Tecom IPO: Dubai company may raise as much as $455m from DFM listing

The UAE Strategic Investment Fund and Shamal Holding commit $77.3m as cornerstone investors to the offering

The IPO price range of the Tecom Group, which operates Dubai Internet City, values the company at between $3.4 billion and $3.6bn. AP

Dubai's Tecom Group, the operator of business districts that are home to more than 7,800 companies, may raise as much as Dh1.67 billion ($455 million) from its initial public offering on the Dubai Financial Market.

The company set its offering price range between Dh2.46 and Dh2.67 a share, valuing it at between Dh12.3bn and Dh13.4bn, Tecom said on Thursday.

Dubai Holding will sell 625 million shares, or 12.5 per cent in Tecom, as part of a series of IPOs of state enterprises aimed at boosting the size of the emirate's capital market.

The UAE Strategic Investment Fund and Shamal Holding will be cornerstone investors in the IPO, with a total commitment of Dh283.75m ($77.3m).

Tecom comprises 10 business districts that include Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and Dubai Design District.

The subscription period for retail investors runs from June 16 to June 23, and until June 24 for qualified institutional investors.

The final offer price will be determined through a book-building process and will be announced on June 27, with Tecom shares beginning to trade on the Dubai stock exchange on July 5, subject to market conditions and the obtaining of relevant regulatory approvals in the UAE.

Last year, Dubai announced plans to list 10 state-owned companies as part of its strategy to double the size of its capital market to Dh3 trillion and attract foreign investment.

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  Dubai Internet City. Courtesy Tecom Group

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  Dubai Industrial City. Courtesy Tecom Group

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  Dubai Design District. Courtesy Tecom Group

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  in5 Innovation Centre. Courtesy Tecom Group

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  Dubai Science Park. Courtesy Tecom Group

The emirate also announced plans to set up a Dh2bn market maker fund to encourage the listing of more private companies from sectors such as energy, logistics and retail.

The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority — which operates as a vertically integrated multi-utility, with business activities including electricity generation, transmission and distribution, water desalination and district cooling — was the first government entity to list on the DFM.

The utility, which listed shares in April in the largest public float in the Middle East and Europe since Saudi Aramco went public in 2019, raised Dh22.41 billion ($6.1bn) from its IPO.

Tecom said its current available land bank of 375.3 hectares (40.4 million square feet) and access to additional land through an exclusive right of first offer with Dubai Holding Asset Management serve as a bedrock for future growth.

Nine of Tecom's 10 business districts are located in free zones that permit 100 per cent foreign ownership, with tenants including Meta, Google, Visa, BBC, CNN, Unilever and Dior.

The districts allow the complete repatriation of profits and employ more than 100,000 people in areas related to non-oil sectors that include technology, media, science, education, design and manufacturing.

Dubai's purchasing manager's index for the month of May showed that the emirate's non-oil business conditions hit a 35-month high, rising to 55.7, from 54.7 in April. This was the highest reading since June 2019.

Tecom has said it intends to pay dividends semi-annually — in October and April of each year, subject to the approval of its board and general assembly.

The company expects to pay a dividend of Dh800m annually over the next three years through to October 2025.

Tecom had about Dh1.77bn of revenue and Dh1.17bn in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (ebitda) in 2021, with a 66.3 per cent ebitda margin.

The group recorded Dh485m in revenue for the first quarter of this year and Dh349m in ebitda, with a 72 per cent ebitda margin.

The lead receiving bank is Emirates NBD. Other receiving banks include First Abu Dhabi Bank, Mashreq Bank, Emirates Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank, Ajman Bank, Commercial Bank of Dubai and Sharjah Islamic Bank.

Emirates NBD Capital, First Abu Dhabi Bank, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and UBS have been appointed as joint global co-ordinators and joint bookrunners.

Tecom Group operates the following business districts:

• Technology cluster: consists of Dubai Internet City and Dubai Outsource City.

• Media cluster: consists of Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City and Dubai Production City.

• Education cluster: consists of Dubai International Academic City and the Dubai Knowledge Park.

• Science cluster: consists of Dubai Science Park.

• Design cluster: consists of Dubai Design District.

• Manufacturing cluster: consists of Dubai Industrial City.