EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
A. MALIK: THE ARCHITECTURE OF SCALE
In a rare dialogue, the Chairman of MIHG discusses the transition from family office to sovereign-style platform, the strategy of silence, and the $53B mandate for 2026.
FORBES: YOU HAVE MOVED FROM A TRADITIONAL FAMILY OFFICE STRUCTURE TO WHAT YOU CALL A ‘SOVEREIGN-STYLE PLATFORM.’ WHY NOW, AND WHAT DOES THAT TRANSITION ACTUALLY MEAN FOR YOUR $53B MANDATE?
A. MALIK: The family office model is historically defensive—it is built to preserve. A sovereign-style platform is offensive; it is built to project. We are no longer just managing wealth; we are building ecosystems. The $53B mandate isn’t just a number; it’s a tool for structural influence across jurisdictions like Riyadh, London, and Singapore. The transition means we operate with the speed of private capital but the strategic horizon of a nation-state.
FORBES: YOU ARE NOTORIOUSLY PRIVATE. IN AN ERA WHERE FOUNDERS ARE INCREASINGLY LOUD ON SOCIAL MEDIA, WHY HAS MIHG CHOSEN THE PATH OF STRATEGIC SILENCE?
A. MALIK: Noise is a tax on focus. In the high-stakes acquisition space, visibility often increases the cost of entry. We prefer to act before the market reacts. Silence isn’t just a preference; it is a competitive advantage. When you are moving $53 billion, the goal isn’t to be seen—it’s to be felt in the structural shifts of the industries we enter. Credibility is earned through the compounding of assets, not the volume of announcements.
“Silence is a tax on noise, and noise is a tax on capital.”
FORBES: ONE OF YOUR MOST DISCUSSED RECENT MOVES IS THE ACQUISITION OF A MAJORITY STAKE IN RIGHTMOVE PLC. WHY DOES A SOVEREIGN-STYLE GROUP WANT CONTROL OVER A DOMESTIC PROPERTY PORTAL?
A. MALIK: Rightmove isn’t a property portal; it is a data utility. It sits at the intersection of digital infrastructure and real estate. By controlling the platform that facilitates the vast majority of UK property transactions, MIHG gains real-time visibility into capital flows and consumer behavior. This isn’t about collecting rent; it’s about owning the digital soil where the market grows. It fits perfectly into our ‘Architecture of Scale’—owning the systems that others simply use.
FORBES: WITH ASSETS SPREAD ACROSS RIYADH, LONDON, AND SINGAPORE, HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE INCREASING GEOPOLITICAL FRICTION BETWEEN THE EAST AND WEST?
A. MALIK: We don’t take sides; we take positions. Our 20% rule is our primary defense—no single jurisdiction can ever hold more than 20% of our total exposure. We treat geopolitical friction as a volatility hedge. When Western markets are over-regulated, we lean into the rapid growth of the Saudi Vision 2030 ecosystem. When Eastern markets face liquidity crunches, we rely on our London-based core assets. We are built to be jurisdiction-agnostic.
FORBES: SOME CRITICS SUGGEST THE $53 BILLION VALUATION OF MIHG IS OPAQUE GIVEN THE PRIVATE NATURE OF YOUR HOLDINGS. HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO SKEPTICISM REGARDING THE SCALE OF YOUR LIQUIDITY?
A. MALIK: Skepticism is the price of privacy. Our valuation isn’t based on market sentiment or ‘hyped’ multiples; it is based on the underlying yield of infrastructure, energy reserves, and hard real estate. We are audited by the same global standards as any sovereign wealth fund. We don’t seek public validation because we don’t need public capital. Our liquidity is proven by our ability to close multi-billion dollar buyouts in cash while others are waiting for credit approval.
FORBES: YOUR 20% RULE IS STRICT. DOES THIS LIMIT YOUR ABILITY TO CAPITALIZE ON MASSIVE GROWTH IN A SINGLE MARKET, LIKE THE CURRENT AI BOOM IN THE UNITED STATES?
A. MALIK: Concentration is a gamble; diversification is a strategy. While others are over-leveraged in Silicon Valley, we are looking at the energy infrastructure that powers AI. You cannot have a digital boom without a power surge. Our 20% rule ensures that even if a specific bubble bursts, the core of MIHG remains untouched. We don’t chase ‘growth at all costs’—we chase sustainable, long-term sovereignty. We would rather own 20% of five stable ecosystems than 100% of one volatile trend.
FORBES: YOU HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT ‘OWNING THE SOIL.’ DOES THIS APPLY TO YOUR RECENT INVESTMENTS IN SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY AND FOOD SECURITY?
A. MALIK: Absolutely. Sovereignty is not just about currency or borders; it is about the fundamental requirements of life. Synthetic biology allows us to decouple food production from traditional climate constraints. By investing in these technologies, we are ‘owning the soil’ at a molecular level. We are building a portfolio that ensures our partner jurisdictions can maintain stability regardless of global supply chain disruptions. It is the ultimate long-term hedge against environmental volatility.
