Markets Saudi Arabia prods blue chips to list more shares Saudi Arabia is prodding blue-chip companies on its stock exchange to offer more shares to the public as part of a drive to become a global financial centre. Abdullah Binghannam, deputy head of financing and investment at the kingdom’s Capital Market Authority, told a markets forum in Riyadh on Tuesday that a regulatory framework was […] February 21, 2024
Markets IPO requests in Saudi Arabia rise by 30% Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority said this week that it had received 56 initial public offering applications, a number well ahead of analysts’ expectations. State oil major Saudi Aramco is also likely to issue a bond this year. CMA chief Mohammed ElKuwaiz told a capital markets forum in Riyadh on February 19 that the applications […] February 20, 2024
Analysis Markets Mena VC exit route remains uncertain in young sector The Mena region’s venture capital industry has blossomed over the past decade as firms have raised $14.5 billion from investors since 2015 and spent a similar amount buying into early-stage companies over the same period. Yet returns on these outlays remain uncertain, and the sector is still in its infancy. From 2015 to September 30 […] February 20, 2024
Industry Egyptian-Kuwaiti venture powers up new investments Investment company Egypt-Kuwait Holding is exploring new investment opportunities in Egypt. The company has finalised investment of $120 million in a new medium-density fibreboard (MDF) manufacturing facility and plans to expand into the power sector. “Our investments in Egypt are ongoing, and we are exploring more opportunities through visiting several ministries and presenting our proposals,” […] February 19, 2024
Analysis Markets Tough IPO rules deter UAE tech startups from listing The UAE’s burgeoning startup sector has helped it become a centre for tech innovation, yet almost none of these fledgling companies have gone public due to stock market regulations. Since 2021 the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) have welcomed a flurry of initial public offerings as part-privatised government-related companies diversify […] February 19, 2024
Logistics Adnoc logistics subsidiary profit up 138% Adnoc Logistics and Services (L&S) reported a 138 percent year on year increase in net profit to AED2.3 billion ($620 million) as all its business segments continued to perform strongly. Revenues at Adnoc’s logistics subsidiary rose 41 percent year on year to $2.8 billion, particularly aided by the integrated logistics division, Adnoc L&S said in a […] February 15, 2024
Finance Al Ansari profit falls 16% as remittance takes a hit UAE remittance and foreign exchange house Al Ansari Financial Services reported a 16 percent year on year decline in profit due to a drop in the remittance segment and increased expenses. The company reported a net profit of AED495 million for 2023, hoping the newly announced remittance fee hike will help offset costs and strengthen […] February 14, 2024
Construction Empower’s profit falls 5% despite record revenue Empower, Dubai’s, and the world’s, largest district cooling company, reported a net profit of AED960 million ($261.37 million) for 2023, down five percent from AED1 billion in 2022. Revenue was at a record high of AED3 billion, rising 8.7 percent year on year, the company said in a statement to the Dubai bourse on Monday. […] February 13, 2024
Opinion Markets Stock-picking in Chinese, American and Middle Eastern markets China’s economy is looking weaker than it has for decades February 12, 2024
Markets Investcorp lines up diverse strategies for east and west Multibillion-dollar asset manager Investcorp Capital is planning listing activity from its companies in the east in the next six months, but sees more profit in mergers and acquisitions in the west. The Bahrain-based company, which was listed on the Abu Dhabi Stock Exchange in November, on Monday reported income of $34 million for the first […] February 12, 2024
Finance Saudi Arabia taps banks for new Aramco share sale Saudi Arabia is set to hire banks including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs Group and HSBC Holdings for a potential secondary share sale in state oil company Aramco that could raise nearly $20 billion – up from earlier estimates of $10 billion. Bloomberg and Reuters reported that the kingdom is in talks with several banks as it […] February 9, 2024
