GFH Announces Net Profit of $19.1 Million in Q1

GFH records a growth in its profits (Asharq Al-Awsat)
GFH records a growth in its profits (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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GFH Announces Net Profit of $19.1 Million in Q1

GFH records a growth in its profits (Asharq Al-Awsat)
GFH records a growth in its profits (Asharq Al-Awsat)

GFH Financial Group (GFH) has announced a net profit attributable to shareholders of $19.11 million for the first quarter of the year ended on March 31, 2022, up 18.5 percent from $16.12 million in the first quarter of 2021.

The growth reflects several key deals within the group’s investment banking activities, GFH said.

Earnings per share for first quarter of 2022 were US cents 0.54 compared to US cents 0.52 for the first quarter of 2021. Total income for the first quarter of 2022 was $90.81 million compared to $90.39 million in the first quarter of 2021, an increase of 0.47 percent.

Consolidated net profit for the first quarter was $19.35 million compared with $19.34 million in the first quarter of 2021, a marginal increase of 0.04 percent.

The group’s total assets on March 31, 2022 were $8.11 billion, compared with $8.08 billion on December 31, 2021, a slight increase of 0.37 percent. Total expenses for the first three months of the year were $71.46 million, up by 0.57 percent from $71.05 million compared to the same period in 2021.

“As the Group continues to focus on Islamic finance and asset management in the ever-changing global financial environment, we look forward to continuing to keep the pace with the opportunities in this field as well as continuing to invest in key markets in the GCC and US,” Ghazi Al Hajeri, Chairman of GFH, said.

CEO of GFH Hisham Alrayes commented: “In the first quarter of 2022, we continued to grow according to the business plan, moving ahead with executing our robust pipeline of opportunities. Several key deals reflected positively on our income during the quarter, including the placement of our medical offices and logistics portfolios in the US.”

Alrayes added: “Real estate and infrastructure investments were separated from the Group’s consolidated accounts after the sale of 60% of Infracorp shares, which reflected positively.

"Regarding the efficiency of the capital and the expected profitability of the group, we look forward to continuing this growth during the year and delivering on shareholder expectations, especially with the upcoming instrument in the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.”



BP Nears Deals for Oil Fields, Curbs on Gas Flaring in Iraq

British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (L) welcomes Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (L) welcomes Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
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BP Nears Deals for Oil Fields, Curbs on Gas Flaring in Iraq

British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (L) welcomes Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)
British Prime Minster Keir Starmer (L) welcomes Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia al-Sudani to 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 14 January 2025. (EPA)

Iraq and British oil giant BP are set to finalize a deal by early February to develop four oil fields in Kirkuk and curb gas flaring, Iraqi authorities announced Wednesday.

The mega-project in northern Iraq will include plans to recover flared gas to boost the country's electricity production, they said.

Gas flaring refers to the polluting practice of burning off excess gas during oil drilling. It is cheaper than capturing the associated gas.

The Iraqi government and BP signed a new memorandum of understanding in London late Tuesday, as Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and other senior ministers visit Britain to seal various trade and investment deals.

"The objective is to enhance production and achieve optimal targeted rates of oil and gas output," Sudani's office said in a statement.

Iraq's Oil Minister Hayan Abdel Ghani told AFP after the new accord was signed that the project would increase the four oil fields' production to up to 500,000 barrels per day from about 350,000 bpd.

"The agreement commits both parties to sign a contract in the first week of February," he said.

Ghani noted the project will also target gas flaring.

Iraq has the third highest global rate of gas flaring, after Russia and Iran, having flared about 18 billion cubic meters of gas in 2023, according to the World Bank.

The Iraqi government has made eliminating the practice one of its priorities, with plans to curb 80 percent of flared gas by 2026 and to eliminate releases by 2028.

"It's not just a question of investing and increasing oil production... but also gas exploitation. We can no longer tolerate gas flaring, whatever the quantity," Ghani added.

"We need this gas, which Iraq currently imports from neighboring Iran. The government is making serious efforts to put an end to these imports."

Iraq is ultra-dependent on Iranian gas, which covers almost a third of Iraq's energy needs.

However, Teheran regularly cuts off its supply, exacerbating the power shortages that punctuate the daily lives of 45 million Iraqis.

BP is one of the biggest foreign players in Iraq's oil sector, with a history of producing oil in the country dating back to the 1920s when it was still under British mandate.

According to the World Bank, Iraq has 145 billion barrels of proven oil reserves -- among the largest in the world -- amounting to 96 years' worth of production at the current rate.