Abu Dhabi’s ADQ Buys Stakes Worth $1.85b in Egyptian Firms

Egyptian Stock Exchange (Reuters)
Egyptian Stock Exchange (Reuters)
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Abu Dhabi’s ADQ Buys Stakes Worth $1.85b in Egyptian Firms

Egyptian Stock Exchange (Reuters)
Egyptian Stock Exchange (Reuters)

Abu Dhabi's state holding company ADQ has bought shares worth $1.85 billion in five publicly traded Egyptian companies. The stock exchange said purchases for five companies were executed on Tuesday but did not say who the buyer was.

The deals included the purchase of 340.1 million shares of Commercial International Bank (CIB), Egypt's biggest private bank, for $911.5 million, and 45.8 million shares of Misr Fertilisers Production (Mopco) for $266.6 million.

They also included Abu Qir Fertilisers and Chemical Industries, which sold 271.6 million shares for $391.9 million, Fawry sold 215 million shares of electronic payments technology for $68.6 million, and Alexandria Container and Cargo Handling sold 476.7 million shares for $159.1 million.

Last December, ADQ established a new office in Egypt to build on its commitment to increase its investment in the country.

The opening of ADQ's new office complements the $20 billion strategic investment platform launched in 2019 between ADQ and the Sovereign Fund of Egypt.

The platform aims to help advance Egypt's economic development through joint strategic investment projects, specialized funds, and investment tools in vital sectors such as healthcare and pharma, utilities, food and agriculture, real estate, and financial services.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met with EGX Chairman Mohamed Farid Saleh to review the proposed action plan to achieve digitization and benefit all citizens from investing in the stock market.

The action plan contributes to attracting foreign investments and providing the necessary funding to achieve the sustainable development goals in Egypt's Vision 2030.

The Prime Minister stressed that this meeting comes within the framework of the government's keenness to permanently coordinate with the EGX, adopt and support ambitious plans to achieve financial and investment inclusion.

They also addressed facilitating services through digital transformation to increase the Egyptian market's ability to attract investments.

Saleh presented several indicators related to EGX work during the recent period, which included developing the value of the offerings due to the resumption of the government offering program.

It will also increase the number of investors in the market following efforts to boost the investment environment and promote the stock exchange to serve the listed companies and the Egyptian economy.



China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
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China Expands Visa-free Entry to More Countries in Bid to Boost Economy

Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)
Shoppers with their purchased goods walk past a popular outdoor shopping mall in Beijing, on Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

China announced Friday that it would expand visa-free entry to citizens of nine more countries as it seeks to boost tourism and business travel to help revive a sluggish economy.
Starting Nov. 30, travelers from Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia and Japan will be able to enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said.
That will bring to 38 the number of countries that have been granted visa-free access since last year. Only three countries had visa-free access previously, and theirs had been eliminated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The permitted length of stay for visa-free entry is being increased from the previous 15 days, Lin said, and people participating in exchanges will be eligible for the first time. China has been pushing people-to-people exchange between students, academics and others to try to improve its sometimes strained relations with other countries, The Associated Press reported.
China strictly restricted entry during the pandemic and ended its restrictions much later than most other countries. It restored the previous visa-free access for citizens of Brunei and Singapore in July 2023, and then expanded visa-free entry to six more countries — France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia — on Dec. 1 of last year.
The program has since been expanded in tranches. Some countries have announced visa-free entry for Chinese citizens, notably Thailand, which wants to bring back Chinese tourists.
For the three months from July through September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.