Tech Domestic deals push Presight AI’s profit up 5% to $155m Presight AI Holding, part of Abu Dhabi artificial intelligence group G42, said 2023 net profit rose 5.1 percent year on year to AED570.6 million ($155.35 million) in 2023, supported by major domestic project deployments. Revenue jumped 14.7 percent to AED1.78 billion last year from AED1.55 billion in 2022. Net profit rose marginally by 0.4 percent year on year […] February 8, 2024
Markets Qatar sets up $200m fund to drive trade in Doha stocks Qatar Investment Authority has launched a $200 million fund for Doha-listed stocks as part of plans to reinvigorate trading on the country’s bourse. Trading turnover on the Qatar Stock Exchange has dropped from QAR160.4 billion ($44.1 billion) in 2022, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine boosted the prices of Gulf hydrocarbon exports, spurring local, regional and […] February 8, 2024
Analysis Banking & Finance Saudi stock market Nomu poised for listings flurry Saudi Arabia’s lower-tier stock market, Nomu, is poised for a further flurry of new listings this year as an increasing number of the kingdom’s small and mid-sized companies opt to go public to raise money and improve corporate governance standards. Since launching in 2017, Nomu, which means growth in Arabic, has swelled to 79 listed […] February 7, 2024
Analysis Markets Saudi Arabia and UAE to dominate Mena IPOs in 2024 Nearly 30 companies in the Middle East and North Africa plan to launch initial public offerings this year, despite mixed share price performance from many regional businesses that went public last year, a report has found. Businesses from Saudi Arabia and the UAE will again dominate Mena IPOs in 2024, according to the report by […] February 6, 2024
Markets Gulf markets attracting more international investors International investors are increasingly considering opportunities in Gulf markets, according to traders and observers. The only exception is China, where interest in investing in the Gulf remains relatively low. GCC countries raised $6.8 billion through 29 offerings during the first nine months of 2023, buoyed by a privatisation push in Dubai, several record-breaking listings from […] February 6, 2024
Markets Appetite high for Aramco’s $10bn second listing Now is the right time for the Saudi state oil company Aramco to follow through on its much-anticipated second share listing, industry experts have said. Observers believe that growing international investor appetite for the region’s stock markets makes the timing attractive. However, geopolitical regional tensions, concerns about global oil demand, and high interest rates could […] February 5, 2024
Opinion Real Estate School’s in: UAE education is ripe for investment The listing of more education-based real estate investment trusts will diversify UAE capital markets February 5, 2024
Markets Dubai bourse operator’s 2023 profit up 124% to $90m Dubai Financial Market Company, the operator of the Dubai bourse, said net profit jumped 124 percent to AED329.4 million ($89.68 million) last year. The earnings surge was driven by a substantial increase in trading activities, capital inflow and an influx of new investors. Total revenue reached AED541.6 million in 2023, an increase of 54 percent […] January 31, 2024
People & Lifestyle Pure Health buys Abu Dhabi hospital stake for $150m A subsidiary of Abu Dhabi’s Pure Health Holding has agreed to acquire Mayo Clinic’s shares in Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City for $150 million. Under the agreement, Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) will acquire 25,000 shares, or 25 percent, of the total issued shares of Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City, Pure Health said in a statement […] January 30, 2024
Aviation Saudi will top Gulf business travel chart, says Wego boss Business travel to and from Saudi Arabia is expected to surpass neighbouring UAE, according to the CEO and co-founder of online travel marketplace Wego. As of the start of this month, foreign companies hoping to gain access to billions of dollars worth of government contracts must have their regional headquarters in Riyadh. The regional HQ […] January 25, 2024
Finance Avalon Pharma’s market value at $437m on listing Saudi Arabia’s Middle East Pharmaceutical Industries Company (Avalon Pharma) has priced its initial public offering (IPO) at the top of its range at SAR82 ($21.87), implying a market capitalisation of SAR1.64 billion ($437.33 million) on listing. The recorded orders during the institutional book-building stood at SAR68.27 billion, representing a coverage of 138.76 times. The retail […] January 25, 2024
