Dubai Courier Firm Aramex Buys Florida MyUS for $265 Mln

An employee walks at the distribution warehouse unit at the Aramex Emirates head offices and freight and logistics facility at Dubai Logistics City in Jebel Ali April 10, 2012. REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh/File Photo
An employee walks at the distribution warehouse unit at the Aramex Emirates head offices and freight and logistics facility at Dubai Logistics City in Jebel Ali April 10, 2012. REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh/File Photo
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Dubai Courier Firm Aramex Buys Florida MyUS for $265 Mln

An employee walks at the distribution warehouse unit at the Aramex Emirates head offices and freight and logistics facility at Dubai Logistics City in Jebel Ali April 10, 2012. REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh/File Photo
An employee walks at the distribution warehouse unit at the Aramex Emirates head offices and freight and logistics facility at Dubai Logistics City in Jebel Ali April 10, 2012. REUTERS/Jumana El Heloueh/File Photo

Dubai-listed courier firm Aramex said on Wednesday it had bought Florida-based e-commerce company Access USA Shipping LLC (MyUS) for about $265 million in an all-cash deal.

The transaction, after having obtained all the necessary regulatory approvals, marks Aramex’s largest acquisition to date, it said.

Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund ADQ holds a 22.32% stake in Aramex, transferred to ADQ-owned Abu Dhabi Ports in January. Abu Dhabi Ports made its stock market debut in February, raising 4 billion dirhams ($1.09 billion).

"As a result of this acquisition, MyUS will be fully integrated into Aramex's business", operating as a unit of its courier segment, Aramex said in a statement.

It said MyUS will retain its brand and "be complementary to Shop & Ship, Aramex's subscription-based last mile e-commerce solutions platform".

Aramex said the announced purchase price is subject to "customary adjustments.”

The takeover will help Aramex grow its cross-border express business by growing and diversifying its customer base and expanding coverage, it said.

Aramex said that in 2021, MyUS generated more than $100 million in revenue and delivered 1.1 million packages to customers who shop from retailers based in the US, UK and China. The company has about 180,000 active customers.

"Our shareholders will immediately see the impact on financial performance, and over the long term we can unlock further value through operational and cost synergies," Aramex Chief Executive Othman Aljeda said in the statement.

MyUS CEO Ramesh Bulusu said in the same statement the company would take its services to new markets by leveraging "Aramex's extensive global network... in markets exhibiting very attractive characteristics such as the MENA region, the UK and Australia."



Lebanon's Bonds Rally as Parliament Elects 1st President since 2022

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri shakes hands with Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun after he is elected as the country’s president at the parliament building in Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 9, 2025. Reuters/Mohamed Azakir
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri shakes hands with Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun after he is elected as the country’s president at the parliament building in Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 9, 2025. Reuters/Mohamed Azakir
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Lebanon's Bonds Rally as Parliament Elects 1st President since 2022

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri shakes hands with Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun after he is elected as the country’s president at the parliament building in Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 9, 2025. Reuters/Mohamed Azakir
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri shakes hands with Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun after he is elected as the country’s president at the parliament building in Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 9, 2025. Reuters/Mohamed Azakir

Lebanese government bonds extended their three-month-long rally on Thursday as the crisis-ravaged country's parliament voted in a new head of state for the first time since 2022.

Lebanese lawmakers elected army chief Joseph Aoun as president. It came after the failure of 12 previous attempts to pick a president and boosts hopes that Lebanon might finally be able to start addressing its dire economic woes.

The country's battered bonds have almost trebled in value since September, when the regional conflict with Israel weakened Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, long viewed as an obstacle to overcoming its political paralysis.

According to Reuters, most of Lebanon's international bonds, which have been in default since 2020, rallied after Aoun's victory was announced to stand 1.3 to 1.7 cents higher on the day and at just over 16 cents on the dollar.

They have risen almost every day since late December, although they remain some of the lowest-priced government bonds in the world, reflecting the scale of Lebanon's difficulties.

With its economy and financial system still reeling from a collapse in 2019, Lebanon is in dire need of international support to rebuild from the conflict, which the World Bank estimates to have cost the country $8.5 billion.

Hasnain Malik, an analyst at financial research firm Tellimer said Aoun's victory was "the first necessary step on a very long road to recovery".

Malik said Aoun now needs to appoint a prime minister and assemble a cabinet that can retain the support of parliament, resuscitate long-delayed reforms and help Lebanon secure international financial support.

The 61-year old Aoun fell short of the required support in Thursday's first round of parliamentary voting and only succeeded in a second round, reportedly after a meeting with Hezbollah and Amal party MPs.

"That presents significant ongoing risk to any new PM and cabinet, which need to maintain the confidence of a majority of parliament," Malik said.