Company Insights Aluminium Bahrain Industry Aluminium Bahrain Overview Aluminium smelter Aluminium Bahrain, or Alba, was officially incorporated in 1968 and began operations in 1971 with a capacity of 120,000 metric tonnes a year, as part of early aims to diversify Bahrain’s economy away from oil. Over time Aluminium Bahrain has increased capacity to more than 1.6 million tonnes per year. Aluminium Bahrain went public in 2010, listing in both London and Bahrain. Its shareholders are Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund Bahrain Mumtalakat and Sabic Investment Company, who hold 90 percent of shares between them with the rest held by public investors. Its 2023 revenue was $4.1 billion and $373 million was payable to shareholders. Alba produces a range of products including ingots and liquid metal, along with calcinated coke. It is powered by its own three gas-powered turbine stations. The company uses waste heat from the calcination process to generate steam for water desalination, creating 13 million cubic metres of potable water a year. Alba also produces “”EternAl””, aluminium made with either 15 or 30 percent recycled materials, and has plans for a 50 percent recycled product. Under the banner of “Bahrainisation”, more than 85 percent of Alba’s workforce are Bahraini nationals. Aluminium Bahrain News Manufacturing Alba and Ma’aden end merger discussions Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) and the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) have ended talks over a merger of the two Gulf manufacturing giants. Discussions had been taking place since last year and it had been hoped that a deal could be completed in the first quarter of 2025, according to Alba’s chief executive, Ali Al Baqali. […] January 13, 2025 Markets Bahrain bourse launches incentive scheme to revive trading Bahrain Bourse will introduce various incentives next month to try to boost trading on a market that accounts for less than one-thousandth of daily turnover on Gulf stock exchanges. The scheme, which begins on February 2, aims to improve trading activity and increase the number of institutions investing in Bahraini stocks. Its launch comes amid […] January 8, 2025 Manufacturing Alba and Ma’aden delay merger to Q2 2025 The deadline on a potential merger between Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) and subsidiaries of Saudi Arabia’s Ma’aden has been extended into the second quarter of 2025. It had been hoped that a deal between the two manufacturing giants could be completed in the first quarter, according to Alba’s chief executive, Ali Al Baqali. But a note […] December 23, 2024 Markets More companies tipped to list on Bahrain Bourse AlAbraaj Restaurants Group’s debut on Bahrain Bourse – the first listing on the exchange in more than five years – will pave the way for more activity, experts have told AGBI. The AlAbraaj initial public offering (IPO) this month is the first since the listing of APM Terminals Bahrain in 2018, according to consultancy EY. […] November 18, 2024 Mining Alba to decide on Ma’aden merger early next year Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) expects to decide whether to merge with subsidiaries of Saudi Arabia’s Ma’aden by the first quarter of 2025, its chief executive said on Wednesday. Alba, Bahrain’s largest listed company with a market valuation of almost BHD2 billion ($5.3 billion), on September 16 announced it had entered a non-binding agreement with Ma’aden. Under […] November 13, 2024 Industry Bahrain’s Alba looking to Europe after Ma’aden deal Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) will keep exploring mergers and acquisitions, with a particular eye on Europe, once it completes its multi-billion dollar deal with Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden). The deal is expected to be signed off in the first half of next year. The two companies penned a non-binding agreement in September and are in […] November 5, 2024 Banking & Finance Bahrain’s Mumtalakat prizes local investment over global Bahrain’s multi-billion dollar sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat is looking closer to home for investments, prioritising local over international opportunities. Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, minister of finance and national economy at Mumtalakat, said: “What we have found is the most compelling investment opportunities, the highest return on equity investments, are increasingly at home or […] November 4, 2024 Industry Qatari aluminium maker defies market challenges Qatar Aluminum Manufacturing Company, known as Qamco, increased its profits by 21 percent in the first nine months of 2024, despite the rising cost of source materials. Qamco’s profit hit QR427.7 million ($117.3 million) at the end of September 2024, up from QR353.5 million in the same period last year. Figures issued by the company […] October 24, 2024 Analysis Mining Ma’aden-Alba merger ‘a potential game changer’ The proposed merger between the Saudi Arabian mining company Ma’aden and Bahrain’s aluminium smelter Alba looks likely to shake up the global aluminium industry, with the new company challenging for sixth place in the world rankings. “It’s almost a game-changing event, particularly in the GCC region,” says Andy Farida, a senior analyst at Fastmarkets, a […] September 27, 2024 Industry Maaden to acquire Sabic’s stake in Bahrain’s Alba Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) will acquire Saudi Basic Industries Corporation’s (Sabic) 20.62 percent share in Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) as part of its global growth strategy. The Saudi-listed mining major aims to grow ten times by 2040, with its aluminium business being the core contributor. Maaden will become the second-largest shareholder in Alba, holding a 20.62 […] September 18, 2024 Posts navigation 1 2 3 Next
