Markets 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) […] July 26, 2024
Analysis Markets Looming ‘vision’ project deadlines spur GCC bond market growth Gulf countries are racing to complete ambitious “vision” agendas, pushing the total value of GCC bond and sukuk issuances since 2014 to more than $1 trillion. Each GCC country is working towards its own goals – whether that be the Saudi Vision 2030, We the UAE 2031, or Kuwait Vision 2035 – with the aim […] July 23, 2024
Economy GCC economic data The latest economic indicators for the Gulf Co-operation Council countries: the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain July 22, 2024
Economy Moody’s upgrades Turkey’s credit rating by two notches Turkey’s efforts to improve its economic credentials and attract investment have been given a boost by the credit ratings agency Moody’s, after what the agency said was a return to a more balanced economic policy programme. In a statement on July 19, Moody’s said it had upgraded Turkey’s long-term foreign and domestic currency issuer and […] July 22, 2024
Markets Saudi stock operator profit rises 56% on strong revenue Saudi Tadawul Group, the kingdom’s stock exchange operator, reported a 56 percent surge in second-quarter profit on higher trading activity. Net profit after zakat – the obligatory charity donation – reached SAR164 million ($44 million) in the April to June period, compared to SAR105 million a year earlier. Operating revenues reached SAR354 million, an increase […] July 22, 2024
Opinion Markets Regional debt issuance boosts Islamic bond take-up Large Muslim countries have skewed global sukuk markets July 19, 2024
Finance Egypt to float Suez Canal subsidiary next year Egypt’s Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is planning to list Canal Mooring & Lights Company, a specialist in the mooring and unmooring of ships, on the local bourse, a news report said. The proposed listing will take place early next year, Bloomberg Ashraq reported, quoting SCA’s chairman Osama Rabie. In June 2023, the official confirmed the […] July 17, 2024
Markets Abu Dhabi National Hotels hires banks for catering unit IPO Abu Dhabi National Hotels, which trades on the Abu Dhabi stock exchange, has appointed banks to work on the initial public offering of its catering business, according to a news report. Citigroup and First Abu Dhabi Bank will oversee on the flotation of ADNH Catering, raising between $300 million and $400 million, Bloomberg reported, citing […] July 17, 2024
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
Real Estate Omani fund targets commercial assets after IPO Jabal Real Estate Investment Fund has targeted a swathe of commercial assets in Oman after officially listing on the Muscat Stock Exchange. The company, which has a capital portfolio of OR17 million ($45 million), is considering an office building and a warehousing complex in the sultanate. No further details were given, although both properties boast […] July 11, 2024
Oil & Gas Aramco returns to debt markets after shares sale Saudi Aramco returned to the debt market on Wednesday, offering bonds maturing in 10, 30 and 40 years and aiming to raise at least $6 billion. The company is looking to capitalise on investors’ interest in its secondary share offering by raising more cash to finance its debt and a huge investment programme. Final terms […] July 10, 2024
Opinion Economy Macron gambled and lost. Now bond markets will have their say The election result puts France on a collision course with global capital markets and the EU July 9, 2024
Finance ADIA among funds investing $60bn in Indian stocks Two sovereign wealth funds from the GCC and one from Singapore have invested a total of Rs5 trillion ($60 billion) in the Indian stock markets and startups as of March 31, 2024, a news report said. These investors include Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), Kuwait Investment Authority and GIC Holdings Pte, Mint, an Indian financial newspaper, […] July 9, 2024
Finance Aramco to issue new bonds after $11bn share sale Saudi Aramco has appointed regional and global bankers for a new bond sale just a month after raising more than $11 billion from a secondary share offering. The oil giant, listed on the Saudi stock exchange, will issue senior unsecured US dollar-denominated bonds. The fund will aid in its general corporate purposes or any other […] July 9, 2024
Finance Hong Kong’s Animoca considers Gulf bourses Animoca Brands, a major Web3 and crypto gaming company valued at nearly $6 billion, is considering a public listing in 2025, with the Gulf and Hong Kong as potential venues. The company’s investors include heavyweights such as Singapore’s Temasek Holdings and the Saudi Arabia government’s Neom project, which injected $50 million into it last year. […] July 5, 2024
Finance Saudi CMA fines two for manipulating stocks Saudi Arabia’s Capital Markets Authority (CMA) has fined two Saudi men SAR11.1 million ($3 million) for manipulating the price of 17 stocks through posts on the social media platform X . Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Mohammed Alharbi and Nawaf bin Mohammed bin Jam’an Alsukhaiber Alharbi used X, formerly known as Twitter, to encourage investors into […] July 5, 2024
Markets Oman’s Asyad Group plans to float shipping subsidiary Asyad Group, Oman’s national logistics company, intends to float its subsidiary, Asyad Shipping, by year-end, according to a media report. The state-backed company has appointed Jefferies Group and EFG Hermes as advisers, Reuters reported, citing unnamed sources. Details on the initial public offering (IPO) were not given. Asyad Group, owned by Oman Investment Authority (OIA), has […] July 5, 2024
EXCLUSIVE Markets Hajj company to float in Saudi – with London listing to follow Saudi Arabia’s Ithraa Alkhair Company for Pilgrims Services, a licensed provider of Hajj services for non-Arab African pilgrims, is preparing to launch the first IPO in the kingdom’s religious tourism sector. The company, part of the Ithraa Group, will float an 11 percent stake to institutional investors on the Nomu parallel market, chairman Dr Ahmed […] July 5, 2024
Video length: 05:09 VIDEO Markets Dubai and Abu Dhabi need some IPO diversity “You want your capital markets to be a mirror of your economy on the ground,” says Saad Chalabi, CEO of brokerage platform xCube. In the UAE, however, that has not been the case. The markets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are “mostly real estate and banking in terms of weight”, though more oil, utilities and […] July 4, 2024
EXCLUSIVE Markets Gulf IPOs: what companies must do to go public Owners of private Gulf companies mulling going public should ensure their businesses have a compelling narrative to tell investors and clear separation between shareholders and management, according to the chief financial officer of Dubai-based retailer Spinneys. In May the supermarket chain became the first company registered in the offshore Dubai International Finance Centre (DIFC) to […] July 3, 2024
Analysis Markets Sustained sell-off makes Qatari stocks more attractive Qatari stocks are among the Gulf’s most attractively priced, according to core metrics, after a sustained slump on Doha’s bourse. The decline – the Qatari index is down about 27 percent from its late 2021 peak – comes after a momentous rally that propelled the index to a seven-year high when investors bet on a […] July 1, 2024
