Amanat plans to move its headquarters and list shares on Abu Dhabi bourse

Amanat Holdings, the Dubai-listed firm that invests in healthcare and education businesses, plans to move its headquarters to Abu Dhabi and list its shares on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.

A special resolution, added by shareholders owning more than 10 per cent of the company, to move from Dubai to Abu Dhabi was approved at its general assembly meeting, the company said in a statement on Wednesday without specifying any reason for the move.

The decision to move the company's headquarters as well as to list on Abu Dhabi bourse is subject to the approval of the relevant authorities, including the Securities and Commodities Authority, the Dubai Financial Market and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.

“The unprecedented economic headwinds caused by Covid-19 have certainly demanded further measures across all our portfolio companies, operationally and financially, but we operate in two of the most resilient sectors that are well equipped to adapt to the current economic conditions,” Hamad Al Shamsi, Amanat’s chairman, said. “We also have the capital structure, investment acumen and talent to allow us to deliver on our strategy in the current macro-economic climate.”

The company also said its shareholders approved the board of directors’ recommendation to distribute a cash dividend of 2.2 fils per share for the year ended December 2019. The dividend distribution represents a total payout of Dh55 million, marking the fifth consecutive year of dividend distribution by Amanat.

Amanat reported a 40 per cent rise in its full-year net profit in 2019 as its income from investments rose and expenses fell.

Net income for the 12-month period ending December 31 climbed to Dh60m, the company said earlier this year. Total income for the reporting period rose to Dh113.3m, an 8 per cent year-on-year rise.

Last month, the company said it has ended discussions to buy a stake in VPS Healthcare Group, founded by Dr Shamsheer Vayalil who is also the vice-chairman and managing director at Amanat.

"Alongside optimising our portfolio through integration and synergy extraction, we are also committed to driving increased operational efficiency at the Amanat holding level," Mr Vayalil said.

The lowdown

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Name: Mariam Ketait

Emirate: Dubai

Hobbies: I enjoy travelling, experiencing new things, painting, reading, flying, and the French language

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