Analysis Markets Healthcare sector props up Gulf IPOs in 2024 The healthcare sector has emerged as a significant contributor of initial public offerings in the Gulf region during the first half of 2024, according to a report by the Kuwait Financial Centre, known as Markaz. This comes despite an overall decline in new listings. However, Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hokail Academy Specialized Digital Polyclinics Company cancelled its […] July 16, 2024
Markets Saudi Arabia’s PIF hires banks for Nupco’s $1bn IPO Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has hired banks for the initial public offering of its wholly owned subsidiary, National Unified Procurement Company (Nupco), a media report said. The sovereign wealth fund has appointed global and local bankers, such as JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley and SNB Capital, to manage Nupco’s flotation, Bloomberg reported, […] July 16, 2024
Health Abu Dhabi launches AI tender to predict epidemic threats The Abu Dhabi Public Health Center has launched a tender for an artificial intelligence-powered platform designed to predict epidemic threats. The aim is for the platform to use AI’s ability to process extensive and complex datasets at high speed as a way to analyse both local and international outbreak trends alongside national travel patterns to […] July 15, 2024
Analysis Health Affordable healthcare in the GCC: a prescription for profit The GCC’s affordable healthcare market is ripe for investment, research suggests, as patients are forced to travel to India, Thailand or Egypt to find cheap treatment. Low-income inhabitants make up about 38 percent of the Gulf’s total population, according to Mansoor Ahmed, executive director for healthcare at Colliers Middle East in Dubai. The proportion ranges […] July 10, 2024
Health Heat-health warning system planned for Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is to develop an official heat-stress index and a national heat-health warning system as rising temperatures threaten public health and businesses. The Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre has issued a tender for an index tailored to the UAE’s unique climate conditions, occupational settings, and the physiological differences among its diverse population. The UAE […] July 9, 2024
People & Lifestyle Al-Hokail Academy to sell over 2m shares on Saudi bourse Al-Hokail Academy Specialized Digital Polyclinics Company, a digital healthcare services provider in Saudi Arabia, will launch its initial public offering (IPO) to sell 29 percent of its capital, or over 2 million shares, on the Nomu-Parallel Market. The company has set the IPO price range between SAR118 and SAR125 ($31.46- 33.32) per share, Emirates NBD […] July 7, 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
EXCLUSIVE Tech Aramco adopts heat-sensing construction helmets Saudi Aramco is deploying advanced safety helmets equipped with heat stress sensors to protect workers on some of its construction sites, a critical concern in the Gulf region’s scorching climate. The helmets, developed by Dubai and Saudi Arabia-based construction tech startup WakeCap, utilise internet-of-things (IoT) technology that monitors worker attendance, location, and safety incidents in […] June 23, 2024
Health Mubadala and QIA invest in US cancer research startup Funds from the UAE and Qatar have invested in a US-based clinical-stage biotechnology start-up. Mubadala Capital, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mubadala Investment Company, co-led the $50 million Series B extension in funding to Iambic Therapeutics, based in San Diego, California. The funds will allow the American start-up to broaden its pipeline of AI-discovered clinical […] June 21, 2024
Health Mubadala-backed US startup working on AI cancer care A US genomics startup, backed by Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, is working with ChatGPT creator OpenAI to improve cancer screening and treatment using artificial intelligence models. Color Health, which uses data science and machine learning for genetic testing and counselling in hereditary cancer and heart conditions, has developed an AI assistant, or “copilot”, […] June 18, 2024
People & Lifestyle NMC Healthcare weighs IPO among strategic options The UAE hospital group NMC Healthcare has appointed Rothschild & Co as its first financial adviser, to review strategic options for its future, including a sale or initial public offering. The second financial adviser will be appointed in due course. The Abu Dhabi-headquartered healthcare provider completed its restructuring in March 2022, which included appointing a […] June 13, 2024
