D. E. Shaw & Co, the world's fourth largest hedge fund, have announced opening their first regional office in Dubai as D. E. Shaw & Co. MENA, Ltd. The New York-based hedge fund, private equity and technology development firm was founded by David E. Shaw, who was formerly a faculty member in the computer science department at Columbia University. The firm specializes in applying quantitative and qualitative trading strategies to hedge fund management and other investments. the D. E. Shaw group has more than 1,600 employees and approximately $29bn in investment and committed capital. Read more about the firm here. Reuters has a good report on their opening in Dubai here.