The Stanford Marine Group, an emerging markets conglomerate of Abraaj Group, recently hired banks to arrange a stock market listing in London, according to a report by Reuters.

Stanford Marine picked Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs Inc to arrange its oil and gas services listing. According to three banking sources last Wednesday, the listing is scheduled for the first quarter of 2014. The sources opted to remain anonymous because the move has not been made public.

Abraaj's investment portfolio extends from the Middle East to Asia. It owns 51% of Stanford Marine and the remaining stake is owned by Waha Capital, an Abu Dhabi-based investment firm.

The parties involved in the stock market listing arrangement declined to comment.

Private equity firms in the Middle East are looking at investment exits. Majority of them felt pressure from the shareholders after the region suffered from the recent global financial crisis and the Arab Spring uprisings.

Private equity investors have been veering away from the stock market, except for London, one of the more preferred established markets.

"If you have a good story to tell and want international investors to look at you seriously, London is undoubtedly the number one choice for regional companies," said one senior Dubai-based banking source to Reuters.