Education Amanat hires SNB Capital for education business IPO Amanat Holdings, a Dubai-listed investment company, has appointed SNB Capital to manage the proposed sale of a 30 percent stake in its education business through an initial public offering (IPO) in Saudi Arabia next year. The listing is anticipated in the first half of 2025, which will raise $300 million, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources. […] November 28, 2024
Real Estate Bahrain’s GFH buys $300m US student housing assets GFH Partners, the DIFC-based asset management arm of Bahrain-based GFH Financial Group, has acquired student housing in the United States valued at $300 million. The assets have been added to GFH Partners’ US student housing platform, which now has more than 5,500 beds and assets under management worth $900 million. The assets are 99 percent […] November 25, 2024
People & Lifestyle Dubai private schools face major shortfall of places Dubai’s private school sector is staring at a shortfall of more than 100,000 places by the start of the 2031 academic year, as the industry struggles to keep pace with the emirate’s increasing population. Under the Dubai 2040 Master Plan, the emirate’s population is forecast to reach 7.8 million by the end of the next […] October 29, 2024
Trade Tech startups drive rise in Ireland’s exports to UAE Exports from Ireland to the UAE rose by 21 percent last year, driven by Irish technology and healthcare companies. The trade agency Enterprise Ireland says exports to the GCC increased 13 percent last year, reaching €532.5 million ($580 million). Qatar had the region’s fastest growth in exports from Ireland last year, with a rise of […] October 16, 2024
Education Dubai school operator Taaleem increases profit by 55% Dubai school operator Taaleem has reported revenue of AED945.2 million ($257.3 million) for its 2023-24 financial year – a 15.5 percent year-on-year increase. More student enrolments and the opening of new schools helped Taaleem to increase net profit before tax by 55 percent, to AED182 million, in the financial year ending August. Taaleem’s shares were […] October 4, 2024
Opinion Education Dubai’s new university can disrupt the traditional model The last thing the world needs is another dusty educational institution September 24, 2024
Trade Australia and UAE hope for $678m boost after trade deal Australian exports to the UAE are expected to increase by $678 million after the two countries completed discussions over a comprehensive economic partnership agreement (Cepa). The deal, expected to be signed later this year, will make more than 99 percent of Australian exports to the UAE tariff-free, saving exporters up to $160 million annually. The […] September 17, 2024
Analysis Real Estate Investors size up Gulf student housing after US success Gulf entities have invested billions of dollars in student housing in the United States over the past few years, and are now considering making the same play locally. Accommodation for university students has become a hot asset class amid demographic growth fueled by the millennial generation, which recently passed the baby boomers to become the […] September 16, 2024
Opinion Education Dubai could learn from California on smartphones in schools Plenty of studies show their detrimental effects but the simple fact is we're increasingly reliant on our mobiles August 30, 2024
Analysis Retail Retailers rejoice as shoppers prepare for new school term An estimated 1.5 million students across the UAE are expected to enrol for the new term on Monday – and retailers are welcoming the traditional spending spree for everything from school uniforms to stationery. This year’s back-to-school shopping sales in the UAE are predicted to reach about AED3 billion ($820 million). “Overall, there is expected to […] August 25, 2024
Finance Dubai’s Amanat to pay $20m dividend despite profit fall Amanat Holdings, a Dubai-listed investment company, will pay an interim dividend of AED75 million ($20.4 million) for the first half of 2024 despite a decline in profit. The bottom line fell 8 percent year on year to AED89 million, impacted by the one-time gain in the last year and the impact of corporation tax. Excluding […] August 15, 2024
Education Amanat to list its education platform Amanat Holding, an investment company in Dubai, has announced plans to list its education platform. The move will be the third education-related initial public offering in the UAE in the last two years, following the listing of Dubai’s Taaleem in 2022 and Abu Dhabi’s Alef Education earlier this year. Amanat, which specialises in healthcare and […] July 19, 2024
Real Estate Investcorp buys US student housing assets for $160m Investcorp, Bahrain’s alternative asset manager, has acquired two student housing properties in the US for $160 million, as university enrolment numbers surge. The two properties, the University of Florida in Gainesville and the University of Texas at Austin, have a combined 914 beds. The two universities are ranked among the top 10 public universities in […] July 12, 2024
Education Taaleem’s premium schools strengthen bottom line UAE-based schools operator Taaleem has reported net profit before tax of almost AED278 million ($76 million) for the nine-month period through to the end of May. Profits at the Dubai-listed company, which operates 32 schools across the UAE, increased by close to 39 percent year on year. Revenues over the period were up 15 percent […] July 5, 2024
People & Lifestyle World Bank to support Jordan’s social sectors The World Bank has approved $700 million programmes to support Jordan’s health, education and social assistance sectors. The $300 million Jordan human capital programme aims to improve the governance and effectiveness of social sectors, as well as safeguard households from the adverse effects of climate change. In addition, the $400 million Masar programme will equip […] July 2, 2024
Education Taaleem signs deal with UK’s Harrow for GCC schools UAE schools operator Taaleem Holdings has signed a deal with the UK’s Harrow School to own and operate Harrow International Schools across the GCC. The agreement marks Taaleem’s first foray into the super-premium school market. The first Taaleem Harrow School will open in the UAE, according to a statement on Monday, although no date was […] July 1, 2024
Education Brookfield to invest in Dubai’s Gems Education A consortium led by Canada’s Brookfield Asset Management is to invest in Gems Education, the UAE’s private school operator. Other members of the group include Gulf Islamic Investments, Marathon Asset Management and the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Financial details were not disclosed but the investment is expected to be almost $2 […] June 18, 2024
Education Alef Education shares drop 13% on first day Shares in Alef Education fell 12.6 percent after the company’s Abu Dhabi bourse debut on Wednesday. The education technology company had raised AED1.9 billion ($515 million) in an initial public offering (IPO) that was 39 times over-subscribed. The IPO was priced at AED1.35 ($0.37) a share, the upper limit of its range. However Alef’s shares […] June 12, 2024
Education Qatar’s rising population increases demand for schools Qatar’s growing population is fuelling demand for new schools as investors seek to capitalise on double-digit returns. The Gulf state’s population grew from about 1.45 million in 2008 to roughly 2.9 million last year and is forecast to reach 3.2 million by the end of the decade. That translates into a need for an additional […] June 6, 2024
Education Alef Education IPO 39 times oversubscribed Orders totalling more than $20 billion were placed at the IPO of Abu Dhabi’s Alef Education this week, leaving it 39 times over-subscribed. The company raised AED1.9 billion ($515 million) in its initial public offering, the company said on Thursday. It will become the first education technology business to list on a UAE stock exchange. […] June 6, 2024
Markets Alef Education valued at $2.5bn as IPO price range set Alef Education, the first education technology company to list on a UAE stock exchange, has set its initial public offering (IPO) price range between AED1.30 and AED1.35 ($0.35-0.37) a share. Accordingly, the market capitalisation on listing will be between AED9.1 billion ($2.5 billion) and AED9.45 billion on listing. The IPO subscription period starts on May […] May 28, 2024
Analysis Education Days of high returns numbered for investors in Dubai’s schools Dubai’s private school market, once a goldmine for investors, is no longer yielding the lucrative double-digit returns it used to, the chief executive of a leading school operator has said. Navin Valrani, CEO of The Arcadia School, told AGBI new investors considering the emirate must tackle significant entry barriers, escalating costs and an increasingly mature […] May 26, 2024