Manufacturing Alba and Ma’aden end merger discussions Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) and the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) have ended talks over a merger of the two Gulf manufacturing giants. Discussions had been taking place since last year and it had been hoped that a deal could be completed in the first quarter of 2025, according to Alba’s chief executive, Ali Al Baqali. […] January 13, 2025
Markets Bahrain bourse launches incentive scheme to revive trading Bahrain Bourse will introduce various incentives next month to try to boost trading on a market that accounts for less than one-thousandth of daily turnover on Gulf stock exchanges. The scheme, which begins on February 2, aims to improve trading activity and increase the number of institutions investing in Bahraini stocks. Its launch comes amid […] January 8, 2025
Manufacturing Alba and Ma’aden delay merger to Q2 2025 The deadline on a potential merger between Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) and subsidiaries of Saudi Arabia’s Ma’aden has been extended into the second quarter of 2025. It had been hoped that a deal between the two manufacturing giants could be completed in the first quarter, according to Alba’s chief executive, Ali Al Baqali. But a note […] December 23, 2024
Markets More companies tipped to list on Bahrain Bourse AlAbraaj Restaurants Group’s debut on Bahrain Bourse – the first listing on the exchange in more than five years – will pave the way for more activity, experts have told AGBI. The AlAbraaj initial public offering (IPO) this month is the first since the listing of APM Terminals Bahrain in 2018, according to consultancy EY. […] November 18, 2024
Mining Alba to decide on Ma’aden merger early next year Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) expects to decide whether to merge with subsidiaries of Saudi Arabia’s Ma’aden by the first quarter of 2025, its chief executive said on Wednesday. Alba, Bahrain’s largest listed company with a market valuation of almost BHD2 billion ($5.3 billion), on September 16 announced it had entered a non-binding agreement with Ma’aden. Under […] November 13, 2024
Industry Bahrain’s Alba looking to Europe after Ma’aden deal Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) will keep exploring mergers and acquisitions, with a particular eye on Europe, once it completes its multi-billion dollar deal with Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden). The deal is expected to be signed off in the first half of next year. The two companies penned a non-binding agreement in September and are in […] November 5, 2024
Banking & Finance Bahrain’s Mumtalakat prizes local investment over global Bahrain’s multi-billion dollar sovereign wealth fund Mumtalakat is looking closer to home for investments, prioritising local over international opportunities. Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, minister of finance and national economy at Mumtalakat, said: “What we have found is the most compelling investment opportunities, the highest return on equity investments, are increasingly at home or […] November 4, 2024
Industry Qatari aluminium maker defies market challenges Qatar Aluminum Manufacturing Company, known as Qamco, increased its profits by 21 percent in the first nine months of 2024, despite the rising cost of source materials. Qamco’s profit hit QR427.7 million ($117.3 million) at the end of September 2024, up from QR353.5 million in the same period last year. Figures issued by the company […] October 24, 2024
Analysis Mining Ma’aden-Alba merger ‘a potential game changer’ The proposed merger between the Saudi Arabian mining company Ma’aden and Bahrain’s aluminium smelter Alba looks likely to shake up the global aluminium industry, with the new company challenging for sixth place in the world rankings. “It’s almost a game-changing event, particularly in the GCC region,” says Andy Farida, a senior analyst at Fastmarkets, a […] September 27, 2024
Industry Maaden to acquire Sabic’s stake in Bahrain’s Alba Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) will acquire Saudi Basic Industries Corporation’s (Sabic) 20.62 percent share in Aluminium Bahrain (Alba) as part of its global growth strategy. The Saudi-listed mining major aims to grow ten times by 2040, with its aluminium business being the core contributor. Maaden will become the second-largest shareholder in Alba, holding a 20.62 […] September 18, 2024
