offer to sell securities.
We have done this before. Here is the record.
USD 220M+
Total capital deployed and managed
USD 1B+
Total transactions completed
450+
Deals sourced, underwritten and closed
2.0x
Average equity multiple on completed positions
Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Majan G+9
Dubai, UAE · 2025
AED 33M
Under construction. 94 units. Construction start October 2026.
Hampton Manor of Cape Coral
Cape Coral, FL, USA · 2024
[Capital on file]
Delivered. Operating at 11.2% stabilised yield.
US Commercial Portfolio
Michigan, USA · 2018 to 2022
USD 4.7M
Held. Fully tenanted. Generating rental income.
US Residential 110 units
Michigan, USA · 2015 to 2020
USD 5M
Exited at USD 10M. 2.0x return.
Swipe to see all five deals.
USD 200M+ deployed. Zero debt. See if you qualify.
Check My Eligibility→Takes 2 minutes. No commitment. Accredited investors only.
This is not an offer to sell securities.
Investment calculator
Model an illustrative five year hold.
| Year | Annual Distribution | Cumulative Cash Received | Exit Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USD 10,200 | USD 10,200 | – |
| 2 | USD 10,200 | USD 20,400 | – |
| 3 | USD 10,600 | USD 31,000 | – |
| 4 | USD 10,600 | USD 41,600 | – |
| 5 | USD 10,600 | USD 150,200 | USD 98,000 |
Total 5-Year Net IRR (illustrative)
10.1%
MOIC (total cash returned / invested capital)
1.50x
This calculator is illustrative only and does not represent a guarantee of any outcome. Actual returns depend on the Fund's actual performance, are subject to the terms of the Fund's offering documents, and investors may lose some or all of their invested capital.
How does this compare to everything else you could do with this capital?
| Criteria | 1971 Capital | US Equities | Bonds / Fixed Income | Sukuk | Leveraged RE Fund | Savings / Cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shariah-observant | Yes | No | No | Varies | No | No |
| Debt-free structure | Yes | No | N/A | Varies | No | Yes |
| Hard asset / inflation hedge | Yes. Rents track inflation. | Indirect. Paper claim. Earnings lag inflation under rate compression. | No. Real value erodes as inflation rises. | No. Fixed income. Real value erodes. | Yes. But mortgaged. Leverage adds rate risk. | No. |
| Income-producing | Yes. 9-11% target.* | Sometimes. Dividend-dependent. | Yes. Fixed coupon. | Yes. Profit-rate distributions. | Yes. 12-18% target.** | Yes. Interest rate only. |
| Leverage risk | None. Zero debt by mandate. | Company-level, opaque. | N/A | Varies by structure. | High. Asset is mortgaged. | None. |
| Management burden | None. Fully managed institutional team. | None. | None. | None. | Varies. | None. |
| Liquidity | Term-based (4+1+1 years). | High. | High. | Moderate. | Varies. | High. |
* Target return only. Not guaranteed. Actual results may differ materially.
** Leveraged real estate fund returns carry significantly higher risk including potential total loss of capital due to debt obligations.
Compare it to anything else. Then see if you qualify.
Check My Eligibility→Takes 2 minutes. No commitment. Accredited investors only.
This is not an offer to sell securities.
Sukuk was the best Shariah-observant income option available. Here is why it is no longer enough.
Supply has not kept pace with demand. The sukuk market is chronically undersupplied relative to the capital seeking placement.
Secondary market liquidity is limited. Holding to maturity is often the only real option, which makes it less liquid than it appears.
Most sukuk structures carry fixed-income characteristics. In a rising rate environment, the real yield erodes, just as with conventional debt.
1971 Capital was not built to replace sukuk. It was built to do what sukuk cannot: give you direct, debt-free, cash-generating ownership of a real asset, with returns tied to operational performance, not a coupon schedule.
Sukuk
1971 Capital
Fixed income characteristics
Variable income tied to asset performance
Limited supply
Actively expanded deal pipeline
Secondary market illiquid
Closed-end. Illiquidity by design, not limitation.
