Energy PIF-backed oil and gas driller to float 30% on Saudi bourse Oil and gas driller Ades Holding, which is backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, has announced plans to proceed with an initial public offering (IPO) on the Saudi Exchange. The share sale comprises 338.72 million ordinary shares, resulting in a free float of 30 percent after the sale of a mix of existing and […] August 28, 2023
Finance Seera auto rental unit to float 30% on Tadawul Saudi Arabian travel company Seera Group Holding’s wholly-owned auto rental subsidiary plans to list 30 percent of its issued share capital on the Saudi Exchange (Tadawul). Car rental company Lumi expects to issue 16.5 million shares, with the listing taking place following regulatory approvals, the company said in its prospectus. Saudi Fransi Capital has been […] August 25, 2023
Construction Court gives Dubai’s Drake & Scull stay of execution Dubai contracting company Drake & Scull International (DSI) has received a reprieve from liquidation following the latest court ruling on its long-running restructuring plan. DSI has been attempting to thrash out a restructuring proposal for more than a year. Its accumulated losses increased to AED5.3 billion ($1.44 billion) in the first half of this year, […] August 23, 2023
Analysis Transport Careem could yet be hailed a smart buy for Uber The hefty premium Uber paid for Dubai ride-hailing rival Careem will prove worth it in the long run, analysts believe. Uber, which has racked up nearly $33 billion in losses since its inception in 2009, paid $3.1 billion for Careem in January 2020 in what remains the largest deal for a homegrown Gulf tech startup. […] August 16, 2023
Construction Contractor Drake & Scull files lawsuit claims of $2.8bn Troubled Dubai contracting firm Drake & Scull International said on Tuesday that it has filed lawsuits with claims equivalent to more than AED10.3 billion ($2.8 billion) as it awaits court approval on its restructuring plan. Chairman Shafiq Abdelhamid said in a filing to Dubai Financial Market that the lawsuits include civil cases filed against the […] August 15, 2023
Finance Lulu Group said to raise $2.7bn before potential IPO Lulu Group International, the largest hypermarket chain operator in the Middle East, will raise AED10 billion ($2.72 billion) to refinance debt ahead of a potential initial public offering (IPO), Bloomberg reported, citing informed sources. The funding will be provided by Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD Bank and Mashreq Bank, with loans […] August 13, 2023
Transport Profit down 31% at Dubai toll road operator Salik Dubai toll road operator Salik saw its net profit shrink 31 percent in the second quarter, to AED272.6 million ($74.2 million), from AED393.6 million a year earlier. The company said the fall was due to it incurring “new costs, such as concession fees, rent, amortisation, transitional service expenses, as well as finance costs”. These followed […] August 11, 2023
Markets Saudi leads ‘very healthy’ GCC IPO pipeline The GCC remains an attractive region for IPO listings with Saudi Arabia leading a healthy pipeline of planned deals for the rest of the year and beyond, say experts. The Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region recorded a 44 percent jump in listings during the second quarter. By contrast, wider Europe, Middle East, India, […] August 9, 2023
Finance Dubai laundry app seeks ‘deeper pockets’ for next step Dubai’s door-to-door laundry app Washmen plans to tap into private equity and funding from family investment groups, but has ruled out a public listing, CEO Rami Shaar has told AGBI. The company has gone through three rounds of fundraising since it was set up eight years ago, raising $11 million from seed, series A and […] August 8, 2023
Banking and Finance Dubai business park operator sees H1 profits up 13% Dubai business park operator Tecom Group’s net profit rose 13 percent year on year in the first half of 2023 to AED485 million ($132.05 million) due to higher occupancy levels. Revenue jumped six percent annually to AED1.05 billion during the first six months. The occupancy level for commercial and industrial assets stood at 87 percent […] August 2, 2023
Banking and Finance Bank of America ousts Goldman as top Mena M&A adviser Bank of America was the top M&A financial adviser in the Middle East and Africa during the first half of 2023, according to research from GlobalData. The US bank advised on two deals worth a combined $9.86 billion in H1. This was more than double the sum recorded by JP Morgan, which took second place […] July 31, 2023