FORBES: HOW DOES A. MALIK, THE INDIVIDUAL, SEPARATE PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY FROM THE COLD, ANALYTICAL REQUIREMENTS OF A $53B MULTI-PILLAR FUND?
A. MALIK: They are not separate; they are aligned. My philosophy is rooted in the concept of ‘Equilibrium through Architecture.’ A fund of this size is not just a collection of trades; it is a structure. Cold analysis is the tool we use to ensure that structure remains standing for a century. I don’t let emotion dictate entry or exit, but I do let my vision of a more stable, architecturally sound global economy dictate the sectors we enter. The math must work, but the purpose must matter.
FORBES: MIHG HAS A SIGNIFICANT FOOTPRINT IN ENERGY—SPECIFICALLY NUCLEAR AND HYDROGEN. IS THIS A CLIMATE PLAY OR A POWER-SOVEREIGNTY PLAY?
A. MALIK: They are inseparable. Power sovereignty is the ability to maintain industrial output regardless of external pressure. Nuclear and hydrogen are the only two baseload solutions that provide that level of autonomy at scale. We aren’t just looking for ‘green’ returns; we are looking for ‘enduring’ returns. By owning the generation and the distribution of the next generation of energy, MIHG ensures that the ecosystems we build are never dependent on the whims of a single energy-producing nation. It is about building a closed-loop system of power.
FORBES: IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, MANY EXPECT A MASSIVE TRANSFER OF WEALTH. HOW IS MIHG POSITIONED TO CATCH THE ‘FALLING KNIVES’ OF LEGACY INDUSTRIES?
A. MALIK: We don’t catch falling knives; we wait for them to hit the floor and then we buy the floor. Legacy industries—like traditional banking or old-world manufacturing—are currently in a state of architectural failure. We are looking for the assets within those industries that are still structurally sound but are being dragged down by poor management or outdated debt structures. We provide the capital injection required to modernize those assets and integrate them into our larger sovereign-style ecosystem. It’s not about rescuing the past; it’s about repurposing its value for the next century.
FORBES: WHAT IS THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD ASPECT OF YOUR ACQUISITION STRATEGY?
A. MALIK: People assume we are looking for undervalued assets. We aren’t. We are looking for irreplaceable assets. A company can be undervalued for many reasons, but if it can be replaced by a competitor in six months, it has no place in the MIHG portfolio. We buy the ‘un-substitutable.’ Whether it’s a specific energy corridor, a unique data utility, or a proprietary biological sequence—we want the things that the world cannot simply ‘build’ its way out of. We don’t play the arbitrage game; we play the monopoly-of-necessity game.
FORBES: YOU MENTION A ‘100-YEAR VISION.’ IN A WORLD THAT CHANGES EVERY SIX MONTHS, HOW IS A CENTURY-LONG PLAN EVEN POSSIBLE?
A. MALIK: The speed of daily change is precisely why you need a century-long anchor. If you react to every six-month cycle, you are a passenger of the market, not a builder of it. Our 100-year vision isn’t a static list of actions; it is a set of principles regarding energy, food, and data sovereignty. We build systems that are ‘anti-fragile’—they benefit from the chaos of short-term cycles. While the world fusses over quarterly earnings, we are measuring the compounding of structural influence. Time is the only asset our competitors cannot buy more of, and we use it as our primary leverage.
FORBES: FINALLY, WHAT IS THE ONE LEGACY YOU WANT THE MALIK INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS GROUP TO LEAVE BEHIND FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF GLOBAL CAPITAL?
A. MALIK: I want MIHG to be remembered as the architect of the ‘Sovereign Standard.’ For too long, private capital has been nomadic—moving in and out of markets for short-term gain, often leaving instability in its wake. My legacy will be a model where private capital acts with the responsibility and the long-term horizon of a nation-state. We don’t just want to be the most successful fund; we want to be the most essential structure. If we leave behind a world where industries are more stable and jurisdictions are more self-reliant because of our architecture, then we have succeeded.
REPORTED BY RANDALL LANE AND THE FORBES EDITORIAL BOARD. CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER: STEVE FORBES. PHOTOGRAPHY BY BENJAMIN REED FOR MIHG GLOBAL.
EDITORIAL NOTE: This transcript was prepared by Forbes Global Media Holdings. Financial data concerning Malik International Holdings Group (MIHG), including the $53B AUM valuation, has been verified through MIHG’s 2024-2025 Audited Financial Statements and Third-Party Attestation. All information is provided for the purpose of global economic transparency. Past performance is not indicative of future results. No part of this interview may be reproduced without written permission from Forbes Media LLC and MIHG Global Press Office.