UAE-based fintech Lucid Capital has secured $2.5 million in Seed funding, led by Saudi investment firm Tharawat Holding, as it scales its artificial intelligence-driven algorithmic trading platform from Abu Dhabi.
The round, completed in December 2025, also included participation from Singular Link, an AI-focused strategic investment firm. Separately, Lucid Capital has obtained $200 million in capital commitments from financial institutions and accredited investors to deploy its trading strategies across US equities and digital asset markets.
The transaction highlights sustained regional investor appetite for quantitative finance and AI-led trading models, particularly as the UAE strengthens its position as a hub for advanced financial services.
Building a quantitative trading platform from the UAE
Founded in the United States in 2022, Lucid Capital is a quantitative algo fintech specialising in algorithmic trading and systematic investment strategies. The company has since relocated its headquarters to Abu Dhabi Global Market on Al Maryah Island, reflecting a strategic shift towards the Middle East’s growing fintech ecosystem.
Lucid Capital develops and operates proprietary trading systems that combine quantitative research, machine learning, and autonomous AI agents. Its platform is designed to dynamically adapt to changing market conditions, optimising trade execution and managing risk in real time across liquid but volatile markets.
The firm currently focuses on US equities and digital assets, applying adaptive frequency control and AI-led execution techniques aimed at delivering consistent, risk-adjusted returns. According to public disclosures, Lucid Capital employs a team of between 11 and 50 professionals, including quantitative researchers and engineers.
Founding team and technical orientation
Lucid Capital was founded by Hamad Aldighrir, Ye Gu, and San X., a co-founder whose name is also cited as San Shi in some regional coverage. The company continues to use “San X.” in its primary disclosures.
Ye Gu serves as Chief Technology Officer and Chief Investment Officer, overseeing the firm’s trading models, research pipeline, and technology infrastructure. The founding team positions Lucid Capital as a technology-first operation, prioritising automation, system resilience, and long-term performance rather than discretionary or short-term trading approaches.
While detailed public biographies of the founders are limited, the firm’s communications emphasise a research-driven culture and a long-term mindset in building scalable trading systems.
Seed funding to expand AI research and infrastructure
The $2.5 million Seed round was led by Tharawat Holding, a Riyadh-headquartered investment holding company established in 2008. Tharawat Holding has a diversified regional portfolio and has increasingly focused on technology-led investments aligned with digital transformation across the Middle East.
Singular Link also participated in the round. Singular Link invests in companies developing applied artificial intelligence solutions and supports portfolio firms through strategic partnerships and access to global capital networks.
Lucid Capital plans to use the equity funding to expand its trading strategies, strengthen its technology stack, and advance research into AI-driven and autonomous trading systems. The company has also indicated that it will deepen institutional partnerships as it scales its operations across global markets.
$200 million in capital commitments for strategy deployment
Alongside the Seed round, Lucid Capital disclosed $200 million in capital commitments from institutions and accredited investors. These funds are earmarked for deploying the company’s strategies rather than for corporate operations, a distinction that separates trading capital from equity financing.
Although the firm has not disclosed the identities of the committing investors, the scale of the commitments points to growing institutional interest in systematic, AI-powered trading strategies, particularly those focused on execution efficiency and risk management in volatile markets.
This dual structure of equity funding and external trading capital allows Lucid Capital to scale its strategies without diverting internal resources away from research and infrastructure development.
ADGM and the UAE’s appeal for quantitative finance
Lucid Capital’s base at Abu Dhabi Global Market reflects broader shifts within the regional financial landscape. ADGM has emerged as a key destination for fintech, quantitative trading firms, and digital asset businesses, offering a regulatory framework aligned with international standards and a common law system familiar to global investors.
The UAE’s wider policy focus on artificial intelligence, financial innovation, and capital markets development has attracted firms seeking to operate across jurisdictions while remaining close to regional pools of capital. For quantitative trading companies, this environment combines regulatory clarity with access to institutional allocators increasingly interested in technology-enabled investment strategies.
As Middle Eastern investors expand their exposure to global markets, demand for systematic and AI-driven approaches continues to rise.
Navigating opportunity and risk in AI-led trading
While interest in AI-driven algorithmic trading remains strong, the sector operates in a highly competitive and regulated environment. Digital asset markets, in particular, face ongoing regulatory scrutiny and sharp swings in liquidity and sentiment.
Firms such as Lucid Capital must continuously invest in model robustness, infrastructure reliability, and governance to operate at scale. The company’s emphasis on autonomous agents and adaptive systems suggests a strategy designed to manage these challenges through real-time responsiveness and automation.
Institutional investors, meanwhile, are placing increasing weight on transparency and risk controls when allocating capital to quantitative strategies.
Outlook
With new Seed funding and substantial capital commitments in place, Lucid Capital is entering its next phase of growth with strengthened resources and institutional backing. The company plans to deepen its AI research capabilities, expand its trading infrastructure, and build long-term partnerships as it scales its presence across global markets.
For the UAE’s fintech ecosystem, the deal reinforces Abu Dhabi’s position as a base for sophisticated, technology-driven financial firms with international ambitions, and reflects the region’s growing role in shaping the future of quantitative finance.
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Last Updated on December 29, 2025 by Safiya K
