Skip to content Skip to Search
Skip navigation

Malaysian airport deal faces Gaza war backlash

By Pramod Kumar
Organisations have protested US investment bank BlackRock’s participation in the bid to buy a stake in Malaysia Airports Holdings Malaysian Airline/X
Organisations have protested US investment bank BlackRock’s participation in the bid to buy a stake in Malaysia Airports Holdings
  • Malaysia Airports Holdings bid
  • US bank BlackRock in consortium
  • Protesters allege Israel links

Plans by a consortium, including the UAE’s largest sovereign wealth fund, to buy a stake in Malaysian airports have been hit by protests against the deal from local business organisations in the Asian country.

As many as 22 organisations have called upon the Malaysian government to block US investment bank BlackRock’s participation in the bid to buy a stake in Malaysia Airports Holdings (MAHB), Reuters reported, citing the group’s statement.

Person, Electronics, Mobile Phone

Newsletter
Get the Best of AGBI delivered straight to your inbox every week

The group, which includes the Malaysian Consultative Council of Islamic Organisations and Viva Palestina Malaysia, urged the state-backed Employees Provident Fund (EPF), a consortium partner, to break ties with BlackRock, alleging the bank’s relations with Israel.

In addition to BlackRock, some of the other partners in the consortium are Malaysian government-backed Khazanah Nasional, UAE’s Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), which has its headquarters in New York.

BlackRock said in January that it planned to buy GIP for $12.5 billion.

If the deal is completed, the Malaysian entities will collectively own 70 percent of MAHB. The UAE’s largest sovereign wealth fund ADIA and GIP will hold the remaining 30 percent.

Latest articles

STC wants to consolidate the mobile tower market

STC approves PIF purchase of telecom company

Shareholders of Saudi telecom giant STC have approved plans to create a new telecommunications infrastructure company in which the Public Investment Fund will have a 51 percent stake valued at SAR8.7 billion ($2.3 billion).  Under the deal, the STC-owned Telecommunication Towers Co. Limited (Tawal) will become a PIF subsidiary through a merger with Golden Lattice […]

Flavio Cattaneo of Enel, of which Endesa is a subsidiary, and Mohamed Jameel Al Ramahi at the signing of the deal

Masdar buys stake in Spanish utilities company Endesa

The UAE’s state-owned clean energy company Masdar has agreed to acquire a minority stake in Spanish electric utility business Endesa to partner for 2.5 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy assets in Spain. Under the agreement, subject to regulatory approval, Masdar will invest nearly $890 million to acquire a 49.99 percent stake in Endesa, with an […]

UAE markets Hong Kong

UAE capital markets partner with Hong Kong exchange

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKSE) has added the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) and the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) to its roster of recognised marketplaces. The move opens the door for UAE-based companies to pursue secondary listings on one of Asia’s premier financial markets. It also follows the inclusion of the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul) […]

Person, Worker, Adult

Aramco and PIF invest in Saudi-Chinese steel venture

Saudi Aramco and the Public Investment Fund have doubled their investment in a steel plate joint venture with a Chinese company to $500 million. The two Saudi companies each own 25 percent shares in the new venture in Ras Al Khair industrial city, Bloomberg reported, quoting a statement published on the Chinese stock exchange. Chinese […]