Manufacturing Saudi pharma firm to buy manufacturing site in Algeria Jamjoom Pharmaceuticals Factory Company has increased capital in its joint venture in Algeria to help finance the acquisition of a manufacturing facility. In a filing to the Saudi Stock Exchange, the company, which raised $336 million in an initial public offering in May, announced the additional funding in Jamjoom Algeria Lil Dawa, in which it […] July 31, 2023
Banking and Finance PIF seeks $5bn investments in Oman Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, PIF, has signed a memorandum of understanding with its Omani counterpart to seek out investments in Oman worth $5 billion. The agreement aims to support the expansion of investment and cooperation between PIF and its portfolio companies with the Oman Investment Authority (OIA), said a PIF announcement on Thursday. The […] July 27, 2023
Banking and Finance Gulf central banks follow US Fed by lifting key rates Most GCC central banks have increased their interest rates in line with the US Federal Reserve decision to hike rates by a quarter of a percentage point. The Fed raised its rate by 25 basis points (bps) on Wednesday, the highest US central bank policy rate in 16 years due to elevated inflation. The central […] July 27, 2023
Markets Saudi bourse owner’s profit dips 24% to $28m in Q2 2023 Net profit at Saudi Tadawul Group Holding Company, the holding company of the Saudi stock exchange, fell 23.6 percent year on year to SAR 105.2 million ($28.05 million) in the second quarter, down from SAR 137.7 million. The lower profit was driven by a 15.5 percent year-on-year drop in operating revenue to SAR 252 million, […] July 24, 2023
Tech US and UAE supercomputer venture advances AI training US artificial intelligence tech firm Cerebras signed a $100 million deal with UAE tech holding company G42 on Thursday to supply the first of three AI supercomputers. A planned network of nine interconnected supercomputers, Condor Galaxy (GC) will be the largest of its kind in the world, and will significantly reduce AI model training time. […] July 21, 2023
Energy BlackRock appoints Aramco CEO as board director BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has named Amin Nasser, president and CEO of Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco), as an independent director. The appointment reflects the importance of the Middle East to the firm’s long-term strategy, it said in a statement. Nasser oversaw the successful public listing of the Saudi oil company in 2019, […] July 18, 2023
Development Egypt explores plans for new free zones Egypt is weighing plans to build three new free zones to stimulate foreign direct investments, according to Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. The new free zones will be established in Alexandria, the 10th of Ramadan and the 6th of October cities, Ahram Online reported, citing an official statement. No project or cost details were given on […] July 17, 2023
Opinion Media & Advertising Marketers are grappling with AI’s role in advertising Artificial intelligence relies on data but the data has to be valuable July 14, 2023
Economy Egypt to sell stakes in 3 oil firms to ADQ for $800m Egypt has signed contracts with the private sector to sell state-owned entities worth $1.9 billion under its initial public offering (IPO) privatisation programme, said Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly. The government has received $1.65 billion and the remaining $250 million will be received in the Egyptian pound, Ahram Online reported, citing Madbouly. The new contracts include […] July 12, 2023
Banking and Finance Schools operator Taaleem enjoys profit rise of 35% Taaleem, the Dubai-listed schools operator, posted a surge in net profit for the nine months up to 31 May, driven by a strong increase in student enrolment. The company also benefitted from unrealised gains from its initial public offering (IPO) last November. Net profit rose 35 percent year on year to AED199.8 million ($54 million) […] July 11, 2023
Analysis Banking and Finance Middle East IPO drive likely to cool in second half of 2023 The wave of listings on Middle East markets will slow down as the year progresses, with initial public offerings being pushed to 2024 instead, say industry experts. Last year 71 IPOs were completed in the Middle East, for a combined transaction value of more than $25 billion, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. That compares […] July 10, 2023
