Analysis Tourism Kuwait Entertainment City targets Gulf tourism rivals Kuwait Investment Authority taking over a planned Entertainment City development in the nation’s capital is the latest sign of an upturn in its commercial real estate sector, according to experts. Authorities first announced the nearly $660 million (KWD 200 million) project in October 2019, then relaunched it in May 2023. A study at the time […] August 27, 2024
Banking & Finance ADIA ‘in talks to join Sanofi bid consortium’ Abu Dhabi’s trillion-dollar investment fund is in talks to join a consortium to buy the French drugmaker Sanofi’s consumer health division, according to a report by Bloomberg. Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and the Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC have both been contacted by the French buyout firm PAI Partners with a view to joining […] August 23, 2024
Banking & Finance Abu Dhabi-backed financier among bidders for Hollywood giant A New York investment company backed by Abu Dhabi is part of a group that has launched a bid to take over Paramount Global, one of Hollywood’s biggest entertainment companies. The conglomerate, led by the industry veteran Edgar Bronfman Jr, a former CEO of Warner Music Group, submitted a $4.3 billion bid on Monday to […] August 21, 2024
Analysis Finance Saudi Arabia’s PIF is focused on the home advantage The value of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund’s domestic assets under management have doubled year on year in further evidence of a strategy to focus investments in the kingdom. The AuM, referred to in the fund’s annual report as “Saudi sector development (SSD)” increased from 21 percent to 33 percent last year. The investments are […] August 20, 2024
Logistics Saudi shipping company signs $1bn tankers deal National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) has announced a SAR3.75 billion ($1 billion) deal to buy nine tankers from Greek company Capital Maritime and Trading Corporation. The very large crude carriers (VLCCs) will be used by Bahri to deliver crude cargoes for its customers. VLCCs are a crucial part of the global maritime logistics […] August 20, 2024
Economy Oman sovereign fund’s assets rise 12% to $50bn in 2023 Oman Investment Authority (OIA) reported a 12 percent growth in assets to OR19.2 billion ($50 billion) in 2023 compared to OR17.2 billion a year ago. The sovereign wealth fund’s profits exceeded OR1.7 billion, OIA president Abdulsalam Al Murshidi said in the authority’s 2023 annual report. Last year, the wealth fund contributed OR800 million to the […] August 20, 2024
Business of Sport Saudi Arabia adds soccer in North America to sports portfolio Saudi Arabia has added the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (Concacaf) to its squad of sporting investments. The kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund has partnered with the regional governing body for soccer “to support the growth of the sport at all levels”. The Public Investment Fund will sponsor football development initiatives, with […] August 16, 2024
Analysis Finance Mubadala Capital puts faith in biotech startups Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Capital has made early-stage investments into three US biotech startups this year, taking advantage of a broader decline in company valuations to buy into the fast-growing sector. Biotechnology uses living organisms to make products, often pharmaceuticals. There are nearly 7,600 biotech-based drugs in development in the US according to the Biotechnology Innovation […] August 16, 2024
Finance PIF cuts down on Starbucks and goes for chips in US rejig Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has adjusted its US equities portfolio, including trimming its call options on Starbucks. The global coffee chain has faced boycott calls over its perceived pro-Israel stance in the ongoing Gaza conflict, a claim it denies. In its latest Securities and Exchange Commission filing, PIF decreased its Starbucks call options by […] August 15, 2024
Banking & Finance ADQ in talks to buy Turkish lender Odeabank Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ is in discussions to buy Turkish lender Odeabank as it seeks to expand its international footprint. The fund has been engaged in talks over the past few months to buy the bank owned by Lebanon’s Bank Audi SAL, Bloomberg reported quoting informed sources. However, the report said that no final […] August 14, 2024
Finance Abu Dhabi’s ADQ buys minority stake in Sotheby’s Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ and Patrick Drahi, majority owner of auction house Sotheby’s, will jointly invest $1 billion in the company to support its expansion plans. As part of the agreement, ADQ will acquire a minority stake in Sotheby’s, a British-founded company that has its headquarters in New York. The value of the sovereign […] August 12, 2024
Business of Sport Investor bids invited for six Saudi football teams Saudi Arabia this week opened bids for six football teams as part of its new drive to monetise the kingdom’s sport sector and raise its foreign direct investment numbers. Local and international investors are invited to bid for Al-Okhdood, Al-Orouba and Al-Kholoud – all in Saudi Arabia’s top Pro League – as well as Al-Zulfi, […] August 8, 2024
Tech Magic Leap seeks additional funds after big PIF investment Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has invested $750 million into technology and software developer Magic Leap since the beginning of 2023, strengthening its role as the majority owner. This year’s funding of $160 million builds on the sovereign wealth fund’s previous allocation of $590 million in 2023 facilitated through convertible debt arrangements, as detailed in […] August 7, 2024
Economy Partnerships prove central as ADIA looks to India and beyond Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the UAE’s largest sovereign wealth fund, is increasingly forming consortiums to make its deals – and focusing on purchases in India. After a string of acquisitions in Asia, ADIA is now leading a consortium with CVC Advisers with a view to bidding for UK investment platform Hargreaves Lansdown. In June the […] August 7, 2024
Business of Sport PIF could buy into English cricket’s The Hundred Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is reportedly considering buying a stake in the UK’s The Hundred cricket tournament. The potential move comes after confirmation that the sovereign wealth fund will next turn its attention to the sport. PIF would acquire a new team to be established in Durham in England’s north-east, adding to the eight […] August 2, 2024
Finance US forms bulk of growing Mena M&A activity Middle East and North Africa merger and acquisition deals over the first half of this year were focused in the US. In the opening six months of 2024, 321 deals worth $49 billion were completed in the Mena region, a 1 percent year-on-year increase in volume and 12 percent rise in value, the EY Mena […] July 31, 2024
Analysis Real Estate Canary Wharf’s evolution is a nod to QIA change of strategy The futuristic designs for the former HSBC Holdings headquarters in London’s Canary Wharf may provide a glimpse into the strategy in recent years of one of its major shareholders – the Qatar Investment Authority. Reportedly a casualty of the Covid pandemic and subsequent shift to remote working, 8 Canada Square is to be turned into […] July 26, 2024
Banking & Finance PIF appoints investment chief as it shifts focus to local projects Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has appointed a head of investments as it seeks to manage funding challenges for the giga-projects at the centre of the country’s economic transformation programme. Fahad AlSaif will be responsible for “guiding the development of PIF’s overarching investment strategy” and helping the fund’s leadership in its decisions, a statement said. […] July 24, 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
Aviation Mubadala-backed Sanad Group reports 53% revenue growth Sanad Group, the Abu Dhabi-based global aerospace engineering and leasing company, has seen revenues increase by more than half over the first six months of the year. Figures released to AGBI show revenue totalling AED2.3 billion ($620 million) was reported in the first half of the year, up from AED1.5 billion over the same period […] July 19, 2024
Economy ADQ: how Abu Dhabi’s ‘baby’ fund is finding its feet Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ may be the younger, smaller sibling of ADIA and Mubadala but there are no signs of an inferiority complex as it executes billion-dollar deals at home and overseas. Most notable was the $35 billion agreement signed with the Egyptian government in February this year to develop Ras El Hekma, […] July 19, 2024
Giga-projects Full steam ahead on ‘largest urban park in the world’ Saudi Arabia is forging ahead with construction of what it calls the “largest urban park in the world”, publishing videos of its first buildings under construction after a tunnel opened earlier this year. King Salman Park in Riyadh is owned by the Public Investment Fund and was recently valued by real estate consultancy Knight Frank […] July 19, 2024