Yield erodes in rising rate environment
Asset cash flow independent of rate cycle
Certificate of ownership interest
Direct SPV exposure to titled real asset
Which assets are simplest to give Zakat on correctly?
| Zakat Dimension | Gold | Stocks | Sukuk | Own Real Estate Directly | 1971 Capital |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zakatable base | Full market value annually. | Complex. Approximately 30% balance-sheet ratio estimate. Requires per-company analysis. | Depends on structure. Ijara and Musharakah structures are look-through. Murabaha is full face value. Common source of error. | Income-based. Not the property itself. | Income-based. Matches your distribution exactly. |
| Calculation complexity | Simple. But the full value obligation each year is significant for large holdings. | Complex. Requires balance sheet analysis for each company held. | Complex. Structure-dependent. Wakalah sukuk is a look-through structure like Musharakah. Often incorrectly treated as Murabaha. | Simple. Zakat on net rental income only. | Simple. Zakat only on distributions received. |
| Common error risk | Low. Calculation is well established. | High. Many investors underestimate the zakatable amount. | High. Wakalah sukuk is frequently and incorrectly grouped with Murabaha, resulting in overpayment. | Low if income-only treatment is correctly applied. | Low. The distribution statement is the Zakat base. |
| Scholarly consensus | Settled. | Debated. Screening methodologies vary across scholars. | Debated. Structure-dependent. AAOIFI Shariah Standard No. 35 is the primary reference. | Settled. | Settled. Matches the direct real estate income treatment. |
Zakat analysis informed by AAOIFI Shariah Standard No. 35 and Fiqh Council of North America rulings. This table is educational guidance only and does not constitute a fatwa. Consult your scholar for personal Zakat advice.
The people accountable for your capital. Named. On the record.
Over 150 combined years across operating leadership, an investment committee, an independent board of advisors, and a Shariah supervisory committee. Every function that exists to check us sits outside our control, on purpose.
Founder and Operating Leadership
FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN
Sam Amin
Architect behind over USD 1 billion in real estate transactions. Built his track record sourcing, developing, and operating real estate in the United States before extending that discipline to the UAE, including Hampton Manor of Cape Coral in Florida and residential developments in Dubai South and Majan.
CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND PARTNER
Mohamed Sheikh Alsouk
Seventeen years delivering large-scale real estate across the UAE and wider GCC, including construction, fit-out, MEP, facilities management, and development management, and a construction company listing on the Qatar Stock Exchange.
CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER
Umair Waseem
Joins 1971 Capital having led one of the largest single real estate transactions in Canadian history, and having served as Chief Investment Officer at a regulated investment fund.
Investment Committee
MEMBER
Ashish Marwah
Co-founder, Neovision Investment Fund Management. Formerly Chief Investment Officer, ADS Investment Solutions (2014-2023). MBA, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
MEMBER
Atif Sarwar
Ten years at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse, London, before founding Capira Capital, which has raised over USD 1.3 billion across private equity and private real estate structures.
MEMBER
Dr. Ryan Lemand
Holds a Neovision Investment Fund Management seat on the Committee.
Board of Advisors
REAL ESTATE AND CAPITAL MARKETS
Simon Townsend
Chief Executive Officer, Avison Young MENA. Thirty years across the Gulf including CBRE, Cushman and Wakefield, and Ellington Capital.
DEVELOPMENT STRUCTURING AND DELIVERY RISK
Ebrahim Ismail
Operator and principal with over two decades building, governing, and exiting businesses across Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, including a nine-figure exit. Co-Founder and CEO, Next Capital Real Estate.
EMERGING-MARKET DEVELOPMENT AND PROPTECH
Amr Alabwaz
Chairman and CEO, York Holding Group, Tbilisi. Founder of two proptech ventures, including Dwelleo.
Shariah Supervisory Committee
CHAIRMAN
Dr. Mohamed Ali El Gari
PhD in Economics, University of California. Member, AAOIFI Shariah Council.
MEMBER
Prof. Datuk Dr. Mohamad Akram Laldin
PhD, University of Edinburgh. Former Executive Director, ISRA, Bank Negara Malaysia.
MEMBER
Sheikh Abdul Nasser Al Mannaie Altamimi
28+ years in Islamic banking and finance. Senior Vice President and Head of Internal Shariah Audit, Ajman Bank.
Every function that checks us sits outside our control.
INVESTMENT MANAGER
Neovision Investment Fund Management
CMA-licensed fund manager, executing every investment decision under regulatory oversight.
