GFH Acquires British International School in Tunisia

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GFH Financial Group Logo
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GFH Acquires British International School in Tunisia

GFH Financial Group Logo
GFH Financial Group Logo

Britus Education, the wholly-owned education investment platform of GFH Financial Group, has acquired The British International School of Tunis (BIST) to expand the company's presence in Tunisia.

Headquartered in Bahrain, the group said the transaction will grant Britus Education a 70% stake in the school and support plans for the establishment of another branch of BIST in Tunis Bay.

Established in September 2012, BIST lies at the heart of Tunisia’s British community and is the first British-based learning institution in the country offering kindergarten-primary and high school education. It delivers education for students aged three to 18.

The school is inspected by the British Government and is certified by the British Schools Overseas (BSO), a government office in charge of school supervision in the United Kingdom and UK schools based overseas, the Council of British International Schools (COBIS) and Cambridge Assessment International Education, which places BIST among the top rated British schools overseas.

“We’re delighted to announce the further expansion of the Group’s presence in Tunisia with the strategic acquisition of a leading international K-12 school in the MENA region," Fatema Kamal, Acting CEO of Britus Education, said.

"This investment comes in line with GFH’s already strong commitment to the Tunisian market and will support the aim of offering world-class amenities including top ranking international schools at Tunis Bay.”



Sri Lanka's Bondholders Sign Off on $12.55 Bln Debt Overhaul

FILE PHOTO: A cargo ship sails towards Colombo Harbour as a Sri Lankan national flag is seen, amid the country's economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 23, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A cargo ship sails towards Colombo Harbour as a Sri Lankan national flag is seen, amid the country's economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 23, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo
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Sri Lanka's Bondholders Sign Off on $12.55 Bln Debt Overhaul

FILE PHOTO: A cargo ship sails towards Colombo Harbour as a Sri Lankan national flag is seen, amid the country's economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 23, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A cargo ship sails towards Colombo Harbour as a Sri Lankan national flag is seen, amid the country's economic crisis in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 23, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo

Sri Lanka's bondholders signed off on the government's proposal to restructure its $12.55 billion of international bonds, a key step in finalizing the island nation's debt overhaul.

Final results showed holders representing 97.86% of the outstanding principal on the existing bonds voted in favor of the plan, which will swap Sri Lanka's defaulted bonds for a series of new fixed income instruments, the government said in a statement dated Dec. 16.

Sri Lanka defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time in May 2022 due to its high debt burden and dwindling foreign exchange reserves.

With the finalizing of the bond exchange, Sri Lanka will become the fourth country to conclude a restructuring of its bonds this year, following in the footsteps of Ghana, Ukraine and Zambia, Reuters reported.

The South Asian island nation's new instruments include a governance-linked bond, which offers a 75-basis-point reduction in the interest rate payable if Sri Lanka meets certain governance targets, and several bonds linked to economic performance.

A breakdown of the data showed investor support across all bar one of the bonds - the 2022 maturity - passed the threshold required that would see the whole bond swapped out in its entirety for the newly created instruments.

In the 2022 bond, which does not feature so-called aggregated collective action clauses, holders representing just 73.13% voted in support of the proposal.