Times of Oman

Al Ahlia Insurance IPO opens for subscripti­on

The initial public offering opened for subscripti­on on July 4 and will close on August 2. It is open for subscripti­on to Omani and nonOmani investors, including individual and institutio­nal investors.

- Times News Service

MUSCAT: Al Ahlia Insurance Company SAOG (under transforma­tion), one of Oman’s oldest insurance companies, has announced the opening of its initial public offering (IPO) for subscripti­on.

This is the first IPO on the Muscat Securities Market in the last two years.

The IPO opened for subscripti­on on July 4 and will close on August 2. It is open for subscripti­on to Omani and non-Omani investors, including individual and institutio­nal investors. In the IPO, 65 per cent of the offered shares have been reserved for small investors applying a minimum of 1,000 shares to a maximum of 250,000 shares, with the remaining 35 per cent of the shares reserved for large investors applying for a minimum of 250,100 shares up to a maximum of 2,500,000 shares.

Al Ahlia is offering 25,000,000 shares at an offer price of 300 baisas per share (comprising a nominal value of 100 baisas and a premium of 200 baisas). The IPO represents an offer of 25 per cent of the share capital of the company.

The applicatio­n form for the IPO is available for collection at any branch of the subscripti­on banks, which are Bank Muscat, National Bank of Oman, Oman Arab Bank, Bank Dhofar, Bank Sohar and Ahli Bank.

Exciting opportunit­y

“This is indeed a unique and exciting opportunit­y, backed by trust and confidence, for investors in Oman. The Al Ahlia IPO is distinctiv­e, as it represents the combined strength of being a wellestabl­ished Omani institutio­n and the expertise of a global leader in the insurance business: RSA Insurance Group,” said Lloyd East, regional chief executive officer, RSA (Middle East) and managing director of Al Ahlia.

At the IPO price, the company offers an attractive average projected dividend yield of 9.3 per cent for the first four years. The first dividend of 11 baisas is expected to be paid by the company in August/ September 2017, with semi-annual dividend distributi­ons thereafter. Bank Muscat is the financial adviser and issue manager for the transactio­n.

Al Ahlia is a leading property and casualty insurer in Oman, backed by strong promoters that are led by the RSA Insurance Group and well supported by experience­d local shareholde­rs.

RSA Insurance Group, the largest ultimate shareholde­r in Al Ahlia, has a legacy of over 300 years and is one of the world’s leading multinatio­nal insurance groups employing over 13,000 people, serving over 9 million customers in more than 100 countries, with net written premiums of $8.2 billion (in 2016). The company also benefits from having three well reputed Omani shareholde­rs— Ominvest, W J Towell Group and OHI Group.

Al Ahlia is managed by a strong and experience­d leadership team, with over 150 years of collective experience at the executive level.

 ?? — Supplied picture ?? Lloyd East.
— Supplied picture Lloyd East.

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