Analysis Health Wearable tech shoppers track price as well as health Gulf consumers who are interested in wearable tech – smart watches, rings, glasses and implants – are opting for mid-range gadgets rather than premium devices, industry experts have told AGBI. Dubai retailer Jumbo Electronics reported 50 percent year-on-year growth in the AED600-1,000 (about $163-$272) price segment in the first four months of 2024. The AED1,000-1,500 […] June 10, 2024
Health PIF unit leads fundraising for Saudi healthcare fund Jada Fund of Funds, wholly owned by the Public Investment Fund, has led the SAR920 million ($250 million) fundraising round in a fund which aims to invest in major healthcare companies in Saudi Arabia. Other investors in the TVM Healthcare Afiyah Fund were from Saudi Arabia, the GCC and Europe, according to TVM Capital Healthcare, […] May 28, 2024
Video length: 3:39 VIDEO Health UAE diabetics face Ozempic shortage due to weight-loss users The manufacturer of Ozempic is “troubled” by the fact the drug, which was designed to help people with diabetes, is in short supply in the UAE because of the high number of consumers using it for its weight loss side-effects. Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk introduced Wegovy, a drug meant to specifically tackle obesity, to […] May 24, 2024
Retail US cigarette giant buys slice of Egyptian rival The American tobacco giant Philip Morris International (PMI) has acquired a minority stake in Egypt’s largest cigarette manufacturer. PMI, which owns brands such as Marlboro, L&M, Merit and Parliament and is the world’s top tobacco company by market value, has bought 14.7 percent of Egypt’s Eastern Company, which also includes cigars and pipe tobacco in […] May 23, 2024
Business of Sport PIF to sponsor women’s world tennis rankings Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is giving its name to the women’s world tennis rankings, the latest sponsorship deal in the kingdom’s drive to dominate global sports. “The PIF WTA Rankings will track players’ journeys, and PIF will work with the WTA to celebrate and support players’ progress,” PIF said, calling the deal “multi-year”. […] May 22, 2024
Markets Healthcare group Fakeeh attracts orders of $91bn for Saudi IPO The listing of healthcare conglomerate Fakeeh Care Group was 119 times oversubscribed by institutional investors, the Saudi stock exchange said on Tuesday. The initial public offering was set to raise $763 million but attracted orders of $91 billion, reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s dominance of the region’s IPO market this year. Fakeeh, which was founded in Jeddah […] May 14, 2024
Analysis Health Egypt misses healthcare targets as population ails Egypt is failing to meet its healthcare spending targets, exacerbating deteriorating living standards that are leading to a rising number of illnesses and health problems. Egypt’s parliament approved legislation in 2018 to achieve universal health coverage by 2030, pledging to expand provision to include the 50 percent of Egyptians lacking insurance, according to a 2023 […] May 10, 2024
Health Saudi Arabia’s Fakeeh Care to offload 21% stake in IPO Fakeeh Care Group, one of the largest private healthcare groups in Saudi Arabia, plans to offload 21.47 percent of its stake through existing and new shares in an initial public offering (IPO). The group, which owns four hospitals in the kingdom, intends to offer 30 million new shares and 19.8 million existing shares to investors […] April 25, 2024
Tourism Turkey’s health tourism sector worth $2bn in 2023 Turkey’s health tourism sector generated revenue of $2.3 billion in 2023, data released by the Ministry of Trade reveals. Health service exports surged from $1.9 billion in 2022 to $2.3 billion in 2023, driven by an influx of 1.4 million health tourists, placing Turkey seventh in the global health tourism rankings. The country has 40 […] April 9, 2024
Health Aster DM completes GCC and India business split Hospital chain Aster DM Healthcare has concluded the separation of its GCC and India businesses into two standalone entities. As part of the separation plan, a consortium of investors led by Fajr Capital, a UAE sovereign-backed private equity firm, acquired a 65 percent stake in Aster GCC. Dr Azad Moopen, the founder chairman of Aster, […] April 4, 2024
Health Abu Dhabi puts together global life sciences contender A new company to help establish Abu Dhabi as a major global player in life sciences has been announced by the emirate’s sovereign wealth fund ADQ. The new concern, called Arcera, will act as an umbrella entity for ADQ’s shareholdings in the Swiss pharmaceutical company Acino, Birgi Mefar Group of Turkey and Egypt’s Amoun. Arcera […] April 2, 2024