CUSTODIAN AND ADMINISTRATOR
First Abu Dhabi Bank
Holds the cash. Holds the register. Nothing moves without them.
AUDITOR
Grant Thornton
Independent verification of every number we publish. One of the top six global audit firms.
LEGAL COUNSEL
Argentum Law
UAE regulatory and fund counsel. Structures and reviews every fund document before it reaches an investor.
TAX ADVISOR
GTAG (Gulf Tax Accounting Group)
Regional tax and accounting counsel across the platform.
SHARIAH ADVISOR
Ebdaa Islamic Finance Consultancy
Independent Shariah Supervisory Committee secretariat.
Named people. Named auditors. Named custodian.
Check My Eligibility→Takes 2 minutes. No commitment. Accredited investors only.
This is not an offer to sell securities.
Mission & Vision
We are not trying to build a bigger fund. We are trying to prove something.
Vision
To build the first debt-free, regulated, operator-led real estate platform in the world, and to deploy USD 1 billion into real assets across this region within five years.
Mission
We acquire real assets outright. We hold every one of them without debt, for the full length of its term. We operate what we own, with the same team, in the same words, in every cycle we underwrite for. This is not a service standard we aspire to. It is the operating condition under which this platform exists.
Stated plainly
Almost every platform in this region grows by borrowing. We don’t. Not on the first deal, not on the hundredth. It is slower. It is also the only way capital survives a cycle it didn’t predict.
The bigger picture
1971 was the year the global monetary system decoupled from hard backing. Every year since, the system has rewarded leverage and punished the disciplined. We are building the platform for the investors who refused to accept that trade. Not because it is easier. Because it is right.
Three-year objective
USD 1 billion AUM. Debt-free. Within three years.
Not because the number is the goal. Because the number proves the thesis works.
FAQ
The questions serious investors ask. Answered directly.
Is my capital locked up?
Yes. This is a closed-end fund with a 4-year duration plus extension options. There is no early redemption mechanism. If you need access to this capital within two years, this vehicle is not suitable for you. That is not a limitation. It is what allows us to acquire assets at the right price and hold them without being forced sellers.
What happens if one deal fails?
Each asset is held in its own ring-fenced SPV. A problem in one asset does not affect the rest of the portfolio. You hold units in the fund, not direct ownership of individual assets.
What are the actual fees?
1.5% management fee on called capital per year, stepping to 1.0% at Year 3. 20% performance fee above an 8% preferred return, paid only on realised cash, never on paper marks. No entry fee, exit fee, acquisition fee, or monitoring fee.
How do I know the Shariah structure is real?
Three named scholars review every transaction before the investment committee votes. The chair is Dr. Mohamed Ali El Gari, member of the AAOIFI Shariah Council. The review covers financing structure, lease form, counterparty, and income source. It is on the page. You can read it.
What is the minimum investment?
USD 100,000 for US accredited investors. Accredited investor verification is completed through our onboarding platform before subscription.
What if the GCC real estate market corrects?
We model a 20% rent decline, 150 basis point cap rate expansion, and a 12-month timing delay on every deal before it reaches the investment committee. If the deal does not survive that scenario, it does not proceed. We walked away from a major acquisition in 2026 because of exactly this. The walk-away is documented.
How do distributions work?
Cash distributions twice a year, from operational cash flows, not paper valuations. First distribution targeted for Q2 2027.
Who holds my capital?
First Abu Dhabi Bank, as independent custodian and administrator, entirely separate from the Investment Manager. Audited annually by Grant Thornton.
You have done the research. Here is the next step.
A 20-minute discovery call. No commitment. No pitch. Your questions, answered directly by the people running the platform.
If your investment interest is USD 1,000,000 or above, Sam Amin will reach out to you personally within 24 hours.
USD 1,000,000 and above
Request a Direct Conversation→Sam Amin reaches out personally within 24 hours.
This is not an offer to sell securities. For accredited investors only under Reg D Rule 506(c). Investing involves risk including loss of principal.
See if you qualify.
Takes 2 minutes. No commitment. Accredited investors only.
Investor qualificationEligibility ·Step 1 of 8
Reg D 506(c)·Accredited investors only·Not an offer to sell securities