By Federico Maccioni

ABU DHABI, Dec 9 (Reuters) - U.S.-listed direct lender and private credit manager Golub Capital GBDC.O is opening an office in the UAE's capital Abu Dhabi, it said on Monday, joining dozens of other firms looking to grow their business in the region and deepen ties with its wealth funds.

Golub, which had more than $70 billion of capital under management as of Oct. 1, has received preliminary approval for a licence to operate out of the Abu Dhabi Global Market $(ADGM)$, the emirate's financial centre, it said in a statement, adding that it had also appointed Naser Almutairi as managing director for the Middle East.

The announcement came as global and regional financiers gathered in the UAE's capital city for the first day of the Abu Dhabi Finance Week annual conference.

The emirate, which holds 90% of the UAE's oil reserves, has accelerated efforts to diversify its economy with ADGM striving to become a global hub.

Although it trails neighbouring Dubai's DIFC financial centre, ADGM's assets under management reached $157.2 billion to the end of June as firms including the family office of billionaire Ray Dalio, hedge fund Brevan Howard and the world's largest asset manager, BlackRock, flocked to the hub.

It is also attracting firms active in private credit, which has grown rapidly in recent years as stricter regulations make it more expensive for traditional lenders to finance riskier loans.

The asset class is expected to grow to $2.6 trillion by 2029 from $1.5 trillion at the end of last year, according to Preqin data.

BlackRock BLK.N said last week that it would invest about $12 billion to buy private credit firm HPS Investment Partners.

Gulf sovereign wealth funds are also expanding in the private credit space, including Abu Dhabi's $330 billion Mubadala, which has forged partnerships with the likes of Apollo APO.N and Goldman Sachs GS.N in recent years and last week said it would buy a 42% stake in U.S. credit asset manager Silver Rock Financial.

(Reporting by Federico Maccioni, editing by Kirsten Donovan)

((Federico.maccioni@thomsonreuters.com; +971 527370852;))